[AIB Auditor Profile] Rolf Uys

At only 37 years old, Rolf Uys has quite a resume of personal and career achievements. He’s earned a master’s degree in food science. He’s traveled the world to serve and educate the food industry. He’s even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records!

During graduate school, Uys chose HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) as the topic for his thesis project. This research project paved the way for him to step into a successful career in the food industry. After he graduated, Uys took a job at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa where he headed the food safety department.

In 2001, AIB International hired Uys as a food safety auditor assigned to the Eastern hemisphere. His portfolio of experience was a major attraction. The majority of Uys’s time is spent auditing and inspecting food facilities in South Africa, Asia and Europe. He’s traveled to countries all over the world, including India, Nigeria, Netherlands, Swaziland, Belgium, Hungary, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. But, cultural diversity is only the beginning of Uys’s capabilities. He also has specialized auditing experience and is well-trained to provide British Retail Consortium (BRC) and ISO 22000 audits, as well as HACCP, QSE and GPA audits.

Throughout his career, Uys has learned many valuable lessons. One piece of advice he offers is to always tap bait stations a few times before opening them for inspections. Early in his career, he opened a bait station in India to find a cobra snake coiled inside.

When he’s not traveling across country, auditing food facilities, or fending off cobra snakes, Uys often is giving presentations at food safety conferences or writing articles for the South African Food Review. He’s even appeared on TV a time or two. He’s been on a local television program in Mauritius, a small island off the coast of Madagascar, for work-related business. He’s also been on BBC television for a much more interesting achievement: Uys was one of the surfers who made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most surfers riding a single wave. Those are bragging rights that not many people can claim!

Uys is the first to admit that he has a great career. But, the one thing he thinks people in this industry should remember is to work hard. Knowledge only comes with experience. Uys’s advice to anyone interested in a career in the food industry is to “choose one field of expertise and develop your skills in that area. Don’t jump around too much.” 

The author is Publication Coordinator, AIB International.