Ingrid Kiss has recently taken on the role of Head of Field Operations at Food Standards Scotland. Read on to discover more about Ingrid and gain insight into her career journey so far.
My Civil Service career began in 2008 when I joined the Food Standards Agency as a Meat Hygiene Inspector. The role gave me a practical understanding of food safety, animal welfare and consumer protection, while also teaching me that regulatory work is rarely short of surprises.
Since then, work has taken me from abattoirs and livestock farms to disease outbreak control centres and ministerial policy meetings. One of these is considerably more dangerous than the others, but I will leave it to you to guess which one.
I hold dual qualifications as a Veterinary Surgeon and in Business Administration and have spent almost two decades working across veterinary public health, food safety, animal health and welfare, operational delivery and government policy.
After progressing to Official Veterinarian Team Leader with the Food Standards Agency, I joined the Animal and Plant Health Agency, where I spent more than a decade working in operational delivery and leadership roles. As a Senior Veterinary Inspector, Veterinary Adviser in England and later Veterinary Lead for Field Operations in Scotland, I led responses to animal disease outbreaks, oversaw regulatory programmes, supported enforcement activity and worked closely with industry, government and veterinary experts across the UK and beyond.
My career has also provided opportunities to influence policy at a national level. Between 2021 and 2023, I worked in the Welsh Government's Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer, leading on border controls and sanitary and phytosanitary trade policy during a period of significant change after UK's exit from the European Union. In this role, I contributed to the development of new legislation and operational frameworks, helping to shape future import and export control arrangements, and the implementation of post-EU border requirements.
During this period, I was also involved in developing policy on a range of complex and often high-profile issues. One particularly memorable project involved coordinating efforts to support the evacuation of people from conflict-affected regions, enabling refugees to enter Great Britain safely with their pets while meeting the necessary animal health and welfare requirements. It was a challenging and emotionally charged operation that required close collaboration with numerous agencies, but it demonstrated the remarkable outcomes that can be achieved when people come together around a common purpose.
Throughout my career, I've learned that effective regulation is ultimately about people. Success depends on strong relationships, collaboration, and a shared commitment to delivering positive outcomes.
That's one of the reasons I was so excited to join Food Standards Scotland, and I look forward to working with colleagues, partners and stakeholders across Scotland to ensure compliance with food safety law, drive continuous improvement and keep consumer protection front and centre.