Fuelled By Ambition...Sarah Babington

We caught up with one of our incredible members Sarah Babington, Project Officer – Markets and Integrity at AMPC, to get to know more about her career journey and ambitions for the food industry. As part of our campaign 'Fuelled by Ambition' we're sharing the stories of our community and asking them to define ambition in their own terms, as well as give us as insights into their career journeys so far.

Tell us about your current role and how you got there. 

I am currently working for AMPC as the Project Officer for the Product Integrity & Market Access Program Areas with my Program Manager Ann McDonald. I first became interested in the meat industry during my Veterinary Science degree when we visited a processing facility during my first year. As a result, I tailored my final year placements to spend a number of weeks at a few processing facilities, as well as some time with the Qld Department of Agriculture. On graduation I worked for the Federal Department of Agriculture as an On-Plant Veterinarian for several years at processing facility across Qld and NSW. I then went on to work for RSPCA Australia as their Scientific Officer for farm animals with a focus on pigs, poultry, and slaughter.

During my time at RSPCA Australia, I also completed my PhD at the University of Western Australia. My PhD research aimed to identify and validate novel indictors of sheep welfare. Towards the end of my PhD, I started working for Impetus Animal Welfare as their Chief Scientific Officer to help lead several projects validating the use of a multi-sensor artificial intelligence system to monitor animal welfare at processing facilities. On completion of these projects with Impetus Animal Welfare, I then joined AMPC.

What would you say your top strength or superpower is and how has it helped you in your role?

I would say a strength of mine is that I am persistent sometimes to a fault. Being persistent has been essential for me in my roles especially with my advocacy and PhD work.

Tell us about one of the biggest challenges to date in you career and one key learning you took from it?

Throughout my PhD I worked full-time, which was challenging from a time and resource perspective. This experience though helped me learn how to maximise my time and improved my overall productivity.

Who has influenced or inspired you along the way and what impact have they had on you?

I have been really lucky to have some incredible people support me throughout my career some of whom include Bidda Jones, Melina Tensen, Suzie Fowler, John Langbridge, and Ann McDonald. These people, each in their own way have taught me things and helped me develop in my career.

Our ongoing campaign is called Fuelled by Ambition where we celebrate ambitions both big & small. When you think about ambition, what does it look like for you at this stage of your life and career?

My thoughts around ambition have changed considerably over time. Ambition for me today is about contributing in a way that improves myself, the people around me, and the broader meat industry in small but meaningful ways.

Looking ahead, what would you love to see change, improve or grow in the meat/food industry?

Although there have been improvements over time, there remain considerable challenges when it comes the welfare of animals farmed and processed for food in Australia, as well as globally. I hope to continue being a part of efforts to ensure there is continuous improvement in the welfare of animals used for food.

Quickfire questions:

What’s your favourite cuisine?

It is too hard to pick one just one type of food, but I have a sweet tooth so love all types of dessert – ice cream, cake, mousse, brownies, crumble, chocolate…

Favourite pastime or hobby?

I started teaching Pilates this year, which has been so much fun.

If you had to pick your soundtrack song to get you through the working day, what would it be?

What Would You Do? By Dames Brown is a current favourite!

Favourite holiday destination?

There are honestly too many places I would love to visit to be able to pick just one, so I am going to say New Zealand will always have a special place in my heart for personal reasons.