Leading Edge members keen to rise high got advice from an expert in Leeds as Ronan Hegarty reports

Leading Edge, IGD’s networking group for young grocery professionals, held its first northern convention at Asda House in Leeds this month. After the initial shock of the Asda chant, the membership spent the day working on personal development.
The highlight of the day was an inspirational presentation delivered by intrepid explorer Joe Simpson, whose dice with death in the Andes hit the big screen in Touching the Void.
Rhian Blake, industrial performance project leader with Nestlé, said: “Joe was really inspiring. His story was very moving and he showed that people can achieve things against the odds. It also helped put a lot of things in perspective. Problems at work are important but it’s not life or death.”
Asda was represented by Caroline Massingham, people director, operations. Massingham is responsible for Asda’s Get, Keep, Grow initiatives such as its bonus scheme, colleague and management development and colleague recruitment and retention.
She explained how these projects were developed from the concept stage right through to implementation.
Other speakers included IGD senior business analyst James Walton, Jo Richards, client service director TNS Worldpanel and Michael Rouse, customer marketing controller for sponsor United Biscuits UK.
Rouse, whose presentation focused on networking, was delighted with the day. “It was really good to be up north. There was a great turnout of Leading Edge members from customer-facing and non-customer facing roles and Asda House was a fantastic venue.”
Blake agreed it was good to hold such an event at Asda as it brought both retailers and suppliers together.
She said: “With the issue of obesity so prominent, the food industry needs more than ever before to work closely together. The convention was an excellent opportunity to share ideas with people from other areas of the industry and gain an appreciation of the issues affecting others.”
The event also featured a presentation on mastering personal motivation from last year’s Leading Edge member of the year, Johanna Campbell, customer marketing manager at GlaxoSmithKline.
Leading Edge manager Tamra Detheridge also took the opportunity to encourage members to sign up for this year’s Member of the Year competition. The winner, who will receive £800 plus an IGD training course, will be announced at the second Leading Edge convention of the year in London on September 8.
Leading Edge is a development network, initiated and run by IGD. For more information contact Tamra Detheridge on 01923 857141.

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