Zorba People - Ewa
“I love what I do; it doesn’t feel like a job to me.”
That comment perfectly sums up Zorba’s Factory Technical Manager Ewa Nicholls, who loves work, life and even the Welsh weather!
“People think I am crazy when I say I like it when it rains and when it is cold, but that’s exactly how I feel,” she says.
Ewa’s positive outlook on life is one of the many reasons why she is a perfect fit for Zorba.
Born in Poland, she came to the UK in 2006 intending to spend six months perfecting her English and is still here 15 years later!
With a degree in mechanics and building machines obtained in Poland, Ewa is effectively an electrical engineer, but her passion is in food safety and quality assurance, hence the reason she ended up at Zorba.
She joined us in 2017 as a Quality Manager, having worked for various food manufacturing companies, although she admits to not expecting to end up at Zorba.
Ewa explains: “I really enjoyed my previous job yet was constantly being contacted by recruitment agencies about joining Zorba. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about and as soon as I stepped foot into the building I immediately fell in love with its vibe and knew Zorba was the place for me to continue my career development.
“It was instinctive, I definitely made the right decision. I absolutely love my job, as we get to produce market leading products, be at the forefront of technical compliance, deliver the values of the company, develop strong partnerships with our customers and of course work with extremely talented and dedicated colleagues”.
Ewa was promoted to Factory Technical Manager in 2020, managing a team of 17 people; responsible for overseeing all aspects of food safety and general quality control.
She adds: “I always try to better myself whether that’s taking courses such as, food safety, allergen management, microbial control and leadership/management or by investigation, audit and root cause analyses.
Continuously striving to learn, understand and improve at each opportunity. This is the way I encourage my team to work.
“Ultimately, it makes us all better in what we do, and I say to staff that I want them to want my job; because that shows the desire and the willingness to progress.”
Outside of work, Ewa enjoys spending time with her husband, teenage son and their Shih Tsu dog Frosty, so named because of his white coat.
She also enjoys reading books, but only real books because “I like the smell of paper”, listening to music and as previously mentioned, the Welsh rain.
Ewa adds: “People say wouldn’t you like living somewhere warmer like Australia? and I say no because I have everything I want right here!”
