Influential Women in Food: Jona Hightower, LRQA

Food Processing’s Food For Thought Podcast

This episode is part five of our Influential Women in Food Series, where we’re honoring women that have effected change for their colleagues and peers in the food and beverage industry.

With us today is Jona Hightower, Senior Lead Assessor with LRQA. Jona is the epitome of an influential woman in the food industry. She describes herself as having a passion for teaching and sharing knowledge and it’s something she’s known about herself since elementary school. That passion also shows up when she’s lending her expertise and counsel to the numerous women she works with.

We start things off talking about how Jona found herself in the role of an assessor. True to her knowledge-sharing self, she offers guidance on how one might enter the profession before we shift to talking about Jona’s passion for training and supporting those around her. We talk about the importance of defining what success looks like as well as how Jona has elevated numerous women by way of guiding them through learning plans and professional development initiatives. We dig into what drives Jona to offer the kind of support she does as well as how she's helped pave the way for other women in the food and beverage industry.

We dip our toes into a conversation about work/life balance before ending the episode talking about the advice Jona has received and would give to those entering the workforce.

Follow along in this episode through the topics timestamped below

• Introduction and Role 2:25
• How She Got Started 3:14
• Understanding the Role of an Auditor 5:00
• How She’s Training and Supporting her Fellow Female Colleagues 6:18
• What Drives Her To Help Women With Their Careers In Food Industry 11:28
• Mentoring & Paving The Way For Other Women In The Food And
• Beverage Industry 14:38
• Work/Life Balance 16:27
• Advice Received at the Start of Career That is Still Used Today 17:22
• Advice for Those Coming into the Food and Beverage Industry 18:37