DR Shagufta Ahmed
FDReviewS Expert
Shagufta is our Pesto Specialist, having won the Nationwide Pesto making competition in 2013, at the Italian Embassy, London. Judges included the Italian Ambassador, the late Antonio Carluccio OBE (RIP) and the Italian tourism board.
She then went forward to representing the UK at the Global Pesto Championships in Genoa, Italy in 2014.
Subsequently she became the Founder and Principal Content Creator for the UK Brand, PestoChampion.
Since 2014, Shagufta has been invited to review food and drinks for countless clients including Hotels, Pubs, Restaurants, in the UK and abroad.
Experience:
PhD in Pharmaceutical Formulation and Research
Freelance Presenter on social media since 2012
Winner Of Pesto Making Competition at The Italian Embassy, London in 2013
Represented the UK at the Global Pesto Championships in Genoa, in 2014
Founder and Principal Content Creator for the UK Brand, PestoChampion
specialist subjects:
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Pescatarian
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Vegetarian
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Halal Food
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Chocolate & Desserts
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Brand Awareness
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Social Media
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Photography & Videography
affiliations
Director Of a Start-Up - Building an App for Blogging in Hospitality
engagements
Principal Presenter for Implausible Blog since 2012
Principal Content Creator for PestoChampion since 2014
Red Carpet Gift of The Year Awards – Judge
Academy Of Chocolate – Judge
Quality Food Awards – Judge
Great Taste Award – Judge
Bellivita Awards – Judge
Louise Armour
FDReviewS Expert
E-Commerce for the food & drink industry is a huge marketplace. We work with so many successful brands that get their first start online.
Louise is well integrated into the food and drink industry, primarily through their role at Rosetta Brands. They regularly exhibit at and attend key industry trade shows, where they are also a familiar face on panels and webinars, sharing insights on Amazon, market trends, and European expansion. With a background in catering and events, Louise brings a well-rounded perspective to the sector. They also specialise in helping brands successfully launch into new markets via Amazon.
Experience:
Rosetta Brands – Head of Business Development
Compass Group/RA Venues – Sales Executive
specialist subjects:
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Amazon UK, EU & Australia
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E-Commerce Strategy
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NPD for E-Commerce
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FMCG
affiliations
Wildlife Preservation Fund – Trustee
Dan Barron
FDREVIEWs Expert
Dan’s career in FMCG sales & marketing introduced him to the world of health food in 2003, launching brands in the UK on behalf of overseas brand owners long before plant based foods became mainstream. Persuading the British public to add more green food to their diet led to Dan taking an instrumental role in leading the green smoothie revolution in 2007 through an extensive PR campaign.
In 2016, Dan started his own sales brokerage for healthy and indulgent food brands, Provide & Conquer Limited and through his team has tested and brought to market more than 30 brands and concepts.
Learning from that experience, Dan has founded Lemon Leaf Distribution Limited, which is positioned to launch the Kurt’s Kitchen brand, a proprietatary brand that offers indulgent meal solutions that satisfy the demands of today’s consumer, i.e. organic, vegan and ethically sourced.
Having begun his working life as a seafood chef, Dan has remained interested in all aspects of cooking and exploring food culture around the world.
Experience:
Lemon Leaf Distribution Limited – Founder & CEO
Provide & Conquer Limited – Founder & Managing Director
Dan Barron Consulting Limited
specialist subjects:
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Plant-Based
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Organic
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Independent Stores
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Seafood
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Functional Food
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Food Supplements
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Japanese Food
affiliations
See LinkedIn
Chris Beech
FDREVIEWs Expert
Chris is a drinks pioneer. Early career development with Heineken gave him all the tools necessary to go on and create his own drinks brand. As founder of award winning Luhv drinks, he has created (and more importantly sold) delicious drinks with healthy purpose. As he says, using evidence-based scientific research, he wants to help make understanding our health a simpler task.
The Luhv drinks team worked with King's College London and a team of Biomedical and Dietetic scientists to scientifically understand how natural plant-based ingredients work and how they work with each other. That research was used to create a range of drinks that focus on different areas of the body and also to explain the natural ingredients and their functions on the back of the bottle.
Experience:
The Pressery Group – Founder
Nothing Wasted Club – Founder
Luhv Drinks – Founder & CEO
Heineken – Brand Ambassador & Trainer
Barnomadics – Brand Development Manager
specialist subjects:
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Soft Drinks
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Drinks Manufacturing
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Healthy Beverages
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Alcoholic Drinks
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Retail
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Vending
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E-Commerce
affiliations
Quality Food Awards - Judge
Simon Bell
FDREVIEWs Expert
Simon has over 30 years in the food industry, 25 years at board level.
He started at United Biscuits, spending 7 years in roles from sales rep to senior account manager selling branded and own label biscuits to major retailers.
Following that, he spent 6 years at New Covent Garden Soup Co as Sales Director and then Managing Director.
He worked with Shippams / Princes in commercial roles before moving into food importing with Leathams, (Merchant Gourmet), and then in 2008 to VC backed Italian buyout Donatantonio, which I grew from £12m as CEO to £38m in 2020 through organic growth and acquisition.
As Simon says...
I have branded and own label experience in a huge range retail, foodservice and manufacturing customers as well as ecommerce.
In food import I’ve worked with a wide variety of small and larger suppliers across Europe.
Currently have my own consulting business and also work as non-executive director of Seafood and Eat It Ltd
Experience:
Simon Bell Food Industry Consulting Ltd – Owner
Seafood and Eat It! – Non-Executive Director (current)
Lupa Foods Ltd – CEO (2008 – 2020) Shareholder (current)
Leathams Ltd – Retail Director (2002 – 2008)
New Covent Garden Soup Co (Sales Director - Managing Director)
specialist subjects:
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Ready Meals
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Fresh Soups
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Sandwiches
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Ambient Ingredients
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Biscuits
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Crisps, Snacks & Confectionary
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Pasta
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Oils
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Vinegar
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Antipasti
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Tomatoes
-
Pulses
affiliations
Quality Food Awards – Judging – 5 years
Royal Warrant Holder – 12 years Lupa / Donatantonio
IGD Diploma in Grocery Marketing
engagements
Seafood and Eat It! – Non Executive Director
Simon Bell Food Industry Consulting Ltd – Owner
Mina Booth
FDREVIEWs Expert
Mina has worked in all areas of marketing from multi-million pound advertising campaigns to locally focused digital ones. Adding to that, she has in-depth experience of website launches as well as launching a major ecommerce site.
Mina now works as a freelance marketeer, working with small food producers and local retailers as well as acting as a part-time remote marketing director for several businesses.
Its also worth mentioning that Mina was Global Marketing Director for Montgomery exhibitions for five years and is perfectly placed to advise on event strategies, ideas and selections.
She has also successfully set-up and managed many awards submissions and can advise on how to make entries that will really stand-out.
Experience:
Courage Breweries
Holland & Barrett
J Sainsbury’s
Boots Group
Montgomery Exhibitions
specialist subjects:
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Food-to-Go
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FMCG Grocery
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E-Commerce
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Marketing
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Cheese
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Charcuterie
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Ranging
affiliations
Great Taste Awards - Judge
Quality Food Awards - Judge
British Charcuterie Awards - Judge
Virtual Cheese Awards - Judge
austen bushrod
FDREVIEWs Expert & Co-Founder
Austen landed in the Hospitality space in 2001. Over the last 20 years he has become a well-known fixture in the industry, specifically focussed on Hotels & Leisure outlets.
Within hotels he has run the procurement organisations for both Accor and Radisson Hotels, developing and implementing new F&B concepts throughout their organisations - many of which are still operating.
He famously spent five successful years with The Rank Group, completely redefining the F&B offer for the UK Casino and Bingo industry. Eliminating school dinners and dried sandwiches and replacing with respected food choices became his purpose in life!
Later during his career, he flipped from the operating/buying side to sales when he joined Bunzl Catering Supplies as Head of Business Development.
Now a much sought-after consultant to the industry, he helps F&B manufacturers gain success by adjusting their offers to suit the hospitality and foodservice markets.
Experience:
Accor Hotels – Director of Purchasing UK & Ireland
Radisson Hotel Group – Procurement Director
The Rank Group – Director of Purchasing
Bunzl Catering Supplies – Head of Business Development
specialist subjects:
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Christmas Party
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Cheeses
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Crisps & Snacks
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Champagnes & Sparkling Wines
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Cakes
-
Frozen Desserts
-
Foodservice
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Sustainable Packaging
-
Customer Focus
affiliations
Moving Food – Associate
HotelCostClinic.com - Founder
Amenity Warehouse – Director
Bushrod Consulting - Managing Director
engagements
Catering Forum – Guest Speaker
Economist Conferences – Guest Speaker
Hotel & Restaurant Show – Guest Panellist
Textile Services Association – Guest Speaker
Hotel Catey Awards – Award Presentation
Quality Food Awards - Judge/Chair
Daniela Paim Busseni
FDREVIEWs Expert
Danela is an FMCG specialist with 20+ yrs experience working for renowned companies such as Premier Foods, Sainsbury’s, Vibrant Foods, Pernod Ricard, Britvic-Soft Drinks and Bel UK. Throughout these roles she developed wide-range of skills from categorisation, shopper marketing and customer insights, to product development, brand management and business planning.
