Staff Profile: Meet Matt Lewis - Building Partnerships in Food Testing
Name: Matt Lewis
Role: Business Development Manager
Length of service at Hill Labs: 10 Months (as of September 2025)
Qualification: Bachelor of Science in Biology
Can you describe your current role and responsibilities at Hill Labs?
My role is to grow Hill Labs client base by exploring partnership opportunities with food manufacturers in New Zealand.
What inspired you to pursue this career?
Like many people, I fell into this role by chance and have grown a passion for it. I enjoyed science in school which lead me to pursue a bachelor's degree, which in turn lead me to working at multiple food testing labs before finding my way to Hill Labs. Being part of the foods sales team allows me to stay curious as I am constantly learning about our various food sectors in NZ.
What skills do you find most essential for your job?
The ability to listen is key. My role is to onboard new clients, and the way I do this is by listening to the client so that I can understand what they value from a provider.
Can you briefly describe the area of science or testing you specialise in?
I have a strong background in the honey industry, but my role at Hill Labs covers the whole foods sector.
How do you stay up to date with the latest advancements in your field?
My main source of information is my clients and colleagues. I look after a handful of Key Accounts at Hill Labs and the industry insight they offer me is vital to my role. Its interesting how symbiotic the relationship between a Key Account Manager and your client can become!
What kind of impact do you think your work has on the community and/or industry?
My role is vital to ensuring there is healthy competition and choice in the testing market. This means that the players are constantly improving and bettering their product/service, which in turn benefits the industry.
What’s the most challenging part of your job—and the most rewarding?
The most challenging and rewarding part of my job would be the steep learning curve I am in. I have recently started at Hill Labs, in a new role that covers new industries. Having to learn everything from the ground up is something I have not had to do in years, and is both challenging and rewarding.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in this field of lab science?
If you enjoy collaboration, people, problem solving, and variation, sales is a role that could be very rewarding for you.
How does Hill Labs support your learning and career progression?
One thing that attracted me to Hill Labs was their philosophy around the company being a great place to work. It is a value that is taken seriously, and in the end it values our clients as well. One initiative that targets this value is an in-house learning and development team. We have easily accessible, in-house courses that we can do to grow our skills.
