Tell us about yourself?  

Hi there, I’m 37 years old and I’m from Lisburn.  I live in Thaxton with my fiancé Michelle and 2-year-old twins, Thomas and Emmie.  COVID permitting, we are due to get married next year on the 7^th August.  

I love to travel and have been to 50 countries to date.  My main hobby, however, is fishing. I love to get out in the boat as often as I can, although this has proven difficult since the twins have been born! I am also an avid football fan of the national team and Manchester United.

What is your background? 

I graduated from the University of Ulster in 2005 with a Degree in Mechanical Engineering.  I always had an ambition to work for a large-scale manufacturer and Coca-Cola HBC was a perfect fit.

How and when did you join Coca-Cola HBC?  

I joined as a Supply Chain Technician in February 2008.  Coca-Cola HBC had just transitioned all its production to a single all-island facility in Knockmore Hill, Lisburn and they were looking for candidates with manufacturing experience. To have a job opportunity, in my field, open up on my doorstep was a real stroke of luck!

Tell us about your career to date in Coca-Cola HBC?  

I originally started working in the ‘Injection Moulding’ department, where our plastic is produced. After 18 months or so, I moved through to the ‘Bottle Blowing Hall’ for a further two and a half years. 

Given my engineering background, I had my sights set on the role of Maintenance Planner. In 2012, this role opened up and I was successful. I held this role for four years and was then promoted to the role of Maintenance Planning Manager, my current role today.   

Have you invested in your development throughout your time with Coca-Cola HBC? 

During my twelve years with Coca-Cola HBC, I have completed two ‘Fast Forward’ training courses to help develop my managerial and leadership skills. I would highly recommend to anyone coming into the business; no matter what your expertise or position.

These are internal professional development courses that prepare you to take on your next role. 

They also support you to develop your wider business acumen and to build a strong cross-functional network. 

What does a typical day at work entail?   

Each day varies slightly, but overall, my department is responsible for planning any maintenance works required across the production facility. This could include contractor management, scheduling weekly plant maintenance, or planning annual overhauls.  

Our department also manages budgets for repair and maintenance within Supply Chain, covering all day-to-day operational costs and the annual investments within the plant. A recent project I was delighted to work on was the installation of our second canning line which was commissioned following a £9.3million investment.  

We are also responsible for managing the inventory for spare parts, ensuring that we always have the correct machine parts to futureproof the plant’s production plans. 

What excites you about your role? 

I take real pride in ensuring that the plant performs as it should; that our machines are maintained to the highest standard and that each piece of equipment is efficient and reliable. 

It is also great to be involved in large projects, supporting new improvements and investments. Another recent example of this was our new Monster Energy syrup room and canning line to support increased market demand for the product. Continuous investments such as these keep us competitive and sustainable as a business.   

What has it been like to work in our plant during Covid? 

Covid has been a strange and testing time for everyone.  Due to the many challenges we faced at the time, we needed to prioritise tasks to ensure that the department remained productive.  The business supported us throughout this period, trusting us to get the job done while allowing flexibility and remote working where possible. 

There is a huge emphasis on safety within the plant. All possible measures were put in place from the outset to ensure we were always working in the safest possible environment. We all have our temperature scanned on arrival, PPE is worn throughout the day, and we have staggered breaks and handovers to ensure social distancing.  

What advice would you give to someone looking to pursue a career at Coca-Cola HBC?

Coca-Cola HBC is a great place to start and develop your career.  There are many avenues open to you within the business and the company places high priory on development.  With structured development plans and access to many training programmes, there are vast opportunities to learn and advance your career.  

If you wish to register for our talent pool to be notified when roles become available visit: https://pages.beamery.com/coca-colahellenic/page/join-the-cch-team