IFS Faces - Laszlo Gyorfi

IFS is happy to welcome Laszlo Gyorfi on the team. He is our IFS Representative for the Central and Eastern European countries and works as Senior Quality Assurance Manager for the IFS Integrity Program. In this blog post, Laszlo introduces himself.  

Found my profession in food safety and quality assurance 

My name is Laszlo, and I am from Budapest, Hungary. Since my school days, I have always been interested in life science subjects, especially chemistry and biology. When I turned older and faced deciding which career to follow, the food industry seemed logical. This industry appeared stable to me because people will always need food no matter the conditions, and I could combine my interest in life sciences with it.

Accordingly, in 1991, I started studying food science and technology, which I completed with an MSC degree, specialising in food safety and quality assurance. After graduation, I worked for different food manufacturers in product development and quality assurance, both at local smaller companies and bigger manufacturers such as Nestlé and BestFoods (Unilever).

Insights into different ways of working around the world 

Over the years, I gained more practical experience in developing and managing quality- and food safety systems, combined with experience in supplier approval and auditing. I became increasingly interested in auditing and started as an auditor in the certification business in 2004. Here, my focus remained on the food industry.

I enjoyed travelling and audited a wide range of different food manufacturers. I also had the opportunity to audit companies outside Europe, for example, in Japan, the Philippines, China, North Africa and South America. It has been interesting to meet professionals from other countries. As an auditor, I saw different ways of working around the world and learned a lot from it.

In recent years, I worked as an auditor and technical reviewer at one of the leading certification bodies, SGS. I have also been responsible for the day-to-day operation of the IFS Certification Services, including auditor management, training, and accreditation.

Change in perspective from CB to IFS 

IFS Standards have always been the closest to me of all food safety schemes. Given the opportunity, I decided to work for IFS. As 'Global Product Manager – IFS' at SGS, I have already collaborated closely with different colleagues from IFS. From a certification body's point of view, I experienced significant developments within IFS. As a member of the IFS Team, I have the chance to shape and actively contribute to these developments. That is what brings me here.

I am looking forward to the new challenges and tasks that await me. I hope my wide range of experiences from all aspects of food safety certification services will make me a valuable team member at IFS.

A look at my new role with IFS

I will work mainly in Hungary, but I will also travel a lot. I have a mixed role within IFS consisting of two main parts:

1. As a Senior Quality Assurance Manager, I work within the IFS Integrity Program (IP) and contribute to the integrity and high quality of IFS Certification. This means doing Integrity On-site Checks, Integrity Witness Audits, and other IP activities.
2. As an IFS Representative, my main goal is to support the growth of IFS Certification in the CEE region. For this purpose, I will support all interested parties locally: Certification bodies, auditors, companies, retailers, etc. Together with all stakeholders, I will work to expand and continuously improve the high-quality IFS services.

When I am not working 

Usually, I only have a little free time as I am fully dedicated to my profession. But when I do have it, I like to travel and discover new countries and cultures. I love to go scuba diving and enjoy the colourful, magical underwater world. It's really relaxing and helps to relieve the stress of everyday life. I also take pleasure in going for a walk in the woods or attending a good performance in a theatre. This brings me to other thoughts and inspires me.