relocation of the business, joining on a temporary 2 week agreement as an administrative assistant – and ten years later, I am still here!
In my 10 years with the company, I’ve seen it change from being a small independent company with two employees in an office above an Italian restaurant, to now being an integral part of the multinational Krahn Chemie group and working across multiple regions as part of a growing international team; along the way, I also somehow managed to pick up the UKLA’S Young Employee of the Year award, which was a big surprise to say the least!
In terms of roles, I’ve been through admin support, customer service, logistics and operations, quality systems, sales roles both in the UK and Europe, and now am focused on Technical Development, overseeing our technical service offerings across Europe and providing internal support, training, and upskilling.
Are you a lifer? If yes, how do you see your career panning out over the next 20/30/40 years? With Krahn still being a growing company here in the UK, and looking to expand into new market segments, I am hoping to get the chance to broaden my experience and dip my toes into some of the adjacent industry areas; the broader and wider my knowledge can be, the better!
How has the industry changed since you started? I think the industry definitely feels like it has opened up slightly and become a little less insular; certainly, if you look at topics such as diversity, you can’t ignore the fact that there are now more women in the industry, for example, and in prominent positions and shaping the conversations. There is still more work to be done, of course, and in particular I think there remains a significant challenge with attracting younger people and developing new talent in the industry, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a moment to acknowledge that things have moved on compared to ten years ago.
What do you like about the industry? And what would you change if you could? I’ve always enjoyed that the industry always felt quite welcoming; even as a newcomer with no real experience, industry events always felt quite enjoyable and never like I was being marginalised or
excluded. I think that we all understand that, even as competitors or rivals, we are all in the same boat and all operating in a niche space, and so a certain level of ‘sportsmanship’ or camaraderie tends to pervade.
That said, the perception of the industry as being a bit of an ‘old man’s club’ still persists, and in my opinion is not entirely without basis. As I said before, there has been progress, but there is still more to be done in promoting other voices, and especially in attracting younger talent into the industry. With all the changes the industry is facing with the rise of electrification and the increasing regulatory burden, to say nothing of geopolitical factors, we need to make sure we are bringing in new ideas, and need to make sure we don’t find ourselves suddenly facing a bran drain when the current leaders and decision makers move on.
What challenges do you think the industry faces? In your role and as a whole? The regulatory burden is only getting more and more intensive, be that from reclassifications of components out of ECHA, to increased focus on providing PCF or LCA data, or the need for additional certifications beyond the traditional ISO 9001 or 14001 systems. For SMEs in particular, it is going to become more and more difficult to juggle these demands with the need to actually be out with customers or be innovating with materials, and we need to find a way to balance the – typically very well intentioned – requirements of the regulatory landscape with actually getting on with the day-to-day job.
How do you balance work life with home life? Traditionally, I’ve not been terribly good at this; my husband has told me off quite a few times when he’s caught me looking at my emails in the evening or when on holiday! It is something I am trying to get better with, though, especially with a six-month son at home, who I obviously want to dedicate my home time to.
Favourite quote? “Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving at all” – Terry Practchett
krahn-uk.com/
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.193 JUNE 2026
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