Meet the Alumni: Lucy Griffiths – Angus Soft Fruits

As MDS celebrates 40 years of developing future leaders in food and agriculture, we’re catching up with alumni who have gone on to build exciting careers across the industry. Lucy Griffiths joined the MDS programme in 2017 and is now Sustainability Manager at Angus Soft Fruits.

In this Meet the Alumni feature, she reflects on what first attracted her to MDS, how the programme helped shape her career, and the experiences that have stayed with her since her Trainee days.

When were you an MDS Trainee, and what attracted you to the programme?

I started MDS in 2017, graduating in 2019. I liked the idea of the programme because of the flexibility it offered and the chance to try out 4 different jobs over the 2 years. I knew I wanted to work in food but I wasn’t sure which part of the supply chain so this was a great chance to try out different roles!

Can you tell us a bit about your career journey since completing MDS?

I was very lucky to have 2 placements with Angus Soft Fruits, one of which was working out of their Head Office in Scotland as a Field Technologist, I was then offered a placement a bit closer to home in Evesham as a Retail Technologist. I’ve stayed at Angus since then, continuing as a Retail Technologist, moving to a Technical Manager where I managed 2 of our biggest retailer accounts before transitioning over to the role of Sustainability Manager 2 years ago.

I’ve learnt a huge amount about the soft fruit industry, and I’ve had the benefit of understanding the supply chain from a grower and customer facing role within Technical and Sustainability.

What does your current role at Angus involve, and what do you enjoy most about it?

My current role at Angus Soft Fruits is the Sustainability Manager. This covers a broad remit including Carbon, Biodiversity, Water Management, Food Waste and Packaging. My responsibilities include ensuring that ASF meet our ever-demanding customer sustainability requirements whilst keeping our company activities aligned with our Sustainability goals. This involves building effective relationships with both retailers and growers to drive progress.

The part I enjoy the most is viewing Angus Soft Fruits and the soft fruit industry from a totally different perspective to my previous technical roles. Having been with the company since 2019, it’s always great to be learning something new about the business and the industry.

Looking back, what skills or experiences from MDS have been most valuable in your career?

On the whole, MDS is a huge learning curve, both professionally and personally. The challenges come with getting to grips with a new role, in a new company, with a new manager, topped off with settling into new accommodation, a new routine and likely a completely new location. It’s about being put out of your comfort zone, which will really prepare you and increase your confidence for the future.

One of my biggest learnings is the impact of people, understanding or building a relationship with a person can be fundamental to business success. In a world of increasing technology advancements and increasing use of AI, it’s important to remember that it cannot replace the power of human relationships.

Do you have a favourite memory from your time on the programme?

Having grown up in the South West, I loved living on the East Coast of Scotland during my third placement with Angus Soft Fruits. It’s an area of the country I’d never been to before and it was a beautiful place to live and meet great new people.

What advice would you give to current or prospective Trainees?

MDS will present you with many unique, new experiences and challenges, both professionally and personally, my advice would be to embrace anything that comes your way and throw yourself into the graduate programme.

Lucy’s journey is a great example of how the MDS programme can open doors across the food and agriculture supply chain, while helping Trainees build the confidence to take on new challenges and opportunities. From exploring different roles on programme to progressing into a sustainability role at Angus Soft Fruits, her story highlights the long-term impact of embracing every experience that comes your way.