Name: Stacy Pyett

Job title: Business Development Manager

Company: NIZO food research

IFT Divisions to which you belong: The BRAND NEW Protein Division (!!) and Dairy Division

Highest Level of Education/Degree: Ph.D.

 What is your favorite quote? “True perfection is the ability to include imperfection.” -Richard Rohr

What does your schedule look like today? My role is to connect the needs of food and ingredient companies with our technologies and research expertise, so most of my time is spent visiting customers and research partners. To make sure I have time in the office to catch up on actions, I save Wednesdays as ‘no-meetings’ days. I’m in the office today finalizing contracts, reading through emails, following up new requests, and walking around for informal updates with my colleagues.

How did you go about finding your current job? My most recent change was internal from operations (Group Leader) to sales (Business Development Manager), so I just walked over to our head of sales and asked if he had a role for me. It was time for a change, and a mentor I had early in my career advised me to get sales experience ‘while I was young.’ Luckily the timing was also good for NIZO!

If you weren’t a Food Scientist, what would you be doing? Something totally different. I love to read and as a kid I used to dream of owning a book shop.

Who do you think is the most influential person in your field and why?

This is a tough question for me, because I am most interested in the interface between disciplines. I could mention leading experts in many fields, but I most admire those people making efforts to facilitate people to come together and create new fields. One person who has really dedicated his life to that is Gerard Klein Essink from Bridge2Food. Gerard organizes events and courses with a lot of thought for making connections and seeding new initiatives.

When are you most inspired?  I get inspiration from interacting with people. The topic does not matter—if I’m working in a team with complimentary abilities I can become enthusiastic about anything!
Why should I join the Protein Division or any other IFT Division?

IFT is a big and influential organization, but it can be hard to find your way around. Involvement in a division gives you a ‘home’ in the organization and immediately launches you into a network of professionals.  The new Protein Division was born from a desire from members of various divisions to speak across sources to share best practice and inspire each other. Joining now gives you a unique chance to be present at the very beginning and to shape the discussion!

 Click here to join the new Protein Division!

The most valuable thing I, as a student, can do to further my research/career as soon as I finish reading this interview is:  Start thinking of your professional network as a concrete asset—build it, maintain it, and let potential employers know about it.

What is your favorite food?  Korean barbecue combines all my favorite things: high quality meat, vegetables, and strong flavors. I am still tweaking my home recipe. It’s all about the kimchi!

Follow Stacy on Twitter at @NIZOfoodnews

Email her at info@nizo.com

And visit www.nizo.com