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When Abigail Puckey, operations engineering systems lead at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, heard she had won one of the Young Achiever accolades at NEPIC’s Annual Industry Awards, she was stunned: “I was surprised, even just to be nominated felt like an honour.”. “It’s incredible to know that the work I’m doing is being recognised. It gives me the belief that I can keep growing and developing in my career.”

As for Andrea Pearson, director of maintenance and reliability at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, the moment held more of a deeper meaning. Ten years ago, Andrea stood in Abigail’s shoes as she won the same award, only this time around, she was the one behind the nomination. “Honestly, it felt better than winning it myself. I couldn’t have been prouder. Abigail thoroughly deserves this award and it’s been so rewarding to watch her grow and flourish.”

Abigail joined the team with a background in quality assurance but leapt into her new role with no prior engineering experience. As she transitioned into a new role, which was mainly male-dominated, Abigail felt supported by Andrea, who gave her space to grow and gain confidence.

Abigail said: “Having Andrea as a manager made all the difference, as she had previously entered into this male-dominated field, so she understood how daunting it can be. Andrea supported me from the start, giving me endless opportunities and putting her trust in me to grow and learn. She believed in me, which gave me the confidence to keep pushing myself.”

Andrea saw potential in Abigail early on, “She came in with incredible energy, enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn,” she said “I see a lot of myself in Abigail, she is a real credit to me and Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies. It’s been amazing to watch her grow in her career.”

Both Abigail and Andrea are passionate about the impact of NEPIC’s Annual Industry Awards: “It’s so important to highlight the incredible work happening across the industry,” Abigail said. Andrea agreed, adding, “The awards shine a light on inspiring role models and provide a valuable opportunity to celebrate the fantastic things going on in our area. They also give companies a platform to connect, share ideas and learn from one another.”

Ten years on, the story has come full circle. Andrea once stood on the stage winning NEPIC’s Young Achiever Award and now she has been able to give that same feeling to Abigail, a real testament to mentorship and the power of believing in others that we see so prevalent across our fantastic industry.