As part of its initiative to grow and nurture an inclusive and diverse team, FA Bio introduced a ‘Culture Champion’ award, which recognises and celebrates those who have made significant contributions to the team by living the company values. Each quarter, the team votes are cast to nominate those individuals worthy of receiving the award, giving recognition for their contributions to the company culture and innovation.
The latest recipient of ‘FA Bio’s Culture Champion’ award is Pilar Diez. As R&D Project Manager and Glasshouse Lead at FA Bio, Pilar manages the research and development projects, is responsible for their execution and leads the glasshouse trials. She is a specialist in microbiology, glasshouse experiments and molecular biology and applies her skills in the discovery pipeline of FA Bio’s bioproducts.
As well as fulfilling her responsibilities through the quarter, as part of her growth path Pilar has also taken on additional management responsibilities. Collaboration is Pilar’s core value, and it’s at the heart of FA Bio’s company values. She truly believes in teamwork, and this was a key contributor to her award as it was recognised that she was always willing and available to help her team with problem-solving and troubleshooting whilst also ensuring the effective progression of FA Bio’s core projects.
There are different stages in the project, from selecting candidates, analysing bioassays and micro or bio-scale fermentation, all of which require innovative and creative thinking to progress successful candidates to glasshouse trials. Pilar thrives by overcoming new challenges, identifying the problem, and finding the solution and utilising the team’s expertise in doing so. She is also focused on her professional development to grow with the company and encourages her team growth.
Pilar’s passion for a cleaner and more sustainable agricultural industry is inspirational to all the FA Bio team. Her focus on reducing the amount of chemicals used in agriculture and combating disease with natural agents to help improve soil quality and support natural ecosystems, drives us forward in our research and development of sustainable bioproducts.
Pilar Diez said: “To be recognised by my team for this award means a lot to me, as we all work hard together to achieve the results and successes. It has been a challenge to take on more management responsibilities this year, but I have enjoyed stepping up and have learnt a lot in the process. Being part of the FA Bio team for the past two years has enabled me to flourish as a microbiologist and as a team member. I am excited to continue my growth journey at the company and be inspired by the diverse and intelligent team around me.”
Angela de Manzanos-Guinot, CEO at FA Bio, comments: “Pilar has grown so much in her time here at FA Bio, from a microbiologist and research technician to taking on recent management responsibilities. She has proven herself to be an excellent project manager with fantastic time management and collaboration skills, and she has been an inspiration to us all as we have witnessed her grow in confidence and ability. We are very proud to have Pilar as part of our team and to present her with the award this quarter, recognising her continued hard work and dedication to the values and mission of FA Bio.”
