Meet the team: Aaron Day
Meet the team members who are empowering and connecting our customers, from producers to consumers, for a more sustainable future. Meet Aaron Day, who graduated as a food scientist and now applies his expertise as a Technical Sales Manager.
Aaron Day has worked in food and agriculture his entire life, from manufacturing and product development to hospitality, food safety and certification. Having graduated as a food scientist, his experience across sectors gives him unique insights into every aspect of the food industry and makes him a natural fit as Technical Sales Manager for the UK and Ireland.
Based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK, Aaron is a qualified swim instructor and former lifeguard. He plays lacrosse and referees for Leeds, and is an avid member of his local cricket team.
What is your role?
I work with our potential customers to identify their needs and figure out how our technology can support their business. It’s more than just matching our products to a task. The solution needs to fit into the business in a way that increases quality, sustainability, safety and efficiency of products, operations and the wider supply chain. Because every business is unique, that means a lot of hands-on work, making sure everything fits together perfectly and drives values.
The nature of the work means no two days ever feel the same. I travel a lot to visit customers, demonstrating our products, discussing potential applications and working with their teams on implementation. We take a collaborative approach to help bridge the gaps and unlock the best outcomes for our customers and ultimately end consumers. I take what I learn from my visits and from client insights back to our internal teams and we work together to improve our solutions and software, making sure we’re addressing the right problems in a way that works for our customer and the industry.
What drew you to this business?
Almost every job I’ve ever had has been related to food in some way. I even went to school for it, graduating as a food scientist. Continuing on that path just felt natural. I have hands-on experience measuring product quality, dealing with recalls, talking with customers and managing supplier due diligence. My background in the industry is pretty diverse, and it made my transition from operational to commercial roles fairly smooth.
Along the way, I’ve supplemented my on-the-job learning with external training and gotten strong support from colleagues and mentors. I’m proud of the knowledge I’ve developed, and I’m proud to support an industry with so many great people.
What career advice do you have to offer?
I have been very fortunate to work with people who have really helped my career. I try to embody that, to give others the same kind of help. That’s one reason I work so hard to support the University of Leeds and students there who might want to follow a path like mine. My biggest advice to students, or anyone going into this career, is to be honest and open in your communication. The agriculture, food and consumer goods industries can be a complex world. Clear and honest communication – saying what you mean in a way that people understand, limiting misunderstandings or confusion – really helps simplify challenges.
What would surprise people about our industry?
It may be surprising to learn about the depth and specialization of the technology and data solutions that are used in our industry today to help grow and process our food and produce what we buy in stores. Technology has an important place in the supply chain, and it is built by people with a deep understanding of the industry and an ongoing dedication to meet current customer and industry needs.
For example, our software solutions are dedicated to every aspect of the supply chain, from growers needing farm management software to manufacturers looking to digitize their supplier approvals to retailers managing product quality and sustainability. As we support some of the largest food and consumer goods retailers and brands in the world, it’s important to be immersed in the work and bring a level of industry knowledge and experience to best meet our customer needs and help solve their challenges.
Since we’re talking about food and agriculture, what do you like to eat?
I have a major sweet tooth, so it has to be cakes. My partner makes an amazing range of desserts. I couldn’t just pick one!
