This month, we are thrilled to shine a spotlight on Suzanne Deacon, our exceptional Quality Assurance Manager, who is celebrating an incredible milestone – 20 years with Jarvis. Suzanne has been instrumental in ensuring quality assurance in cosmetics manufacturing, leading ISO certifications, and helping Jarvis maintain its position as an industry-leading cosmetic manufacturer and developer.
Suzanne’s Journey at Jarvis
Su’s journey with us began back in 2005, when she joined as our sole QC Technician, managing quality control in cosmetic production from batch adjustments and manufacturing checks to raw material and filling inspections. From those early days, her drive and determination helped shape the foundation of our QC processes.
She advocated for and established a dedicated filling QC function, later stepping into the role of QC Manager, and even briefly supported the team as Lab Manager. In 2020, Su transitioned into her current QA role, where she has been instrumental in leading our ISO accreditations and building the support structures and systems that continue to strengthen our cosmetic production operations today.
Su is not only a cornerstone of our business success but also a shining example of dedication, resilience, and heart. We feel incredibly fortunate to have her as part of the Jarvis team.
20-Year Milestone Q&A
To mark her 20-year milestone, we asked Su to share a little more about herself – both professionally and personally:
What’s your favourite part of the job?
“Being able to help improve things for others and making their life a little easier at work. To hear ideas for improvement and take them forward, to request consideration and sometimes push a little to get changes. I love that the team at Jarvis are non-judgmental and supportive, this has been a noticeable change over the years.”
Has there been an achievement or milestone that you’re especially proud of?
“I’m proud of the whole Jarvis team and the willingness to change and improve, I’m proud we managed to achieve the GMP ISO22716 back in 2015, then managed to understand and build the ISO14001 with the help of our consultant Derek. When the ladies in the lab said they wanted ISO9001 and ISO13485, I nearly dissolved into a puddle. But we worked through it all and have after 2 years achieved the certification in both. Wow that makes me want to cry to think a dyslexic person like me could manage to understand and implement in my simplistic way what we needed, with a big thank you mainly to Dale and Barbara, Robert and Sandra for helping to build on any suggestion and create useful and workable systems – many spreadsheets. I think we can say we have saved a few trees in the last year or two.”
How would you describe Jarvis to someone who’s never heard of us?
“A family, full of willing, helpful, supportive people. If you reach out, someone will be happy to help. If you’re struggling, someone will share the load.”
If you could master any skill overnight, what would it be and why?
“Spell correctly, lose the dyslexia, but then maybe not. I hear dyslexic people are more creative, think outside the box and are able to see things differently and find alternative ways, which I think has stood me well.”
What three items would you take if stranded on a desert island?
“My dog Reggie, painting equipment (as I might actually have time to take up the paint brush) and maybe a ticket off the island.”
If you could have lunch with anyone (past or present), who would it be and what would you eat?
“Vincent van Gogh, Jesus (I’m not religious), and both Queen Elizabeths. We’d eat Italian.”
What’s your favourite way to recharge after a busy week?
“Dog walk followed by a beer in a sunny pub garden.”
If your life had a soundtrack, what would your theme song be?
“Either ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ by Bon Jovi or ‘Beautiful Day’ by U2. Maybe a theme there – life can be difficult but work your way through one step at a time and stop and smell the roses when you can.”
Celebrating Suzanne’s 20 Years at Jarvis
Congratulations, Su, on 20 incredible years at Jarvis. Your impact, commitment, and spirit have helped shape who we are today, and we can’t wait to see what else you can achieve with us.