Experience:
Category Development Director - Vibrant Foods
Head of Category Development - Premier Foods
Category Controller - Bel
Category Manager - Britvic Soft Drinks
Category manager - Pernod Ricard
specialist subjects:
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World Foods
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South Asian Foods
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Cakes
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Grocery
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Desserts
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Soft Drinks
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Full Bakery
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Cooking Sauces
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Flavours & Seasonings
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Quick Meal Solutions
Marcus Carter
FDREVIEWs Expert
Marcus grew up in North Wales and left school at 16 to work on sheep, cattle farms, and land irrigation in Australia. He returned to the UK in 1988 to study Agricultural Management and went into sales for the dairy-farming sector but Marcus’s passion was always in food so he started his own BBQ sauce range having had experience working at Patchwork Plates for the family business for 10 years. Armed with this knowledge and personal experiences of the challenges that food producers faced Marcus created ‘Carter Food House’ a national wholesaler to butchers and fish shops, then followed this up with the ‘Virtual Farmers Market’ an online sales platform for producers.
“My passion to help independent food companies have a voice has been the driving force behind many of my ventures and is my primary incentive behind The Artisan Food Club”. Helping Artisan Food brands understand have independent shops buy it’s something I can help with. I also have a full 360 view of the independent food industry and understand that changing one thing can be good but also see the impact it has on other areas of your business."
Experience:
Artisan Food Club - Owner/Operator
Virtual Farmers Market - Owner/Operator
Patchwork Foods – Head of Sales
Carter Food House – Owner/Operator
Working in Farming
specialist subjects:
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Sauces & Condiments
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Artisan Products
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Meat
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Food Retail
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Sales Growth
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Retailer Understanding
engagements
Great Taste Awards - Judge
Abby Chicken
FDReviewS Expert
With 15 year’s commercial experience in the luxury food retail sector, Abby blends expertise in sustainability, food and restaurant strategy and customer service in what is the hottest topic facing the industry at the moment.
Experience:
Selfridges – Sustainability manager
Selfridges – Oxford Street Foodhall Manager
John Lewis – Oxford Street Foodhall Manager
specialist subjects:
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Food Retail
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Sustainable Diets
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Packaging
affiliations
Great Taste Awards judge
Speciality & Fine Food judge
engagements
Hotel Catey Awards – Technology Judge
Quality Food Awards – Lead Judge
Canadian Trade Board - Brand importer
Philippa Christer
FDReviewS Expert
Philippa has worked with food and drink companies for over 20 years, helping them understand how to grow their businesses through trade shows. She has worked with large export groups, government associations and launched food and drink events all over the world, helping exporters entering emerging markets.
Having worked for many years on Speciality & Fine Food Fair, she has first-hand experience of helping new to market food and drink companies make their first steps into supplying to the trade. She is passionate about helping companies successfully increase revenue and brand engagement through the power of live events.
A passionate foodie, and always interested in the latest food and drink innovations and trends, she is delighted her work within the food and drink sector has allowed her to sit on prestigious food awards panels, such as British Charcuterie Awards, Academy of Chocolate, Great Taste Awards, Free-From Food Awards and World Innovation Awards. She is currently Director of IFE, the leading event in the UK for food and drink suppliers.
Experience:
Director – IFE, International Food & Drink Event
International Project Manager – IFE Miami, IFE Hungary, IFE India, IFE Fresh Produce Moscow, IFE Poland
Event Manager – Speciality & Fine Food Fair, including Awards programme and Pitch Live
specialist subjects:
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Brand Visibility
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Export Markets
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Trade Exhibitions
affiliations
Women in Exhibitions – Board Member Vice President
engagements
Free From Food Awards – judge
Great Taste Awards – judge
British Charcuterie Awards - judge
World Food Innovation Awards – judge
Academy of Chocolate Awards - judge
Virtual Cheese Awards – Ambassador
Grub Club - member
Fin Coffey
FDReviewS Expert
Fin has worked in the FMCG industry for over 30 years and has an expert knowledge of the Out Of Home and Impulse sectors.
He has worked in Senior Management roles for some of the world’s largest Food business including Cadbury/Mondelez, Nestle and Unilever. His breadth of experiece includes negotiating and winning multi million pound contacts, managing the launch of some of the industry biggest NPD’s whilst working across a number of Food and Bev categories.
Fin was also responsible for the implementation of the Cadbury sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympics during Games time.
His experience spans both End User chains and Wholesale accounts and prior to his time with Cadbury was also National Sales Controller with Booker Food Service (now Bidfood).
Fin currently Heads New Business Development for the UK’s Number recognised Healthy Snacking brand, graze.
Experience:
Out Of Home Sales Director - Cadbury/Mondelez
Head of New Business and Out Of Home - Graze
Customer Development Controller End User - Nestle Professional
Head of Impulse - Belvoir Farms
National Sales Controller - Bidfood
specialist subjects:
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Snacking
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Hot Beverages
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Premium Drinks
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Food-to-Go
-
NPD Development & Launch
-
Wholesale
affiliations
Member of Arena
engagements
Presented awards at Cateys, Cost Sector Catering, British Beer and Pub Awards
David Cook
FDReviewS Expert
David started his career working as a qualified chef in the hospitality and leisure sector for ten years. He then started running a food ingredients company, followed by moving into the food production and NPD sector where he successfully set-up and ran a food manufacturing company for twelve years.
Now he is fully embedded in supporting businesses in their NPD requirements, from concept to fruition, helping to set them apart from the crowd. He is one of those industry titans who can be relied on to always add innovation and imaginative thinking - as well as driving quality standards by continual improvement.
His craft has been honed by working with some of the best companies in the hospitality and retail sectors – including Bill’s, The Ivy, Gaucho, Paul UK, PRESS Health Foods, Whole Foods Market, Caffé Nero, SSP Group, Carluccio’s, Nestlé, Little Dish, Renourish, Deliveroo, Coop Southern, Deliciously Ella, No. 1 Lounges and Sourced Market.
Experience:
Fairoak Foods – Head of Culinary
Ginger’s Kitchen – Founder and Managing Director
Wild Harvest – Managing Director
Cantaloupe Group – Head of Food Operations
Katsouris Fresh Foods (part of Bakkavor) - Development Chef
specialist subjects:
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Ready Meals
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Soups & Sauces
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Food-to-Go
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Chilled Salads
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Nutritionally balanced meals
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Plant Based
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Savoury Pastry
-
Cooked and cured meats
-
Sous Vide
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Wild and foraged ingredients
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Dark Kitchens
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Hospitality
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Manufacturing NPD
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Food Sales Growth
engagements
Quality Food Awards – Judge
Jason Danciger
FDReviewS Expert
Jason’s impact on the food industry over 40 years, and his influence on the sector, is immeasurable. Now entering his fifth decade, he is most renowned for steering the UK’s restaurant landscape, the man behind the term ‘gastro pub’, and has driven the success of some of the industry’s most renowned high street eateries such as Café Rouge, Chez Gérard, The Slug and Lettuce and Bertorelli’s. As Head of Hospitality at M&S, Jason managed more than 100 restaurants and 300 coffee shops in the UK bringing a new award-winning design concept to more than 450 stores in under 18 months, was responsible for introducing 50 new deli counters and managed more than 60 global operations. In 2016, he launched the UK arm of Hana Group, and has opened 180 units in five years, promoting the benefits of healthy food and creating over 600 jobs. Jason has always been a fierce advocate for sustainability, long before it became a ‘buzzword’ and has, throughout his career, driven this agenda and placed quality and environment before profit. He has successfully demonstrated that sustainability and commercial viability can work hand-in-hand. Jason is a considerable industry leader, respected by employees and peers alike, in fact, they have collectively named him the ‘Passion Director!’ such is the energy and enthusiasm he brings to each task he approaches.
Experience:
Managing Director UK and Ireland, Hana Group UK
Head of Hospitality & Fresh Counters, Marks and Spencer
Director of Purchasing, Catering and Marketing, SFI Group
Director of Food, Spirit Group
Commercial Director, Group Chez Gérard plc
Non-Executive Advisory Board Member, London International Wine Fair
Non-Executive Chairman, Food Development Association
London Division Chairman of Cookery & Food Association
specialist subjects:
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Beer
-
Wine & Spirits
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Food-to-Go
-
Retail
-
Food Safety
-
Allergens
-
Restaurants
affiliations
See Linkedin
engagements
Judged Hotelympia, DBA, QFA, International Wine Challenge, Westminster College Competitions/Escoffier, Salon Culinaire and others.
