Marques is future business leader

UK: Dr Catarina Marques, r&d manager at Adande, was a winner in the Business Leader of the Future category at this year’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Awards.

Catarina, who is a knowledge transfer partnership associate at London South Bank University, received the award at a special ceremony in London on November 10.

The event was attended by over 400 leading figures from the world of academia and innovation, as well as UK investors and international delegations visiting London for Innovate 2015.

The KTP award was in recognition of Catarina’s contribution to the design and manufacture of a new cabinet, incorporating Adande technology, developed to deliver controlled tempering times, whilst maintaining quality and safety. She also developed an analysis tool which aids product development by identifying solutions with greater return on investment potential. The project is said to have increased Adande’s revenues and is expected to significantly accelerate future product development programmes.

Catarina is a graduate in Food Science and Engineering at the Polytechnic of Coimbra in her native Portugal. She has been working at Adande for nearly 10 years, where her responsibilities include new product development, as well as food quality and safety trials, involving organoleptic assessments (sight, smell, touch and taste) on various foodstuffs. For the majority of this period, she has also been employed by London South Bank University, working on various collaborations between Adande and the University.

Commenting on the award, Catarina said: “I am very proud to be recognised a part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme. I would like to share this success with my colleagues at Adande and the University, whose expertise, enthusiasm and support have helped me hone my skills.”

Describing Caterina as a true pioneer with a passion and commitment for the development of innovative and sustainable refrigeration technology, Ian Wood, Adande’s md, said: “Her work with the London South Bank University and Adande has helped us deliver new state-of-the-art products for the foodservice market.”

“In an industry where women are underrepresented, Catarina has earned the respect and admiration of her peers in the refrigeration sector,” added Adande chairman Nigel Bell.

KTP is a nationwide programme linking commercial organisations with academic institutions to help support and shape the future of British business. Its primary objective is to help businesses towards improved innovation, competitiveness and productivity through better use of the knowledge, technology and skills available within UK universities and other parts of the UK knowledge base. It is funded by the Government’s innovation experts, Innovate UK, along with 12 other public sector partners, and aims to strengthen the competitiveness, wealth creation and economic performance of the UK by enhancing knowledge and skills, and stimulating innovation through collaboration.