This year’s German Meat Industry Talent Award goes to Alba Lucke, Digital Innovation Manager at Vion Food Group. The prize is awarded by the German trade media Allgemeine Fleischer-Zeitung (afz) and Fleischwirtschaft to outstanding projects, ideas and career paths of young people in the meat industry.
After completing her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Göttingen, Alba Lucke joined Vion, Germany’s third-largest meat company, as an International Management Trainee in 2020. After successfully completing the one-year programme, the agricultural scientist took on the position of Process Specialist Sales & Operation Planning (S&OP). She started directly in Vion’s innovation forge, the Chain Innovation Hub, which develops digital solutions for the entire group. In this role, she is working on the development of a data-based tool for production planning at all Vion sites to maximise raw material .
Since May of this year, Alba Lucke has been responsible for the expansion of blockchain technology and the development of greenhouse gas emission calculations in the company’s SSO (Scientific and Sustainability Office) team. Specifically, one of the 28-year-old’s tasks is to use blockchain technologies to digitally connect all parties along the supply chain and exchange data securely. The aim is to create trust and transparency in the supply chain in this way and to securely verify dedicated product and chain requirements. These include certifications, audits and the responsible use of raw materials and natural resources. This shared use of data improves operational insight, promotes cooperation, makes potential for improvement in the chains visible and makes it possible to processes based on data.
The “Meat Industry Talent Award” was presented yesterday at the German Meat Congress in Mainz. The aim of the award is to identify and promote top young talents and establish them in the industry. With Alba Lucke, Vion welcomes the second winner of the award to its own ranks: Dr. Veronika Weber, currently Director Quality Assurance in Germany, received the award in 2019.