Debbie Davies
FDReviewS Expert
Debbie is an agile category, research and shopper insight expert, who works across a wide range of product sectors. She has considerable industry expertise covering B2B and B2C of varying sized companies, from meal solutions, bakery, fish and produce, through to food to go and world foods. As a committed foodie, Debbie trained her organoleptic ability in the early stages of her career.
Now with over 30 years in the food industry, she founded Contigo Management in 2008 out of a passion to deliver relevant insights and strategies, blending the needs and wants of consumers / shoppers and those of retailers and other food channels. With a proven track record of adding value, she and her team unlock business potential by working with you to bring consumer and shopper insight to the heart of your thinking. Her client base includes major UK grocery multiples (and other channels), their suppliers as well as established and new FMCG food brands and products. By its very nature, Contigo, translates from Spanish, meaning with you, which is how she operates – ie part of the team.
Experience:
Contigo Management – Founder
Retained Category Manager for Finsbury Foods, Country Style Foods, Flatfish (Nissui UK) plus many others including World Foods companies
Bakkavor – Divisional Marketing (Category) Manager
Marketing Manager - Whitworths
Brand Manager - Nestle
specialist subjects:
-
Shopper & Consumer Behaviour and Insight
-
Category Management
-
Ultra Processed Foods
-
Meal Solutions / Chilled Prepared Foods
-
Food-to-Go
-
Meat, Fish & Poultry
-
Produce (Veg & Fruit)
-
World Foods
-
Bakery
affiliations
Member of the Market Research Society
Member of Chartered Institute of Marketing
engagements
Judge & Chair of the Quality Food Awards
Judge of the Retail Industry Awards
Bhasker DHir
FDReviewS Expert
Bhasker is an entrepreneurial leader and e-commerce specialist with deep expertise in navigating the Amazon marketplace. Combining extensive experience with Amazon and close collaborations with brands and manufacturers, he possesses a unique understanding of the challenges involved in launching products into e-commerce.
As the Founder and Managing Director of Bubcommercial, he offers comprehensive services in private label development, exclusive brand partnerships, and strategic guidance for third-party sellers aiming to excel online. Leveraging advanced digital analytics, he enhances brand visibility and profitability through Amazon store setup, product listing optimization, keyword research, and data-driven advertising campaigns.
Under his leadership, Bubcommercial private label products and exclusive brand partnerships have achieved “Amazon Choice” and “Best Seller” status, significantly boosting rankings, product visibility, and sales. These accomplishments also enhance Google SEO performance, providing essential visibility for brands across multiple platforms.
Complementing his e-commerce proficiency is a diverse background in food retail, restaurants, and quick-service restaurants (QSR). This experience gives him a broad understanding of the end-to-end complexities of bringing products to market and enables him to find innovative solutions to challenges. Bhasker excels in developing new concepts, launching brands, and driving growth across both physical and online marketplaces. He offers strategic insights and practical solutions to help brands succeed in today's competitive environment.
Experience:
Head of Food Service - Asda
Co Founder/COO At Pizza Ltd
Director - Moving Food Ltd
Director - Wrapid
Founder & MD - Bubcommercial Ltd
specialist subjects:
-
E-Commerce
-
Amazon
-
Pizza
-
QSR
-
Chilled Foods
-
Free-from
James Dempsey
FDReviewS Expert
Having worked for over 20 years in Food & Beverage procurement within the UK & EMEA, SEAC & Australia in a diverse number of multi-site business, ranging from Hotels, Restaurants, Bars, Airline Catering & National Garden Centres, James has an extensive knowledge of food & beverage, with a strong focus on NPD & Innovation, striving for a greater customer experience.
Over the years James has built strong strategic relationships with key suppliers & manufacturers across the world, resulting in a wealth of food & beverage resources.
Throughout James’s career he has been exposed to a wide variety of business from Global cooperate companies to SME’s he has always maintained the same philosophy of ‘start with the customer, then work backwards’.
Experience:
Urbnherd – Business Owner
Senior Category Manager - IHG Hotels
Group Procurement Manager – Wyevale Garden Centres
General Manager Procurement & Supply chain – DHL
Category Manager – Gate Group
specialist subjects:
-
Foodservice
-
Cakes
-
Traybakes
-
Sandwiches
-
Allergens
-
Sweet Treats
-
Impulse Lines
-
Ready Meals
-
Christmas Menus
affiliations
See Linkedin
engagements
Quality Food Awards – Judge
Ruth Dolby
FDREVIEWs Expert
Ruth has a Cordon Bleu and Home Economics grounding and has worked in the food industry for 40 years. Her experience is across the food sectors covering all angles of New Product Development and Application from guiding diversifying farmers, through food service, processing, manufacturing and retail of products and machinery. Her practical approach and hands-on development have given her the experience to balance business acumen with applying new technical and cutting edge scientific discoveries launching a succession of commercial products. Ruth has been a judge for Ecotrophelia, the Q Awards, Scottish Retail Awards as well as for some grant funding bodies. She is currently as Associate of Nutrition at the University of Nottingham and Visiting Lecturer at Birmingham City University; she leads Food Science Fusion, a company offering practical product development services and mentoring and a founding associate of How Many Beans? training for entrepreneurs and growing food businesses.
Experience:
Food Science Fusion – founding Director 2015
How Many Beans founding Associate - Training & Consultation
20 years + Freelance New Product Developer
Tesco (8+ years)
-
Product evaluation, NPD selection & QA
-
Tesco Technical Auditing
-
Buying Controller
specialist subjects:
-
New Prodcut Development
-
Recipe Market Analysis
-
Quality Consistency
-
Ingredient Application
-
Test Kitchens
-
Production Scaling
-
Food Science
affiliations
Institute of Food Science & Technology – Fellow
University of Nottingham – Associate of Nutrition
engagements
Quality Food Awards –Judge & session chair
Scottish Retail Awards - Judge
Birmingham City University – Visiting Lecturer in Dietetics & Food Science
Kelly Dowson
FDReviewS Expert
Kelly’s experience spans the majority of food & beverage channels, food service & hospitality, packaged goods in retail and manufacturing as well as direct to consumer. She specialises in innovation and consumer behaviour.
Experience:
Food Innovation Solutions – Director
Good Sense Research – Director
Kicr Innovation – Director
Future Noodles – Shareholder
Food Republick – Director
specialist subjects:
-
Food Sales Growth
-
Consumer behaviour
-
Consumer research
-
Dark Kitchens
-
Food Retail
-
Food and beverage strategy
affiliations
Realise Futures – Non-executive Director
Nick Bradley Racing – Strategic advisor
Future Foods – Partnership with the food people
engagements
Montgomery Group – Speaker
Quality Food Awards – Judge
International Cheese Awards – Judge
George Dunn
FDREVIEWs Expert
I have held roles from General Management to Managing Director, looking after areas of Operations, Finance, Purchasing, Commercial and Supply Chain. An in-depth sales management approach has offered me positions with both major Accounts Directors. My experience across retail, foodservice, convenience and wholesale offers a wider opinion & a honest and solid view.
Knowledge of frozen, chilled, and ambient markets offers a range of opportunities.
Experience across many retailers including:
Tesco, J Sainsbury, Waitrose, Morrisons, Asda Wal*Mart, Coop, Iceland, NISA, Farmfoods, Budgens, Shell, P&H, BP, Spar, Costco, Ocado, Spice, Brakes, Bidfood, Fairway, Reynolds, JJ, Beacon Purchasing, Sodexo, Aramark, Compass, Mite, Booker, Makro, Bestway, Batleys, Shearings Hotels, Oxford Hotels, Q Hotels, La Tasca, Asda, E-Foods, G1 Group, Belhaven, Gather & Gather.
Experience:
FMCG Interim Ltd – Founder & Managing Partner
Campbell Brothers Group – Managing Director Fresh Meat
BFD Group – Sales Director Delicatessen
McCain Foods (GB) Ltd – Trade Sector Manager
Baxters of Speyside – Sales Director
specialist subjects:
-
Vegan
-
Vegetarian
-
Bakery
-
Investors
-
Fresh Meat, Fish, Poultry
-
Foodservice & Retail
-
Manufacture & Supply
-
Crisps & Nut
affiliations
Member of the Institute of Directors
Jennifer Earle
FDReviewS Expert
Jennifer is a judge for the Great Taste Awards, Quality Food Awards and the UK Croissant Competition and on the Grand Jury for the Academy of Chocolate and the International Chocolate Awards. She has worked as both a buyer and a developer for major retailers and has been guiding food tours and writing for 19 years. She runs food innovation safaris in London for major retailers and manufacturers and writes a weekly Substack called “The Next Delicious Thing”.
