February 19, 2021
Food Safety and Public Health Spotlight: Leading Through Change
A conversation with Lisa Robinson, Vice President, Global Food Safety and Public Health, Ecolab
As the Vice President of Global Food Safety and Public Health at Ecolab, Lisa Robinson is no stranger to being prepared for continuous changes and challenges in the world of food safety.
As the IFSL program’s newest advisor, Lisa Robinson comes with 30 years of food safety experience. Eager to be part of the IFSL program’s mission to grow the next generation of leaders prepared for future challenges in the food system, Lisa brings her vast industry knowledge, leadership, and passion for continuous growth.
We sat down with Lisa Robinson to hear about her responsibilities and how she hopes to share her passion for curiosity with the IFSL leaders who are ready to lead change across the food system.
What is your role as the Vice President of Global Food Safety and Public Health within the Research, Development and Engineering function at Ecolab Inc.?
My responsibility is functional leadership of Ecolab’s food safety and public health strategies, and a global network of resources to support our divisions that are focused on delivering expertise and solutions to help ensure food safety and protect public health in a wide range of settings, including food and beverage manufacturing, food retail, foodservice, healthcare, hospitality, quick service restaurants and more.
I provide subject matter expertise and thought leadership to our team members and business leaders across the organization. I help our team identify emerging trends so we can effectively plan how best to manage them to help protect our customers’ operations.
Externally, I work with our customers to provide guidance on food safety and public health best practices and help to ensure that our work is delivering strong outcomes for our customers’ operations. I also work with regulatory agencies, academic institutions, and industry associations to share information on trends and how they will impact various industries.
Over the course of the last year, my team and I have been busy hosting numerous webinars and participating in discussion opportunities on COVID-19 and the increased importance of public health, proper cleaning, sanitation and disinfection procedures, and effective food safety protocols.
Q: In your career, how have you seen the relationship and dynamics evolve between how Research and Development teams and Quality Assurance and Food Safety teams work together?
When the FDA enacted the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2014, it increased the importance and need for R&D and QA teams to work together so that preventative controls are designed properly from the start. Many food companies with strong protocols and processes in place were already doing some of these things.
In order to build strong Food Safety or HACCP plans (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points), these two teams need to be in lockstep. As an example, R&D should avoid creating product formulas and QA should avoid developing food safety plans without working with each other to effectively assess the potential risks that may arise from product raw materials.
In many instances during my career, I’ve witnessed products near completion before needing to be reformulated because they contained ingredients that had the potential to pose a food safety risk.
So, while these roles are different, they need to arrive at the same place to create safe programs and products, so it’s critical they’re aligned.
How have you had to break boundaries or work across silos to drive a project forward?
A good example is an instance where I led a global project for a new specification system, which required introducing new technologies and gathering input from multiple divisions. In order for this new specification system to launch successfully, every division and team had to define what they needed from the system and hit key milestones and deadlines along the way. This was challenging for some teams because they were already at capacity with their existing workloads.
Through this project, I learned how important it is to meet people where they are so I can understand the obstacles and challenges they face. I listened carefully, then discussed how I could help them move the project forward. This collaboration led to a successful launch of the system on time and on budget.
As an IFSL Advisor, what key leadership learnings do you want to share with the current and future cohorts?
I recommend that people have their own personal board of directors, that consists of people from both inside your organization and in your personal life. They will offer honest and constructive feedback to help you grow personally and professionally. Allowing yourself to be open for mentorship and advice, and gaining multiple perspectives helps you to better understand various ideas.
A great thing about the IFSL program is that it gives professionals a chance to grow their networks through peers across the industry, whether its fellow classmates or advisors. It is important to always be curious and wanting to learn to help you move forward.
One should keep asking questions no matter the stage of your career. You’ll never know it all, so the more you uncover and learn, the more you’re exposed to new ways of thinking and ultimately, the best solutions. I view my 30-year career as a journey of continuous growth where I’ve been able to build upon all of my learnings year after year to keep improving. I hope to share these learnings with the IFSL cohorts as they prepare to become the next generation of food system leaders.
Integrated Food Systems Leadership (IFSL) Program
Designed for professionals interested in accelerating their careers, the IFSL program is a unique graduate certificate program that fosters leadership, collaboration, and innovation across the food system.
Applications are being accepted through July 15, 2021 for the September cohort. Download a program brochure or schedule a consultation call for more information.