A KEY account manager at a Worcestershire food and drink company has made national headlines after appearing on an industry magazine's top new talent list.

Kelly Blumberg Orchard Valley Foods, Burford, Tenbury Wells,attended a reception at the Royal Society of Arts in London to celebrate her appearance on this year’s The Grocer Top New Talent List. The TNT list recognises and rewards some of the extremely talented people who work in the food and drink industry and showcases the diversity of roles.

Miss Blumberg was nominated for the TNT list by Orchard Valley Foods’ chairman Mike Forrester, who mentioned her skill at managing larger accounts and prospecting for new clients. He demonstrated the growth in Miss Blumberg's sales account responsibility, finishing with her current year’s sales budget of £6m, a substantial portion of the overall target for the Queen’s Award winning confections, decorations and specialist ingredients company.

Miss Blumberg said: "I’ve been privileged to be able to learn from all the team members at Orchard Valley Foods, as well as our customers and suppliers. Orchard Valley Foods puts people first and values training, coaching, mentoring and feedback. I’ve particularly enjoyed working with global accounts on projects, working from a brief, developing products together all the way to launch. There is a great sense of satisfaction in seeing a finished product that might have been 18 months to two years in development hitting the retailers’ shelves.”

She studied biology at the University of Worcester, hence does not come from a business studies, food or sale background, demonstrating account management can be accessible to all.