Experience:
Marks & Spencer - Buyer at
McDonald’s UK - Food Developer
Food Innovation Safaris and chocolate sessions for Tesco, BBF, Premier Foods, Aldi, & M&S
specialist subjects:
-
Chocolate & Desserts
-
Baked Goods
-
Plant-Based
-
Dark Kitchens
-
Food Retail
-
Food and beverage strategy
affiliations
Academy of Chocolate and International Chocolate Awards - Grand Jury member
engagements
Quality Food Awards – Judge
Great Taste Awards – Judge
UK Croissant Competition - Judge
Christopher Faulkner
FDReviewS Expert & Chair
Christopher has 30 years of experience in the foodservice sector. During this time, he ran the food operation for a pub group and a restaurant division within Allied Domecq before moving to the supply side where he has worked for Booker Fitch (now Bidfood), Universe Foodservice, Hays Logistics (now XPO Logistics), Brakes and The Food Solutions Group (Chiltern Foods and Jeanie Marshal Foods). He founded The Foodservice Expert in 2017 and has helped many businesses to understand and succeed in Foodservice.
Christopher has extensive experience in Delivered Wholesale Supply and Central Distribution (Food Logistics) plus food manufacturing. Christopher was also responsible for Brakes Creative Foods, overseeing the creation and design of ready meals and desserts for Brakes and numerous foodservice operators.
Christopher was on the Executive Team of ARENA for a number of years and has been a Chairman of the judging panel for the Foodservice Quality Food Awards since 2017.
Experience:
The Foodservice Expert – Founder
The Food Solutions Group – Commercial Director
Brakes – Business Unit Director
Creative Foods – Business Unit Director
Hays Logistics
specialist subjects:
-
Foodservice
-
Route to market
-
Ready Meals
-
Desserts
-
Rail Catering
-
Prepared Salads
affiliations
Rise Africa UK – Trustee – helping disadvantaged children escape a life of poverty.
engagements
Quality Food Awards – Judge and Chair of Foodservice Judges
Heerum Fleary
FDReviewS Expert
Growing up in the multicultural City of Nottingham, food was the centre of get-togethers with family and friends. This is where Heerum found her love for food at a very young age.
Having worked for 17+ years as a food and drink buyer for large global organisations, Heerum was able to grow and expand her knowledge and experience and build some amazing supplier and buyer relationships. As is often the case, this led naturally into developing her own businesses – TickEat and Innoveat.
She is a passionate foodie who enjoys nothing more than supporting and guiding food & drink brands at any stage of their journey. In addition, Heerum realy understands the highs and lows of running a business and is especially good at identifying gaps in the market and helping to develop new ideas and concepts.
Experience:
TickEat / Innoveat - Founder
Unilever - Freelance
Cranswick Foods – Packaging Buyer
Gate Group – Category Manager
Elior - Purchasing
Kerry Foods - Purchasing
specialist subjects:
-
Foodservice
-
Food-to-Go
-
Grocery
-
Bakery
-
Confectionary
-
Ethnic Products
-
Exhibitions
affiliations
Great Taste – Judge
Nourish – Judge
Food & Drinks Hero’s – Judge & Partner
Quality Food Awards – Judge
engagements
Mentor for Virgin Start Up
Business Advisor Mentor for Unltd
Helena Fleming
FDReviewS Expert
With an innate fascination of what makes good food great, Helena has an enviable track record of searching for and creating first to market tastes and concepts, that consumers can’t articulate, but when they try them they become their future favourites at M&S and Sainsburys.
Helena has worked for the last 3 decades with manufacturers and retailers to upskill and increase food knowledge as well as led teams on value optimisation with recipes and processes as well as sustainable manufacturing with Greencore, 2 Sisters and Bakkavor amongst others.
Highly skilled in understanding how to create best in class prepared foods including health and lifestyle needs whether eaten at home and on the move, as well as working within the QSR industry at Domino’s and Retail Drinks at M&S across both the alcoholic and No and Low drinks categories
Experience:
Food Retail Product Development Manager - Marks & Spencer and Sainsburys for Own Label across three decades and several categories
Product Development Consultancy – Beers, Wines and Spirits, No & Low for M&S
Head Of Development and Innovation at Dominos including Vegan launch for Domino’s UK and Eire
Development Consultant Food to Go – sandwiches, wraps, sushi and prepared salads for Greencore Northampton
specialist subjects:
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Retail Prepared Foods
-
food-to-Go
-
QSR
-
Beers, Wines & Spirits
-
Deli
-
Bakery
-
Plant-Based
-
Calorie-Controlled
affiliations
Consultant for Sports Nutrition, Applied Strategic Healthcare & Life Science Consultants
Recipe and Cookery class planning for www.migrateful.org supporting refugee and migrant chefs
Cook and Coordinator for The Robes Project Winter Shelter www.robes.org.uk in Lambeth and Southwark - 2008 to 2019
Alex Frost
FDReviewS Expert
There are few people in the kosher food market that have a history in a family business with 145 years of trading in the UK. Alex and his father continue to innovate, stay ahead of trends and trade in the kosher marketplace. As well as great knowledge for kosher, Alex has also developed a number of his own brands and trading platforms. Presently launching Taste Table – this is a Michelin star quality product that is developed by a top UK chef, part prepared in chef’s kitchen and finished off in your home in 30 minutes or less. All dishes are fully certified Kosher and Halal. Alex has relationships with numerous factories around Europe and the Middle East where he has developed a variety of foods on behalf of UK retailers and through the 145-year history of the company boasts an in-depth black book of contacts.
In addition, Alex has managed numerous brand listings into Costco. His knowledge and understanding of the specific of this retail channel are unsurpassed.
Experience:
Costco Sales Agent
UK agent for Rosie & Jim Ireland GF Breaded Chicken
UK agent for Kladesholmen Seafood Herring
Supplying Kosher UK wide – eyes and ears in Kosher market
specialist subjects:
-
Kosher & Halal Market
-
Recipe Kits
-
Tarts and Desserts
-
Agency Agreements
-
Retail
-
Costco Sales
affiliations
Kedassia Licensee
engagements
Quality Food Awards – Judge
Chris Fung
FDReviewS Expert
Chris is a seasoned food and new product development professional and the Co-Founder of Lunch.Co, a groundbreaking peer-to-peer marketplace for workplace homemade meals.
Formerly the CEO of Crussh Fit Food & Juice Bars for 13 years, he led innovations in healthy eating, creating over 1000 SKUs, including juices, smoothies, salads, soups, and healthier snacks. He authored the Crussh Juices, Smoothies & Boosters recipe book, known for award-winning recipes.
Prior to that he worked at Bain & Co across the Sydney, Stockholm and London offices with experience across multiple consumer sectors.
Chris's diverse expertise spans various consumer sectors, with a patent for congee/porridge at Mr. Lee's Pure Foods and collaborations with the University of Nottingham on sensory research. He has also ventured into non-alcoholic beverages, spirits, and plant-based product development, reflecting his broad understanding of food ingredients and consumer trends. With over 30 years of industry experience, including early roles at Kellogg's and Smiths Snackfoods, Chris combines deep product development knowledge with a CEO's strategic mindset.
Today, at Lunch.Co, Chris is dedicated to democratizing home
cooking and igniting culinary passion. Additionally, he serves as a board advisor and investor in disruptive high-growth Food/FoodTech and Education/Edtech ventures.
Experience:
Lunch.Co – Co-Founder & Director
Crussh Fit Food & Juice Bars – CEO
Bain & Co – Strategy Consulting
NED/Board Advisor/Investor including:
Pasta Evangelists (Pasta/Sauces); Mr Lee’s Pure Foods (instant noodles/porridge/congee), Plateaway (meal kits), Freestar (Non-alc beer), Real Good Ketchup (Sugar free condiments)
Previous Manufacturing Engineering/NPD experience in Kellogg’s (Australia), Smiths Snackfoods (Australia)
specialist subjects:
-
Food/FoodTech Trends
-
Hospitality
-
Biohacking
-
Healthier Eating
-
Plant-based
-
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
-
NPD & Innovation
-
Incubator/Accelerator
-
Programmes
-
Smart Vending
affiliations
University of Gloucestershire – External Council Member (Board of Directors)
Mentor – Techstars/Startup Bootcamp (Foodtech)/All Together Now
Invested Founder – Antler/Rockstart Agrifood/Sparx Sodexo/Bloomer Foodtech
engagements
Judge at following shows: Takeaway and Restaurant Innovation Expo; Product & Drinks Innovation Awards; Food Matters Live – Product of the Year
Speaker on Future of Foodtech – Sweden Food Tech/London Food Tech/GRIF (Global Restaurant Investment Forum)
Guest Lecturer – Foodtech/NPD/Brand/Innovation – University of Nottingham, University of Surrey, Greenwich University
Stuart Gates
FDREVIEWs Expert
A lifetime involved with the fine food and laterally the British artisan food industry. Stuart has seen the industry from all aspects including buying, retail and working closely with many producers at all stages of their business development. One of the founders and former Chair of the Guild of Fine Food and closely linked with the Great Taste Awards since their creation. A regular contributor to various trade magazines and recorded and produced podcasts and essays through his Seasoned Grocer training company. Mentored many start-ups across the UK and the Republic of Ireland through various government agencies. Many brands supported and assisted with growth both at home from Rock Rose Gin to Gower Cottage Brownies. In addition, developed many specialist producers to create own label exclusive recipes for private label for Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, Daylesford and Partridges of Sloane Square.
