Drumoig brandy snap queen is now leading Bucharest factory

Morven Burden leads a team of 250 employees in Romania

A Fife woman has been appointed the youngest factory manager at a global snacks firm.

Morven Burden, 27, from Drumoig, has risen through the ranks at pladis to lead the company’s site in Bucharest.

Morven, a graduate of St Andrews University, began her career as a graduate at pladis’ McVitie’s factory in Carlisle. In just six years, she has climbed through the ranks and worked at different sites.

In her most recent role, as manufacturing capability lead, UK and Europe, she supported new product development and launched UK products to other global markets, such as Israel.

It was Morven’s early love of baking that first propelled her interest in working at a biscuit factory, having had a part-time job while a student as a pastry chef at the Fairmont in St Andrews. In her new role as factory manager, Morven is responsible for maintaining standards and driving growth at the factory, which has 250 employees and produces 4,000 tonnes of products per year.

“I was once crowned the brandy snap biscuit queen and held a record of making 2,000 by hand in a single shift — hence why I love making biscuits at pladis,” she said.

She said she is thrilled to be taking this next big step in her career and is looking forward to adapting to the dynamic environment in Romania, one of pladis’ fastest-growing manufacturing hubs.

“I’m confident I’ll be able to share best working practices and create new growth opportunities between the UK and Romania,” she added.

Mandy Major, the factory manager at pladis’ Aintree site, has acted as a mentor to Morven through her career at the firm. She said: “Since joining us as a young graduate, Morven has shown true passion for the business and our sector.”

Morven began her career at McVitie’s factory in Carlisle.