Sruthi Ramsundar
“I really enjoy my work. I’m always learning something new, so I’m never bored. There are challenges and problems, but that’s what makes it interesting — you learn so much from them.”
Food Safety and Quality Manager - New Zealand King Salmon
Always learning, never bored
With her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biotechnology completed, Sruthi Ramsundar began searching the globe for her next step.
She also realised she needed to narrow her focus.
“Biotechnology is a big area, but the thing I liked the most was food — especially food technology.”
That interest shaped her next move.
“I started searching beyond India to see where I could expand or apply my knowledge,” she says. “I looked at the UK and Canada, but I was really attracted to New Zealand, so my partner and I came here.”
After completing a second master’s degree in food innovation at Lincoln University, Sruthi was keen to move from theory into practice.
“I felt like I had all the knowledge,” she laughs, “but I needed to apply it and learn from real experience.”
Her first role in New Zealand was as a quality controller with a Christchurch company packing milk. That food manufacturing experience led her to New Zealand King Salmon, where she joined as a senior food safety and quality advisor.
“I had no knowledge of aquaculture at all,” Sruthi admits. “But I was happy to learn — from how the fish grow right through the whole process and honestly, I loved it.”
Within just a few years, Sruthi had stepped into the Food Safety & Quality Manager role and says “it feels like yesterday” since she joined New Zealand King Salmon.
Originally from New Delhi, adjusting to life in a new country and a new industry took time.
“New food production environments, different technology, different people — everything was different,” she says. “But I don’t feel any different now. I mingled quite easily.”
“I really enjoy my work. I’m always learning something new, so I’m never bored. There are challenges and problems, but that’s what makes it interesting — you learn so much from them.”
Work has also given Sruthi a strong sense of community.
“My work is like my first family — I spend eight to nine hours a day with them,” she says. “I even had work colleagues come to India for my wedding two years ago.”
Sruthi is part of Women in Aquaculture Aotearoa and was nominated for a 2025 Excellence Award.
“It can be a challenge to make your mark, but it has been encouraging to see so many women in the sector,” she says.
Becoming a senior advisor before she was twenty-five and a manager under 30 wasn’t easy.
“To gain respect, I feel you sometimes have to do a little bit more to prove yourself,” she says. “But it’s great to see women promoted, both in New Zealand and the aquaculture sector.”
Her advice to others is simple and heartfelt: “Don’t underestimate yourself. Don’t be shy to take that step forward. Give 100 percent of your full potential — you never know where it might take you.”