Operations Manager Valentina-Florin Drescanu was delighted to represent Oakland International at the Cold Chain Federation’s recent Parliamentary Reception in London along with cold chain members and Parliamentarians to highlight a truly vital sector.

The event’s focus was to shine a spotlight on the cold chain and how critical it is to the nation from ensuring food security and public health to supporting diverse industries and vital supply lines, and the importance of a robust and resilient cold chain.

Said Valentina: “It was an incredible opportunity to attend the Cold Chain Federation’s Parliamentary Reception with my colleague Site General Manager Martyn Chapman from our Bardon facility.

“Such a fantastic event filled with inspiring conversations and connections with a diverse group of professionals in the cold chain sector, the backbone of our modern supply system, ensuring essential food and pharmaceutical products reach people safely and reliably.”

Valentina is one of the recipients of the Cold Chain Federation’s 2024 Emerging Leader Bursary, a 12-month leadership development journey, which began in October 2024. Phil Pluck, Cold Chain Federation CEO, recently visited Oakland’s Bardon depot to catch up with Valentina to see firsthand how she is progressing and to support her in her ongoing leadership training.

Cold Chain Federation CEO Phil Pluck commented: “Valentina is a shining example of the value of the Cold Chain Federation Emerging Leader Bursary. With Oakland’s support and culture she has come from an admin post to Operations Manager in just four years, and to now give Valentina exposure to a formal leadership support programme and to the wider leadership, political and sustainability challenges of the cold chain, is an opportunity that Valentina has taken up with real enthusiasm.

“She really is one to watch for the future and whilst the CCF are providing the Emerging Leader programme, Valentina wouldn’t have the opportunity to take up this incredible learning experience without the full support of Oakland International who are a great example of spotting and developing their leaders of the future.”

Added Valentina: “During Phil’s visit we discussed my daily responsibilities, progress since joining Oakland, and the key projects I have contributed to in my role. I was also able to share our initiatives, explore ways to strengthen collaboration, and discussed how he can further support my growth as a leader in the cold chain sector.

“Thank you, Phil, for your encouragement and for investing in my future, the Oakland team, and the cold chain industry, and I am so grateful to have represented Oakland at such an important event.”

Oakland International is an authority in direct to consumer, case consolidation, contract packing, storage and distribution, food tempering and brand development support for ambient, chilled, and frozen food, servicing retail, convenience, discount, wholesale and food service markets in the UK and Ireland.

A Certified B Corp, the company is currently working towards becoming the first business within their sector to achieve net zero.