Experience:
Fortnum&Mason – Director of Food /Managing Director
Harrods From Trainee Buyer to Deputy Food Director
Daylesford Organic- General Manager
Guild of Fine Food – Previous Chair and Great Taste Judge
Partridges of Sloane Square, Own label development
The Seasoned Grocer – Business Support and mentoring to speciality/artisan producers
specialist subjects:
-
Speciality Retail
-
Food Halls
-
Buyer Events
-
Consumer Events
-
Export sales
-
Airport trading
-
Food Service
-
Hampers
affiliations
Guild of Fine Food
The Seed Fund
Great Taste Awards
Speciality Magazine – contributor
East Barnet School – Community Governor
East Barnet School PTFA - Trustee
Impact Barnet – Teenage Mental Health Charity – Trustee
engagements
Own Consultancy The Seasoned Grocer
Karen Green
FDREVIEWs Expert
Karen was a retail buyer for Tesco and Boots and then developed into account management for many multi-national food companies - selling back into the multiples anything from sushi to xmas puddings!
Over the past 8 years, she has been a consultant, business mentor and coach. Her unique commercial viewpoint enables her to provide valuable insights and recommendations to both UK and overseas food and drink companies enabling them to sell more and sell better. Her clients have had success gaining listings in all the major UK supermarkets and other relevant retailers.
She is the author of two best-selling books “Recipe for Success- the ingredients of a profitable food business” and “Buyer-ology – know your buyer, sell more and sell better, and regularly contributes to The Grocer, Food institute and is known as the Shopping expert in the Sun.
She is passionate about food and judges many awards including Great Taste and Quality Foods.
Experience:
Food Mentor – consultancy, business mentor and coach
UN International Trade Centre - UK Sales Advisor
Non Executive Director – Nutricana & By Ruby
Cream & Country – Managing Director
Ichiban UK – Commercial Director
specialist subjects:
-
Food-to-go
-
Retail Sales
-
Sandwiches
-
Sushi
-
Chocolate
-
Ready Meals
-
NPD
-
Business Growth
affiliations
Mentor for Mission Kitchen
engagements
Quality Food Judge
Great Taste awards Judge
Farm shop & Deli Awards judge
Regular speaker at IFE, NOPE and Foodex
Edward Gibson
FDReviewS Expert
After completing his Law Degree, Edward joined his brother when he started a new business in bakery retail. Together they developed a chain of 28 retail bakery shops in North Wales and the Northwest. They later developed the food manufacturing business based originally in Ellesmere Port, later with a further site in Devizes. The company supplied major retailers such as ASDA and Sainsbury’s, food service and convenience customers across the UK.
Edward was a founder member of the British Sandwich Association, and for six years served as its Chairman.
For the past 12 years Edward has worked on several projects in the food industry and with a colleague runs a Consultancy business in the food industry.
Experience:
Gibsons Foods – Founder and Director
Adelie Foods – Consultancy
Freshway Connect - Director
specialist subjects:
-
Food-to-Go
-
Bakery
-
Sandwiches
engagements
Sammies Awards (BSA)– Judge
Quality Food Awards – Judge
Paul Greenhow
FDREVIEWs Expert
Paul spent 30 years in the Food and Drink industry in both senior commercial and operations roles, running businesses on a scale from £5 to £50m. Through that time, he realised he was fixing problems for the owners and delivering business growth for them – he now continues to do that in a self-employed capacity as a Business Growth Specialist.
He is a people orientated and insightful character with proven abilities in sales management, and a track record of driving exceptional profitable growth through creativity and strategic business development.
With a post Graduate Diploma in Marketing, Paul is a rounded Coach who looks to drive the commercial agenda with a focus in the Food & Drink sector and is also a seasoned Princes Trust Mentor and Board Advisor to a local Community Interest Company in the Leisure sector.
Experience:
Market Fresh – Managing Director
Kitchen Range Foods (part of Moy Park) – Head of Sales
Silvercrest Foods (part of ABP) – Commercial Director
Cumbrian Seafoods – Business Project Manager
Anson Packaging – Sales & Marketing Director
specialist subjects:
-
Meat, Fish & Poultry
-
Chilled Foods
-
Delicatessen Accompaniments
-
Food Sales Growth
-
Food Retail
-
Branding Development
affiliations
Princes Trust Mentor
Be The Business Mentor
CIC Board advisor
Gavin Hands
FDREVIEWs Expert
With a long and accomplished career in the food and drink industry, Gavin has extensive experience leading transformation and growth working with leading FMCG brands and private label manufacturers supplying foodservice and the hospitality industry.
Gavin’s experience includes 15 years leading the growth marketing strategy for Bidfood, one of the largest international foodservice wholesalers and also overseeing Bidfood’s leading and award winning portfolio of own-brand products spanning a broad range of chilled, frozen and ambient products across a wide category base.
With a deep knowledge of the Out Of Home sector and route to market, Gavin is currently working as an independent Growth Strategy Consultant offering his experience to support and advise foodservice manufacturers and suppliers to step change their commercial performance through product innovation, brand development and impactful go-to-market strategies.
Experience:
Bidfood UK – Director of Marketing
Cimandis Foodservice, Channel Islands – Head of Marketing
Urban Foodservice – Growth Strategy Lead
specialist subjects:
-
Foodservice
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Ready Meals
-
Canapes & Buffet
-
Food to go
-
Desserts
-
Cakes
-
Brand Development
-
Food Trends
engagements
Foodservice Cateys Awards – Judge
Quality Food Awards – Judge
IGD “Feeding Britain’s Future” – Grocery Industry School Careers Guidance Programme
Sharon Harvey
FDREVIEWs Expert
Sharon has a long track record of working with small to medium companies and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs to bring their products to market over the years at Food Buzz Consulting. She brings many skills to bear to help her customers and has knowledge of a wide range of product categories for product development and support from concept to launch for all types of beverage and food applications . Her contacts are wide ranging, and she is well known with many of the large household brand names in beverages for developing first to market products for names such as Jimmy’s, Koko, VitaCoco, Innocent, Minor Figures, just to name a few. Specialities are particularly in developing plant based and dairy alternative beverages and products suitable for ambient UHT and HPP applications plus soft drinks (carbonated or still), non-alcoholic drinks, and also retorted canned drinks (with and without nitro widget addition). Her experience spans over 38 years at a senior level in the food and drink industry and in the past, she has coordinated large multi skilled teams and product launches, especially with co-packers, for both private brands and retail own label-based product catalogues. She is familiar with major retailer and food service requirements and keeps up to date with regular contact with hundreds of ingredient and packaging suppliers.
Experience:
Food Buzz Consulting Ltd - Director
Framptons - NPD Manager
Tulip - NPD Manager
Lyons Seafood - NPD Manager
Green Gourmet - Head of Innovation and Technical
specialist subjects:
-
Plant Based Drinks
-
No/Low Alcohol Drinks
-
Meal Replacement Drinks
-
Ready-to-eat Meat & Fish
-
High Protein & Barista
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Formulation
-
Labelling
-
Packaging
Richard Herbage
FDReviewS Expert
Richard Herbage has had a deep and extensive career in the Food Industry & “UK Retailing PLC” – originally a graduate engineer with Unilever he moved into Mars Petcare then applied his developing supply chain expertise to DIY retailing in B&Q before coming back to the food industry to head up a salads and then a pizza business for Geest (now Bakkavor). In 2005 he went on to lead the Supply Chain functions in Premier Foods and Young’s Seafoods before setting up Supply Chain Solutions Network in 2013 - a consultancy business focussed on the food industry.
Whilst he now focuses on supply chain and logistics he keeps a very close watch on new product activity in the market and has deep knowledge of the food to go, pizza and salad sectors, and has been judging along with many other industry experts for the annual Q awards for a number of years.
Experience:
Supply Chain Solutions Network Ltd – Founder & Principal
Integrated Food Projects – Associate Director
Premier Foods – Grocery Supply Chain Director
Bakkavor – Fresh Snack Company
Bakkavor – The Delicatessen
specialist subjects:
-
Food-to-Go
-
Pizzas
-
Speciality Breads
-
Vegan
-
Plant-Based
affiliations
Quality Food Awards – panel judge
Worshipful Company of Cooks – The most culinary focussed City Livery Company
engagements
Multiple business process improvements projects including S&OP implementation, planning and business process improvement
Ian Hills
FDReviewS Expert
Ian has over 30 years’ experience in FMCG marketing and 18 years at Purple Pilchard, which specializes as a SME savvy, incubator agency for ambitious challenger brands who require marketing support during their formative months & years.
