Nigel Schollick reflects on 39 Years with AGMA 

AGMA employee: 5 March 1985 to the present day 

From Trainee Chemical Process Worker to General Manager, Nigel Schollick shares the story of his 39 years with AGMA. 

 Well, 39 years …where did that go?

I started working in AGMA in March of 1985 as a trainee chemical process worker. 

Training in the 80s was on the job, shadowing senior members of the AGMA production team—ex-pitmen who expected you to toe the line and work hard (not bad values) and who made a good cup of tea! And, always under the watchful eyes of Alan Ferguson (Factory Manager) and Malcolm Routledge (Production Foreman). 

In 2001 AGMA built its first controlled environment, which was designed and used for manufacturing bulk fluid, wet wipes and packing aerosols. At this time, I was promoted to White Room supervisor.  

AGMA worked hard to grow in the healthcare sector and it quickly became obvious that we needed more capacity. In 2012, two new ISO7 cleanrooms were commissioned. 

In 2010 I was promoted to Assistant Operations Manager to Malcolm Routledge. This meant I dealt with senior management and suppliers and was heavily involved with NHS and pharmaceutical customer audits. I must have impressed someone, as in December 2013 I was offered the role of AGMA Healthcare Business Manager. I can honestly say this role was the biggest challenge I have faced in my working life. However, backed by a lot of support and hard work from the team at AGMA, we travelled the globe and succeeded in growing AGMA’s healthcare sector worldwide.

In 2019 I was offered the role of General Manager. It has also been a challenging role but one which became easier over time. 

My role at AGMA has changed hugely over the years and you may ask why I would stay with AGMA for so long. There are several reasons why I’ve chosen to stick around.

Firstly, the people that make up AGMA. The company has always been supportive and values its staff and development.

I am a Haltwhistle lad, so global travel notwithstanding, AGMA is very local to me. Generations of families have worked here; my mother, brother, sister and daughter have all worked for AGMA over the years. AGMA has had a huge impact on the local communities of the North East.

It’s also the customer base we serve—I know from feedback from our customers they do appreciate the AGMA offering and support. AGMA has developed a reputation for its highly personal service and commitment to customer service and I’m really proud of that.

And lastly, I just enjoy going to work!