“Working with Keelings has
meant a commendable
contribution to both sides.
We have been endowed
with a strong relationship
and Keelings’ well-rooted
establishment has helped us
grow in Ireland, and opened up
new opportunities for us
in Hong Kong recently.”- Walid Khalil, Export Sales
Manager, ICAPP
are Ethical Trade Initiative-registered and
supported by the Rainforest Alliance,” says
Caroline. “We always have a handful of social
initiatives going on, whether it is working
with a particular grower to support a nearby
school, or running an internal program to
bring local people into the workplace. We’re
constantly looking at how we can contribute
to the communities we operate in.”
Over the next 12–18 months, Caroline’s
focus will be on driving the Keelings
Solutions software business. “We’re only at
the start of that journey. Now, it’s all about
implementing our software in a range of
produce companies worldwide. In this aspect,
success for us is seeing how our software has
enabled customers to achieve their goals.”
Caroline believes that strong produce
supply partnerships will play a vital role in
the future of Keelings. “Collaboration is
everywhere. The key is to develop a high
level of trust and transparency with our
partners. Once you have that, you nearly
always find opportunities for improvement.The right partner allows for the open sharing
of information, the generation of new ideas
and savings to be made across the business:
it’s mutually beneficial,” she says. “We have an
amazing group of supply partners. We have
invested in production in Costa Rica, and
we’ll be looking for other areas to expand
and develop closer partnerships with over the
next five years.”
The CEO sums up her leadership style in
three words: believe, inspire, and support. “It’s
my job to motivate and inspire others to
deliver our shared vision, whatever it may be.
I’m fully committed to our people and our
long-term goals – we made them as a team
and we’ll achieve them as a team. Very early
on in my career, I was given a piece of
advice that has stuck with me. I didn’t take it
well at the time but it was: things change, get
over it,” she laughs. “Because our industry is
so fast-moving, things change all the time
and you don’t have time to get annoyed or
frustrated by it. You just need to make a plan
and move on.”Half page advert
CHIQUITA UKwe
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Interview | INSPIRE