HERStory | Angela Jessop

Meet Angela – Quality Manager at Labatt Breweries of Canada

Angela studied Chemical Engineering at Acadia/Dalhousie and has worked in the Food and Beverage industry for over 35 years. She joined Labatt Breweries of Canada at the Halifax Oland Brewery in 1986 and has worked through several positions including Quality Chemist, Quality Manager, Environment and Safety Manager, and Logistics Manager.

In 2019, she returned to the Quality Manager role and has not only been focused on delivering quality improvements but also developing a team of future brewing professionals. As a true role model for her employees, Angela has forged many new opportunities for young women to follow in her footsteps.

The most rewarding part of working in manufacturing:

In my role as a Quality Manager, it’s always rewarding to see our volume and the share we have in the marketplace, as well as the positive quality comments that we get back from customers. In the latter part of my career, it would be developing people. The legacy that I want to leave behind is to have developed young people so that they can meet their optimal performance.

Breaking the stigma:

Manufacturing isn’t dark, dingy, or dangerous – it’s exciting, ever changing, and you’ll never be bored. There’s a feeling of accomplishment when you troubleshoot an issue or solve a problem, and there’s always opportunity for continuous improvement. Maybe it’s a better product or you’re using less energy, or just making things more efficient – manufacturing offers such exciting opportunities.

Advice to younger women:

Take time to manage your own self development. Make it a priority to prepare yourself for where you want to get to in your career.

Increasing the number of women in manufacturing:

Angela is the recipient of CME Nova Scotia’s 2022 Women in Manufacturing Leadership Award

The focus needs to be about mentoring young women and explaining that there are roles for women in the manufacturing sector. Young women may be hesitant to try for these manufacturing jobs but there certainly is a place for them and their skills are needed.

We need to influence young girls at the high school and university age to stay involved with science and technology. When it comes time to hiring people, you’re obviously going by merit, but we don’t see equal numbers of women applying for manufacturing roles. To change the number of women in the manufacturing workplace we need to plant the seed at an earlier stage.

Labatt’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion:

In the last few years, Labatt has taken a more formal approach to diversity, equity and inclusion, and it’s now very much a part of our day-to-day language. We’ve had training, we talk about it on a weekly basis, and we have a diversity, equity, and inclusion lead in our plant.

We also have a Network of Allies, where people who have shown an interest in being a mentor for diversity, equity, and inclusion assist within the workplace. This ensures people have someone to go to if they want to talk about the issues that they may be facing.

Outside of work:

I love being outside – my key hobbies are cycling, skiing, and gardening. When I’ve been inside all day, I get this itch to get outside and connect with nature.