Of course, his highly successful career came off the back of senior marketing roles with the likes of Rank Hovis, Ben & Jerrys (Took on Haagen Dazs and won?) and Diageo.
Having been there and done it, he is perfectly placed to advise on how to market your product and grow its presence.
Experience:
Purple Pilchard – Consultant/Founder
Nature’s Path Foods – Marketing & Public Relationships Specialist
Rank Hovis McDougall – Marketing Manager
Ben & Jerry’s – Marketing Controller
Diageo & Britvic – Brand Manger + Sales
specialist subjects:
-
Marketing
-
Public Relations
-
Start-ups
-
Artisanal Brands
-
Vegan & GF
-
Ice-Cream
-
Flour
-
Drinks
-
Snacking
affiliations
CIM – Chartered Institute of Marketing
Society of Authors
Antony Horton-Tilley
FDREVIEWs Expert
Acclaimed for his fresh approach to Temporary Food Retail Enviroments Antony has extensive knowledge of what consumers will spend their money on! As the owner of Gusto Catering, a food retail business that operates fixed site independent cafes alongside partnership concessions within borough council buildings and leisure centres, Antony has introduced of Pre Made Products or finished onsite concepts to market. In additon a large percentage of his trade comes from the temporary food retail villages that he creates and runs on the music festival circuit such as Glastonbury, Leeds and Reading. This includes large volume, fast turnaround bar facilties that take advantage of mutliple industry innovations to ensure maximum productivity and revenue.
Supporting "Buy local" campaigns and local branding Antony has championed educating consumers about the economic and social advantages that independent and local businesses bring to a community. The ultimate goal of these campaigns is to create a thriving local economy by maximizing the potential of local businesses and increasing their market share (business, government, and consumer purchases) relative to non-locally owned businesses.
Antony has an unbashful Hands-on approach to his business which means his mind is full of operational practicalities as well as understanding the supply chain and wholesale development of products.
Experience:
Gusto Catering – Founder/ Owner
Heritage Inns - Operations Director
Polaris World - Facilities Operations Manager
QE2/ Hilton – Head Chef
specialist subjects:
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Food Retail
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'Finish On-site' Products
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Wholesale Cafe Food Procurement
-
Food Sales Growth
-
Grab & Go Concepts
Karl Imiruaye
FDReviewS Expert
Karl Imiruaye is a Food Technologist with New Product Development (NPD), Technical and a Process Development bias.
He has been in working in the food industry (FMCG) for over 30 years and has a wealth of knowledge to share from a Consumer, Retailer or Manufacturers perspective.
In 2018 he founded Pi Food Projects – focussed on food tech support for the industry.
He has worked in a wide range of product categories and has been judging food products for about 10 years, giving good insight into what will make a new product successful in a marketplace where customers’ expectations are ever higher and their options for choice are wide.
Experience:
Food Technologist - Marks and Spencer
Food Consultant - Various Blue-chip companies and start-ups
Technical and Business Development Manager – RHM
New Product Development Manager – Saxby Brothers
specialist subjects:
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Bakery
-
Pastry
-
Deli
-
Olives
-
Free-From
-
Vegan
-
Sliced Meats
-
Pate
-
Savoury Pastries
-
Finger Foods
-
Sourcing
-
Ready Meals
Bruce Isaacs
FDREVIEWs Expert
Bruce has been at the forefront of the London QSR market for over 30 years.
Currently working as a consultant to the sector he is a judge on Quality Food Awards, a regular commentator on Radio London on sector concerns and speaker at industry events.
He has advised clients on delivery and making dark kitchens work and has experience of operating brands from Editions kitchens.
He has worked with kiosk operations and launched his own Soup business with manufacturing, whoesale and retail arms. This grew to include a fresh pasta business and pasta meal and salad wholesale arm.
As a father of gluten, dairy, nut and seed allergic children he has been a buyer of speciality dietary foods for the last 24 years.
Experience:
Ed’s Easy Diner – Founder Director
Yo! Sushi – Founder Director
SoupWorks – Founder Director
FreshWorks – Founder Director
Roxie Steak and Wine - Shareholder
Great American Bagel Factory – Commercial Director
BRGR.Co – Interim CEO
Poppies Fish and Chips – Interim CEO
specialist subjects:
-
QSR
-
Grab & Go
-
Free From
-
Hospitality trends
-
Use of technology
affiliations
Finance Committee the Hurlingham Club
engagements
Quality Food Awards - Judge
Clare Jackson
FDREVIEWs Expert
After an early career in auditing with PwC, Clare co-founded Slate in 2017. Slate is an award-winning specialist cheese retailer with two shops in the Suffolk seaside towns of Southwold and Aldeburgh, and an online shop offering nationwide cheese deliveries. Clare is passionate about artisan cheeses and sharing the stories of how and where they are made, particularly those cheeses made locally in East Anglia. She also enjoys discovering perfect companions to elevate exceptional cheese choices. Both Slate shops are brimming with carefully selected food and drink provisions. Clare is a Member of the Academy of Cheese (Level 2) and has been a judge at the World Cheese Awards and Great Taste Awards.
Experience:
Slate Cheese Ltd (2017 - present)
PWC
specialist subjects:
-
Cheese
-
Drinks
-
Speciality Food Retail
affiliations
Clare is a Member of the Academy of Cheese has undertaken the courses for level 1 and Level 2
engagements
Great Taste Award - Judge
World Cheese awards - Judge
Heidi Jackson
FDREVIEWs Expert
Heidi has worked in the retail and wholesale industry for almost 20 years. During this time, she has acquired a breadth of knowledge and insight into Wholesaling and Convenience retailing of food, in particular the buying and category management of chilled foods.
During Heidi’s career, she has been able to use her wealth of experience to support suppliers in making their products fit for purpose, be it shelf life, packaging, supply & distribution and of course the commercial packages necessary for products to be competitive in the marketplace and marketed in the most effective manner.
Experience:
Wholesale Category Planner - Sainsburys
Senior Category Manager – Palmer & Harvey Ltd
Senior Buyer - Palmer & Harvey Ltd/The BuyCo (buying on behalf Costcutter)
Category Manager – Martin McColl Retail Group
Buyer – First Quench Retailing Group (Threshers)
specialist subjects:
-
Dairy & Milk
-
Drinks
-
Chilled Yogurts
-
Desserts
-
Snacks
-
Meal Solutions
-
Meat & Poultry
-
Ranging
-
Price Strategy
-
Marketing
Paul Knight
FDREVIEWs Expert
With a career spanning over 30 years within wholesale distribution to the away from home market, Paul is able to offer great insight to this route to market.
During his time at Booker, 3663, Bidfood and the Country Range Group, Paul helped drive category penetration into new customers and markets. As well as heading up specialist teams in lightwares, beverages, packaging, chemicals and even kitchen design, Paul also worked as Business Development Director for Bidfood across the Baltics and Southern Europe. Paul is very well connected with UK distributors and multi-site foodservice operators, Paul can advise manufacturers and producers not only on how to gain a listing but also how to drive sales through to the end user.
Experience:
Bidfood UK
Bidfood Baltics / Spain
Thomas Ridley Foodservice / Country Range Group
3663 Catering Supplies
Black & White Coffee Company
specialist subjects:
-
Multi-temp distribution
-
Coffee
-
Beverages
-
Chemicals & Packaging
Bruce Langlands
FDReviewS Expert
With over thirty years experience working in all areas of the food, drink and hospitality sectors, Bruce has one of the most impressive CV’s of anyone working in food and drink today.
He initially started his carear with Marks & Spencer in-store management and then as a product developer within the Food Group.
At Superquinn he established and headed up the NPD department launching two new brands into the Irish marketplace winning numerous awards from Great Taste, Quality Food Awards, The World Cheese Awards, Blas na hÉreann and The Irish Food Writers Award.
With over ten years’ experience as a director on the boards of two of the world’s best-known brands, Harrods and Selfridges, Bruce established himself as a highly commercial leader. He has a hands on approach, working with teams to drive change and deliver results. This relies on his four key principles:
• Global oversite of the market
• Consumer insight
• Passion for inovation
• Integrity.
He has a collaborative approach who has a proven track record from creating limited edition speciality products, to launching destination restaurants with leading lights in the culinary world. He has experience in both minute detail and grand-scale initiatives, from concept to delivery with sustainability at the heart of every project.
In 2019 Bruce was awarded the title of Food Icon by Speciality Foods (one of twenty icons in the UK).
