Leader in the limelight: Nicola Carr

Nicola Carr

Nicola manages the team, accounts and technical side of the business at Lincolnshire Farm Services and Bomber County Produce, which supplies leeks and asparagus to major UK supermarkets. The farm also grows wheat, barley, oilseed rape and sugar beet. Nicola recognises the value of retaining good people and is committed to building strong working relationships within her team. The farm is very much a part of the local community, hosting an annual music festival and supporting many local events.

Let's get to know Nicola a bit more

What’s the best advice you have ever received?
I’ve been given lots of great advice over the years, but to not be afraid to ask for help or advice is right up there. I was told it’s not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength, and this is something I’ve taken on board and fully agree with.

What was the best decision you ever made?
To take a step back from my career and move in a different direction. Coming back into the family business and developing my own enterprise alongside it was the right move. I feel privileged to work in such a great industry with some inspirational and lovely people. The move has given me the flexibility to spend time with my children and to give them opportunities to take part in activities and clubs that would have otherwise been impossible.

Who do you admire most and why?
Odette Sansom, a Special Operations Executive (SOE) during WWII. Odette was deployed to the French Resistance, captured, and brutally tortured but did not divulge any information to threaten the safety of her comrades. She survived the Ravensbruck concentration camp and went on to give evidence in the prosecution of camp guards. Odette’s work during the war saved countless lives. I can only strive towards having her fortitude, resilience and strength of character.

What is your biggest regret?
Not taking out a pension plan when I was in my early twenties. I have financial security now, but I wish I had had the foresight to start planning and investing at a much earlier age. It’s definitely something I will be encouraging my children to do.

What are you most looking forward to in 2023?
Two weeks in the Maldives (who am I kidding). I’m actually looking forward to my first BRCGS food audit on a new version of the standard. It will take place towards the end of the year, and it’s unannounced, so we never know exactly when it will happen. Audits appeal to the organised side of my personality.

What keeps you awake at night?
Living next door to a front-line RAF fighter base. Night flying during the summer months is a delight, as you can imagine.

What is the most inspirational activity you’ve participated in?
Before moving back into the family business, I took part in a management workshop that looked at positivity in the workplace and its impact on team members. The presenters drew a simple spiral and explained the importance of starting the day at the top of the spiral and the risk of coming down the ‘spiral of positivity’. Coming down the spiral takes those around you down too. I really took the concept on board, and no matter how hard, frustrating or tiring work can be, I try to remain focused and positive. It’s important to me that I inspire my team and maintain a positive environment around them.

What one item (other than a spouse, child or pet) would you rescue from the flames?
I’m quite sentimental, and I’m not sure I could really narrow it down to one item. I think I would take the picture of my grandparents on their wedding day, which I got framed in gold for their golden wedding anniversary. While recusing the picture, I’d cheekily grab the box frame on the wall next to it, which contains my grandfather’s flying cap from his time as a rear gunner in WWII, copies of his medals and my grandmother’s air raid whistle.

When or where do you get your best ideas?
I love being outdoors. Having grown up on a farm, it’s inevitable my best ideas come when I’m outside walking the dogs. It’s also my downtime and a great way to decompress. I try to get out every day, and it means I can keep an eye on what’s happening on the farm at the same time.

What superpower would you choose?
The power to control rainfall. Just imagine how popular I would be with farmers!