* ALAN Highet has Marks & Spencer to thank for his career as a
respected food consultant with Frontline.
His interest in food had been confined to what was put in front of him
on the table at home until he took a part-time job with Marks while
studying history at Glasgow University.
His experience in the Marks & Spencer warehouse in Kilmarnock sparked
off what has been a lifetime interest in the food industry.
''I became fascinated in how food was moved from the manufacturer to
the shelf and sold that same day,'' he says. ''I realised it was a
fast-moving product and I could not believe how organised it all was.''
Alan gained his MA in History and joined the marketing division of a
Northern Foods subsidiary, which he admits had little to do with what he
learned at university.
Frontline Management Consultants was formed three years ago when Alan,
along with Brian Mellon and John Deffenbaugh, left a major accountancy
firm to go out on their own.
Two years ago the Stirling-based consultancy became the UK partner in
the EuroGreen food and environment consultancy network which covers 10
EU countries.
''We spotted a piece from the EuroInfo centre in Glasgow that
EuroGreen were looking for a UK partner, and jumped at the chance,''
says Alan.
Frontline used its European network when it was asked to provide
Scottish Seafood Promotions with suggestions as to how the Scottish fish
catch could be increased in value. The industry is faced with the
problem of quotas and the aim is to find higher-value markets, creating
a quality image.
''We contacted our EuroGreen partners in Spain and Italy for
information regarding fish consumption in these countries,'' says Alan.
''We discovered there was an opportunity for the Scottish fish industry
in both these countries as there is a growth in consumption in Southern
Europe of fish caught in colder waters such as cod, haddock and whiting.
There is also a big opportunity for shellfish.''
Alan does not, however, confine himself to food. He has also advised
Glasgow District Council Museums Department on how to attract more
visitors to its attractions.
In his spare time he enjoys a stroll along the banks of the Union
Canal near his home in Linlithgow -- resisting, of course, the
temptation to draw up a marketing plan for the fish contained in it.
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