Meet Melbec – Chris
With a career spanning food, water, and environmental microbiology, Chris joined Melbec in search of a fresh challenge and a place to reignite his passion for the fascinating world of bacteria and fungi. Since then, he’s become an integral part of our laboratories, supporting teams across Biocides, Development, Cosmetics, Foundation, and Virology.
In this edition of Meet Melbec, we sat down with Chris to learn more about his journey, his favourite projects, and what excites him most about the future of microbiology at Melbec.
How did you come to work at Melbec Microbiology?
I reached a point in my career where I was looking for a fresh challenge, a position where I could utilise my educational, practical Microbiological, and Managerial background whilst increasing my knowledge base in a new sector following previous positions in food, water, and environmental testing for regulatory, commercial, and global businesses. My goal was to engage with a growing company where I could make a positive impact and reignite my passion for the wonderful world of bacteria and fungi!
What is your daily focus/role at Melbec Microbiology?
My title has recently changed to Senior Laboratories Manager which means I am fortunate enough to work with all the wonderful laboratory teams on site – Biocides / Development, Cosmetics, Foundation, and Virology. This means my daily role is very variable, which I thoroughly enjoy. My role requires flexibility, and the capability to respond to a wide range of tasks. A typical day would involve assessing and approving reports for clients, staff welfare and development, helping to maintain and improve quality on site, resource management and recruitment, and sharing my passion of working by the ‘the standard you walk past is the standard you set’.
What has been your favourite/most exciting project to work on throughout your career?
I feel passionately about staff retention and development as my teams make who I, and the business are. In a previous role I was able to make dramatic improvements in this respect which made multiple lasting benefits to the business that were identifiable through significant improvements on site KPI’s. Since joining Melbec around a year ago I have to say the range of testing we offer as standard as well as the range of testing we have adapted to from client requests is very impressive and demonstrates total commitment to client satisfaction. This has meant that I have had the privilege of being involved in a wide range of testing. Being involved in projects testing the efficacy of UV devices (mainly for the medical industry), other healthcare products such as dressings and Hand Wash products have been extremely exciting and personally I have learnt huge amounts over the year. More recently learning about Cosmetic Challenge testing, and the range of Virology testing we offer has also been mind opening because as a consumer I never really considered the requirements for products before joining the Melbec team.
What has been your proudest moment at Melbec Microbiology so far?
We have been working hard as a business adopt a cross department / training approach which will allow the business to become more flexible and I am proud to say this is already coming to fruition, the teams are extremely supportive and understanding of each other which ultimately benefits our clients. Huge improvements have been made in communication lines, responsibilities, and HSE standards.
What do you love most about working at Melbec Microbiology?
Simple – The people! The culture on site is fantastic, teams full of positive potatoes who have a great work ethic and a pleasure to work with. The depth of technical knowledge and commitment to achieving the best possible outcome for clients is something I have not experienced previously – very impressive (I have a lot to learn still). The level of support I have I have received since joining Melbec means a great deal to me.
What are you most looking forward to in the future?
I believe the business will continue to show very strong growth over the coming years and I am really looking forward to further sharing my experience, knowledge and passion to assist the business. At present we have so many exciting projects nearing completion in the laboratory including AI plate reading (and maybe an award recognising efforts within the industry), a client portal, a media dispense robotic arm to name but a few. Melbec is not a business that stands still, we are committed to continuous improvement which is driven by clients, staff, and our environment
