GILLIAN CARUSO - ADMIN ASSISTANT 

Gillian Caruso started working with James Hutton Limited (formerly Mylnefield Research Services Limited) as temporary staff cover in 2013, 11 months later Gillian became a permanent member of staff and for the last 7 years has been working with Lesley Beaton, Licensing Manager, dealing with licence administration, plant variety protection and the collection of royalty income from the sale of licenced varieties.

An Introduction

Hi, I’m Gill and I started as temporary staff cover at James Hutton Limited in 2013 (Mylnefied Research Services Ltd back then) before becoming a permanent part of the team 11 months later as an admin assistant.  For the last 7 years I’ve been working alongside Lesley Beaton, Licensing Manager, dealing with licence administration, plant variety protection and the collection of royalty income from the sale of licenced varieties.  I also organise the administration of some soft fruit and potato breeding programme trial material to help us keep track of where in the world trials of new selections are taking place.  

What was your background before Hutton? 

My career has changed over the years as the family came along.  I was a nurse for 18 years and qualified as a midwife which was the most heart warming job I’ve ever done despite it’s scary moments sometimes.  I spent 5 years as a classroom assistant in a small country primary school with just 44 pupils.  Here I was able to unleash my creative talents and enjoyed a snowball fight or two in the winter.  I even trained as a junior football coach to help the kids win a game or two 😊.  As the family grew up my career switched to admin working in the sales department of a mobility scooter company (they are faster than they look), a health supplements manufacturer, a garage, an occupational health department before finally settling in Dundee at James Hutton Limited.  

How does the work you do support commercial organisations? 

I work with other James Hutton Limited and Institute staff on a daily basis in everything from invoicing to contract and agreement administration, answering the telephone to planting tatties in a pandemic! No two days are the same and the To Do list is never empty!

FUN FACTS

Who is your hero? 

My hero would be my mum. At 82 she is fiercely independent, puts others before herself, goes to keep fit, volunteers at lunch club (for the old people) and does the snacks for her church buggy club.  One of my earliest memories was going to the mother and baby clinic with her where she volunteered to write out the baby weight cards just so she could have cuddles!  I hope my children are as proud of me as I am of her.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? 

I’d love to live by a beautiful beach in Scotland.  I lived in Yorkshire for a time and do miss it but there is something to be said for getting out of the car at Gretna Green and breathing in the fresh Scottish air.  

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?

A chauffeur driven day out with my family would be wonderful.  That way I could truly relax. 

What would you sing at Karaoke? 

If well oiled with brandy and lemonade – I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor 

What's your favourite animal?

I’ve always had dogs in my life. Currently we have Todd the Corgi whose personality has us in stitches.  He is a little noisy though for working at home (usually when trying to have a Webex meeting and the postie arrives).