Richard Shepherd has been appointed as general manager of Eurofins Food and Water Testing UK and Ireland's Grimsby site following the retirement of Harry Hellam earlier this year.
Shepherd joined Eurofins in May 2017 after 16 years with ALcontrol Laboratories, most recently as regional operations director. The 38-year-old takes over in Grimsby after overseeing the consolidation of the Eurofins NewTec site in Billingham, and has pledged to bring about an enhanced commitment to client and customer services.
“We need to do this so that absolutely everyone understands its importance and in order for it to breed customer loyalty,” he said. “There will be under-the-bonnet changes to ensure robust business infrastructure and enhanced processes, which will then lead to first-rate customer service.
“Ultimately I want to grow what we have in Grimsby, and to better integrate the site into the Eurofins model to diversify the offer to the customers in the region, utilising the reach of the Eurofins labs across the UK and Europe. If we can’t offer the testing at Grimsby, can we offer it elsewhere? What else can we add to our testing scope and what new markets we should be in?”
The Grimsby laboratories are said to be among the busiest of the Eurofins Food and Water Testing sites, serving clients from across the north of England and southern Scotland, and feature large microbiology and chemistry testing facilities.
Shepherd added that he hoped the strategy would bring new jobs at the site. “The job creation angle is linked to getting customer service right. We need to move the business forward and bring the right contracts in and then be ready and ahead of the curve, managing the growth by having effective recruitment plans.
“If we can further improve the core infrastructure and enhance the customer service culture, then that will bode well for growth and job creation.”
