Lekha Rathnakumar

A postgraduate in Applied Microbiology with 16 plus years of experience as a quality control manager in a well established food ingredients company in UAE, having hands on experience as the food safety team leader and management representative in implementation of HACCP, FSSC 22000, ISO 9001 and Halal certification systems in the organization. Job responsibilities include liaison with the food control section of municipality to obtain necessary label/ product/ export approvals, am the key point of contact for food safety inspections, customer audits and all external and inter departmental communications related to food safety/ quality/ Halal. A day at work involves facility audits, leading a team to ensure compliance to food safety standards, collaboration with concerned departments for facility and machine maintenance, supplier evaluation and maintenance of ingredient specifications and supplier approval documents, pest control verification and communication with contractor, customer complaint analyses, identifying non conformities and implementing corrective actions, system improvements, label creation for every new product entering production, conducting of internal audits, staff trainings, management review meetings, arranging for external lab testing as per annual plan, developing and updating of QMS and FSMS manuals, documentation & record keeping including trend analyses, mock recalls, change management. Apart from ISO 22000 lead auditor, ISO 9001 internal auditor, level 3 HACCP, Halal, FSSC22000 and BRC awareness trainings,

Recently received certifications with merit for food safety level 4 and HACCP level 5. Excellent language skills in English (both spoken and written) along with proficiency in Hindi, helps in effective communication which forms an important part of the job. Being a team player, with good analytical and problem solving skills, who is both industrious and dedicated towards work, passionate about acquiring knowledge and believes in perseverance for working towards a goal, look forward to pursue a career with a progressive firm that could benefit from my expertise and provide excellent opportunities for career advancement

HACCP Level 5 training from TSI (certified by Sharjah Municipality) with a score of 92%

Been part of the manufacturing unit since its inception and worked in a team of progressively thinking individuals to steer its growth into a well known entity in the UAE and GCC market for production of customized blends of food ingredients.

Obtained HACCP, ISO 9001, FSSC 22000 and Halal certifications for the organization.