Ilona - Food Safety Auditor

The Story

A broad foundation in food safety

With a background in Food Technology, Ilona built her career across food production, packaging, consultancy, and laboratory environments. She has held roles including Quality Engineer, QA Manager, and Quality Consultant, giving her a practical understanding of how food safety systems work – and how decisions impact people on the production floor.

“Seeing food safety from different angles helps me understand what really works in practice,” Ilona says.

Growing into the auditor role

In 2024, Ilona joined DNV as a Trainee Auditor, taking a deliberate step towards a long-term career goal. From the start, she was supported through structured training, mentoring, and a culture of trust.

“You’re trusted to grow, but you’re never on your own. I’ve expanded my qualifications across multiple food safety schemes and developed into a technical role, supporting colleagues with complex audit decisions and qualifications,” she says.

Variety, impact, and purpose

What Ilona values most about her role is the variety and impact. One audit may take place at a large industrial food site, another at a small local producer or packaging manufacturer. Each assignment contributes to safer food and stronger systems – not just compliance.

Working with trust and integrity

Although auditors often work independently, Ilona describes DNV as a collaborative and supportive environment where knowledge is shared and colleagues help each other succeed. She is proud to represent DNV’s reputation for professionalism, fairness, and integrity in every client interaction.

Her advice to those considering a career at DNV is simple:

“Being an Auditor at DNV means you’re at the heart of the industry. You learn every day, and you contribute to something that really matters – safe food for everyone.”