In addition to being a mother of three children, Esther Baan is also a consultant and trainer at KTBA. As of 2013, she is part of a motivated group of consultants and trainers. Whereas Esther’s work activities initially mainly concerned consultancy, she has lately shifted most of her attention to providing training courses.
Training courses are becoming increasingly popular, particularly in the sphere of American laws and regulations. In 2011, President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), one of the most far-reaching amendments in the United States in the past seventy years. In the FSMA, the emphasis is on the prevention of food safety risks rather than counteracting these. Dutch companies that export goods or services to the United States must also observe this new legislation. For example, exporting companies are required to have a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) in their employment; a person who is qualified to set up and verify a food safety system.
With her training course PCQI Esther Baan offers exporting companies a helping hand. “It is my experience that my training courses on FSMA are becoming increasingly popular, there is a great demand for support with respect to this subject. The deadline for compliance is approaching, for smaller exporting companies as well.” Her specialism in this subject matter came about by coincidence. “This actually just happened to cross my path; the FSMA became an interesting subject to me due to the growing interest and relevance. In addition, I enjoy meeting new people with whom I can share my vision on food safety. My training courses offer ample opportunity to do just that.”
Esther ensures that her training courses are accessible by using numerous examples from practice. “I start with the knowledge that the participants already have. I keep my training courses interactive by frequently giving the floor to the participants. Together, we come to new insights. My goal: ensuring that people leave the room feeling more enthused than when they entered.”
In her capacity as trainer, Esther Baan is also associated with the Dutch School of Quality, an initiative of the HAS Hogeschool, N&S and KTBA People in Food, which offers a theological study group to both quality managers who are just starting out as well as food safety experts. Within the Dutch School of Quality, Esther will use her experience to optimise the knowledge of food professionals. Esther knows better than anyone how to get the most out of a food company.
“My career at KTBA has continued to advance in the past years, I wish other food professionals the same.”