Experience:
Executive Director Selfridges (Food & Hospitality)
Director Harrods (Food & Hospitality)
Head of NPD and Food Safety Superquinn
Food Product Developer Marks & Spencer PLC
Consultant to the Food and Hospitality industry
specialist subjects:
-
Food Retail
-
Food Sales Growth
-
Food & Beverage Procurement
-
Food Product Development
-
Hospitality
affiliations
Oritain shareholder
Trustee of the John King Brain Tumour Foundation
engagements
Ambassador for Scottish Retail Food & Drinks Awards
Judge for The Great Taste Awards
Judge for The Quality Food Awards
Member of the Academy of Chocolate
Member of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts
Lucy Matthewson
FDReviewS Expert
Lucy is a highly experienced International Trade Consultant with a 25 year track record in Retail Buying across Fortnum & Mason plc and Waitrose & Partners.
Buying at scale for Fresh and Ambient Food and Beverage categories, she has led product development and purchasing in sectors with sales of up to £60M per annum.
Lucy now specialises in supporting producers, growers and SMEs with capacity building, market access, import and export, and strategic growth, leveraging her expertise in sourcing, ranging, and brand development. As a consultant Lucy has worked with the World Bank, IPD and private growers and manufacturers across multiple countries, including Jordan, Kenya, Colombia, Ecuador, South Africa, and Europe; delivering actionable insights and strategies that align with both online and offline retail models.
Lucy's unique insider perspective on the buyers demands and market trend dynamics enables her to provide tailored advice that accelerates their business success.
Experience:
Waitrose & Partners - Buyer of Waters & Cordials
Waitrose & Partners - Buyer of Yogurts & Desserts
Safeway plc - Produce buyer
Fortnum & Mason plc - Patisserie & Bread Buyer
Consulting by Lucy Georgia - Founder & Consultant
specialist subjects:
-
Breads & Patisserie
-
Snacking
-
Non-Alcoholic Drinks
-
Buyers Insight
-
Fresh Produce
-
Prepared Fruit & Veg
-
Capacity Building
engagements
Judge for The Quality Food Awards
Gavin Mclean
FDReviewS Expert
Gavin has over 25 years’ experience working in the F&B sector, from senior retail commercial roles to general management. His experience in Omnichannel ranges from Bakery and Chilled to Frozen and Ambient Grocery. Gavin particularly enjoys working with sustainable and ethical food and drinks challenger brands and start-ups that are ready to scale. Gavin has a proven track record of successfully building both private label and emerging brands, bringing to market exciting innovative products in the UK and Ireland. He is passionate about future brand creation, sustainable profitable growth for innovative FMCG businesses with a clear differentiation and value proposition.
Experience:
Titan Brands- Founder and CEO
Soul Food Collective – Co Founder
Health Lab UK – Managing Director
Montana Bakery- General Manager
Grampian Country Foods – MD – Banff Site
specialist subjects:
-
Chilled Pies & Sausages
-
Cooked Meats
-
Bakery
-
Morning Goods
-
Speciality Breads
-
Ambient Fruits
-
Freeze-dried snacks
-
Protein balls
-
start-ups
-
marketing
affiliations
Product Guru- Expert Panel Member
Tim mcVicker
FDREVIEWs Expert
Tim is a successful business manager with 30-years’ experience within the FMCG marketplace gained in both major blue-chip organisations & SME's. He works with businesses of all sizes to assist them in the achievement of their current goals & help them devise and implement future visions & strategies to ensure their continued success. Tim has worked for many major organisations throughout the UK and more recently was Commercial Director at leading NI SME, Kestrel Foods.
As a consultant, Tim has a broad client base, across Food manufacturing, Foodservice & Food Distribution.
He has both led & managed large salesforces, developed & delivered strategic commercial business plans & negotiated at a senior H/O level with customers such as the Big 5 retail multiples, convenience operators (e.g. Blakemores, Hendersons, Booker) and online operators such as Amazon and Ocado.
He has also worked with Aldi & Lidl, Irish multiples Dunnes & MRPI, plus Costco, Holland & Barrett and many more.
To top all this, he has experience of exploring & exploiting international markets & successfully identify & developing NPD to launch.
Experience:
Founder & Owner TMK Consulting; Lead Commercial Consultant Anthology
Commercial Director Kestrel Foods
Regional Sales Manager Yell
Sales Director C&C NI (Pepsi)
Multiple Account Controller - Allied Bakeries Ireland
National Field Sales Manager - Annheuser Busch (Budweiser)
Group Sales Training Manager - Courage Brewing
specialist subjects:
-
Food Sales Growth
-
Brand Design & Creation
-
NPD Viability
-
Food Retail
-
Irish F&B Marketplace
engagements
Quality Food Awards – Judge
Ulster Grocer Awards- Judge
stephen minall
FDReviewS Expert & Co-Founder
There are few people in the hospitality industry who are more closely aligned with current food trends. Stephen writes for trade journals, presents at retail consortiums in the UK & Europe, and has been seen on BBC News as a leading expert in food related stories.
Stephen judges the Foodservice awards, The Cateys and the Quality Food Awards.
Recent hot topics have included the rise in Home Delivery, Dark Kitchens and Takeaway/Grab & Go concepts - and how both hotels and restaurants can take advantage.
Stephen not only guides and advises, but he is an entrepreneur who has his own extensive experience within retail and foodservice operations. He created the Wrapid brand of fast food outlets that he grew to 25 sites at home and abroad. As one of the owners of Moving Food, a food market development agency working with retail and catering, he has helped to launched dozens of new food concepts into the UK including the likes of Wowbutter (a no nut peanut butter!). His products can be found in locations such as Aldi, Nisa, Ocado and Holland & Barrett.
His latest project is Distinctive Foods, the developer of ‘The World’s Smallest Ice Cream Factory’. It is a mobile organic ice-cream concept featured in Cadbury World and other leisure and retail destinations across the UK.
Experience:
Moving Food – Founder
Distinctive Food – Founder
Wrapid - Founder
Queens Moat House Hotels – Procurement/F&B Director
Holmes Place Gyms – Procurement Director
Bewleys Ireland - Franchise Director
Pizza Hut – Director of Franchising
specialist subjects:
-
Consumer Trends
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Food Marketing
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Marketing
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Food Sales Growth
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Grab & Go Concepts
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Food & Beverage Procurement
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Food Retail
affiliations
Quality Food Awards - Chairman of Food Service
Tahola Systems - Share Holder
Konnekt UK- Aged Care Communications
The Outlook Foundation (Special Needs Charity) – Board Member
engagements
Hotel Catey Awards – Technology Judge
Quality Food Awards – Lead Judge
Canadian Trade Board - Brand importer
Georgina Mogridge
FDReviewS Expert
Georgina is our resident pizza expert – as you would expect given that she is currently head of research and development at Papa John’s UK. On top of that, she is responsible for their strategy and nutritional agenda with regards to HFSS.
She has had an extensive career across the restaurant, retail and manufacturing industries. Over her career, Georgina has specialised in Italian Casual and Pizza categories at Zizzi, Pizza Express, Bakkavor and Morrisons focussing on restaurant ready and QSR concepts.
Experience:
Papa John’s - Head of Research & Development
Zizzi Restaurants - Product Manager (Restaurant, Retail & International)
PizzaExpress - Restaurant & Retail Development Manager
Bakkavor – Product Executive
Morrisons – NPD Assistant
specialist subjects:
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Pizza
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Bread
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Desserts
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Deli
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Bar Drinks
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Asian Food to Go
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Cooked Meats
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Pies & Sweet Bakery
affiliations
Member of the Association for Nutrition (ANutr)
Clive Moxham
FDReviewS Expert
Clive has always had an entrepreneurial mindset successfully applying this to the FMCG, Retail, Manufacturing and Foodservice marketplaces which has led to a long and successful career so far. Developing and commercialising innovative new propositions, brands and products is his forte.
This is evident in his last role as Business Director at the Nishimoto Wismettac Group launching Pan Asian and Japanese foods to the mainstream markets with customers such as the Ivy Group and Hello Fresh..
Prior to that he enjoyed huge success at the London-based food distributor and innovator Leathams where he developed household brands such as Merchant Gourmet and worked with customers such as M&S, Hello Fresh and Prezzo.
Prior to his time at Leathams, he was part of the successful Senior management team at Matthew Algie, delivering coffee solutions to the likes of Sainsburys, Pizza Express and Pret a Manger.
Experience:
Nishimoto Wismettac Group- Business Director- EMEA
Leathams – Interim MD/ Group Commercial Director
Merchant Gourmet - Retail Director
Matthew Algie – Sales & Marketing Director
specialist subjects:
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Retail & FMCG
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Brand Growth
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B2B
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Manufacturing
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Hot Drinks
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Grab & Go Concepts
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Plant-based
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Food Trends
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Market segmentation
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Packaging
Peter Naylor
FDREVIEWs Expert
Someone who has been in F&B since the last century and still enjoying the fun of launching and marketing new formulations to the demanding UK market place.
Now also importing organic agave ingredients to target the UK market place in our post-Brexit circumstances.
30+ years in selling of ingredients and concepts to product developers for the European food & beverage sector. I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of cross border projects into different end use markets, with a particular strengths in soft drinks, sweeteners as alternatives to sugar, beers and alcoholic beverages.
