Carolyn Thomas

The people I spoke with were enthusiastic and passionate about the work they do and the company. The sustainability focus of ERM was particularly interesting, and I was able to link that back to industry and see the connections.

ERM offered me an opportunity one rarely gets in their career, which was to work with others to build and grow a new business stream. In March 2016, I made the jump to ERM as the lead for the agrochemical regulatory group. At that time, the team was solely based in the United Kingdom, but has grown to include specialists in Brussels, Germany and France. It was a challenging and very enjoyable first year as I grew in confidence and gained experience as a consultant. Since then,we have more than doubled the size of our team and significantly grown our business.

One of the recent highlights of the team was to become a preferred provider for one of the world’s largest agrochemical companies. As a result of building a strong team and working closely with the company, we have been awarded the management of three active substances in Europe. The feedback from the client has been very positive, and we continue to adapt and change in order to meet their needs. These substances represent hundreds of millions of dollars in investment by our client, and to become such a trusted partner within a period of 14 months is a testament to the team and a huge accomplishment.

For me, the team I work with is key. We are closely knit, support each other and work hard, but most importantly, we have fun together. We work hard at ERM because we love what we do. My focus is on regulatory support and issue management, which is where my heart lies. What keeps me here is the range of services and support we can offer to the clients, which is unique in my field. I am able to get involved in many projects that you would not experience while working in industry. I engage with ERM Partners and technical directors from many sectors and explore topics as diverse as leveraging digital technology to make farming more sustainable, innovations in carbon capture and reducing carbon footprints, and the sustainable use of water.

By continual learning and always absorbing from others, there is never a dull moment. Working for a consultancy that makes businesses more sustainable allows me to innovate with clients. This is what differentiates ERM.