Total supply chain solutions provider Oakland International said goodbye to a highly valued member of their team as food technology consultant partner Lesley Holborow put down her pen after 22 years of service.

Lesley originally started working with Oakland in 2003 as a customer before becoming a highly regarded partner for the company’s auditing process.

Over the last two decades she has been instrumental in the company achieving various standards and accreditations vital in the food industry.

Presenting Lesley with a specially engraved pen and some flowers to mark her retirement, Oakland International Co-Founder Dean Attwell praised her dedication to duty and the way she had blazed a trail for others in the world of auditing.

He said: “The amount of people here today to say goodbye to Lesley reflects the length of the partnership between us and how much Lesley is valued here at Oakland.

“Lesley came to us as an auditor for one of our first major clients overseeing biscuit packaging but soon moved over to looking after the company’s audits and has led the way for subsequent teams to follow.”

Lesley said: “I have seen Oakland go from strength to strength and I will always be fond of my time here. During the pandemic everyone rightfully praised those in hospitals and emergency services who worked through to keep the country going but Oakland very much played their part too in making sure food was delivered at a time perhaps more vital than ever before.

“I wish the company every success in the future.”

A Certified B Corporation, Oakland International is an expert in saving food and non-food products from going to waste via their distress load management service, and a specialist and leader in direct-to-consumer services, case consolidation, contract packing, storage and distribution, food tempering, and brand development support for all types of food. They aim to be the first business within its sector to reach net zero and serve markets across the UK and Ireland.