Always trying to help position healthier products in the market using better-for-you ingredients targeting sugar, fat and salt reduction with some incredible natural and organic ingredients.
One new ingredient, targeting plant-based formulations for salt reduction with the added benefit of natural colour addition, is proving particularly exciting. The ingredient also comes with an outstanding sustainability story.
Open to conversations with brand owners and innovators if trying to achieve a nutritionally enhanced product offering, and of course, always willing to work alongside friends and colleagues of like mind.
Experience:
Facilit8 & Flourish Ltd – est. 2015: a functional ingredients advisory consultancy.
Wild Flavors International – VP India for 3.5 years, reporting to a member of the board.
Wild Flavors Ltd – MD (7 years) of an innovative UK-based entity, that was part of the huge & International Wild Group, creating new market leading trend concepts to satisfy consumer needs.
Haas / Barth Hop Products – Global Business Development selling a world leading hop development into the global major brewers’.
Various other sales roles selling ingredients into Food & Beverage Manufacturers, UK, Europe, ME & India.
specialist subjects:
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Sweeteners & Alternatives
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Alcoholic Beverages
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Beer
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Flavours
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Nutritional Health
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Organic/Fair Trade Inulin & Agave
affiliations
Canadian Government – Assisted 2 Canadian ingredients manufacturers launch into the UK on an unofficial basis
engagements
Quality Food Awards – Judge
Ruth Nieman
FDREVIEWs Expert
Ruth is a successful author specialising in Middle Eastern Foods as well as Flours, Wheats & Grains.
Inspired from working in the kitchens of northern Israel over 30 years ago, Ruth returned to London to complete a Diploma in Food and Wine at Leiths Cookery School, with the sole aim of setting up a catering company providing fresh, exciting food, influenced by her travels.
The Israel Good Food Guide followed, showcasing the very best of Israel’s cuisine, through write-ups and food news from Tel Aviv to the Galilee and always accompanied by beautiful photographs, she snapped along the way.
Having gained a Diploma in Food Journalism in 2016, she was propelled into self-publishing her first cookbook, The Galilean Kitchen. Her most recent work, Freekeh Wild Wheat & Ancient Grains is published by Prospect Books.
Experience:
Published Author – 2017 to date
Diploma in Food Journalism – College of Media & Publishing - 2016
Diploma in Food & Wine – Leiths School, London – 1998
specialist subjects:
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Middle Eastern Food
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Wheats & Grains
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Baking
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Charcuterie
engagements
World Charcuterie Awards – Operations Director
Guild of Food Writers – Special Officer, Awards
Guild of Fine Food - Judge
Al Overton
FDREVIEWs Expert
Al qualified as a Medical Herbalist in 1999 and has been involved in the health & wellbeing industry ever since.
After working in retail management at Neals Yard Remedies and Planet Organic he headed up the buying function at Planet Organic from 2012 to 2022, developing them from an organic focused supermarket to an experience led retailer at the forefront of wellbeing innovation and new products. He supervised Planet Organic’s own label development and drove their sustainability agenda around plastic free packaging, refill concepts and food waste.
At Planet Organic Al was the launchpad partner to hundreds of small brands and international brands entering the UK for the first time. He has worked with start-up incubators supporting and advising new brands from concept to shelf and has spoken at national and international conferences on wellness trends, sustainability initiatives and the changing retail landscape.
Currently, Al is a Co-founder of Wonderland Ventures, a change and strategy consultancy for brands and businesses within the health & wellbeing space.
Experience:
Planet Organic – Buying Director
Wonderland Ventures - Partner
Neals Yard Remedies - Store Manager
specialist subjects:
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Organic
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Free-from
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Health & Wellbeing
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Health Supplements
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Natural Bodycare
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Food-to-go
engagements
Speaker, presenter and panelist at industry events on food, drink, retail and wellbeing sectors. Specialist in health, wellbeing and sustainability within retail.
2022 - Australia Organic Limited Conference
2019 - Global Table, Australia
2019 - Sustainnable Food Summit, Amsterdam
2018 - The Final of BBC's "The Apprentice"
2017 - Organic Estonia Conference
2013 - Channel 5's "50 Shocking Facts About Diet and Exercise"
nick padgett
FDREVIEWs Expert
Nick joined Diageo as a young, fresh faced salesman in June 1984. He has subsequently spent over 35 years working in the UK On Trade, primarily managing and running sales teams responsible for national and regional pubs, bars, hotels, restaurants and night clubs. In 2015, and in response to many requests for help, he set up his own consultancy business and now advise supplier companies of all shapes and sizes on how to grow the distribution, share and volume of their brands. Pivotally, this has required a deep understanding of what makes a bar successful. He is an expert in the levers, activities, initiatives or changes that can be implemented to grow profits by increasing both volume and margin. Sometimes, his support is as straightforward as advising sites on what activities to focus on and how to avoid efforts that don’t add to the bottom line.
As you would expect, Nick was also instrumental in helping Diageo develop their products, including the likes of Smirnoff Ice and Bombay Sapphire.
Experience:
Diageo GB – Head of Managed On Trade
Lucozade Ribena Suntory – Channel Director
Global Brands – On Trade Controller
Nick Padgett Consultancy - Owner
specialist subjects:
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Wines & Spirits
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Ready-to-drink beverages
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Alcopops
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Consumer insight
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Activity implementation
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Bar standards and layout
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Creating promotional initiatives
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Perfect serve programmes
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Mystery shopper
engagements
Southwest Tourism Awards - Judge
BEDA/Noctis committee member
Leisa Pickles
FDREVIEWs Expert
Leisa has worked in the Food & Drink industry for 24 years and prior to going it alone worked for Mars in a number of Sales Execution roles supporting Grocery Retail.
Leisa has experience of working with Asda, Morrisons, Coop and in more recent years her experience has been focussed towards Out of Home and Speciality retail.
Currently, Leisa is the Chief Go Getter at Find me the Leads Ltd – helping Food & Drink Producers get their products into more places and in front of more people. Leisa is on a mission to help Independent Food Producers secure their fair share of space in store, on shelf, in chillers and on menus.
Experience:
Mars - In store Execution Manager
Breckland Orchard - Head of Sales
Find me the Leads - Chief Go Getter
specialist subjects:
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Soft Drinks
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Confectionery
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Health & Wellbeing
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Out-of-Home
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Foodservice
engagements
Judge - Quality Food Awards
affiliations
Food & Drink Federation - Network Member
Small Business Saturday - SmallBiz100
Love British Food - Community Volunteer
Enterprise Nation - Adviser and Local Leader
Help to Grow Management Programme - Volunteer Mentor
Santander Women Breakthrough Leaders Programme - Mentee 2021
Oliver Pinder
FDREVIEWs Expert
Olly has had a truly diverse career in retail spanning a variety of roles in product development and retail buying. He has been fortunate to work at the forefront of the food industry evolution over the last 12 years, developing expertise in eCommerce.
From creating an award-winning gourmet food retail concept in Qatar, to scaling gousto, the UKs leading recipe kit business, Olly’s expertise spans developing and selling products and solutions across: own label, challenger brands, global FMCGs and F+B outlets.
At gousto he was responsible for end to end sourcing and product development, challenging global FMCGs to enter the recipe kit market, creating bespoke products that were new to market, and building extensive ranges of recipes to cater to customer needs: 10 minutes meals, vegan, dine in occasions, gluten free etc
At Co-op Olly led the charge on transforming their meal for tonight customer mission, building a team that delivered a pipeline on innovation: from one pan meals for 2, to pizza night and dine in for £12, and always ensuring every solution was convenient, across all channels.
To round things off, it’s also worth mentioning that Olly also spent time with Ocado where he managed categories across produce, frozen, dairy and chilled drinks!
Experience:
Co-op - Head of Category - Meals & Events
Gousto - Head of Commercial
Qatar Airways - Head of Category - Gourmet Food & Convenience Retail
Ocado Group - Buying Manager
specialist subjects:
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Meal Kits
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E-Commerce
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Airports
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Home Dining
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Digital Branding
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Retail Trading
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Category Management
Jonathan Richer
FDREVIEWs Expert
Jonathan is an independent food consultant, specialising in functional ingredients, the meat industry and meat replacement.
He is a respected member of the judging panel at the Quality Foods Awards.
Jonathan gained 20 years commercial and product development experience working for major manufacturers in senior retail facing roles. He has a high understanding of what it takes to launch successful products that also survive the test of time.
Jonathan is also the owner and producer of a local, speciality gin brand.
Experience:
Richer Food Limited – Founder
Direct Table Foods – Head of Development
Bowes of Norfolk (now Cranswick) – National Account Manager
Uniq Foodservice – Marketing Manager
Kerry Foods - Advisor
specialist subjects:
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Meat
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Meat Replacement
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Retail Ranging
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Labelling
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Speciality Gins
engagements
Quality Food Awards - Judge
Barbara Ross
FDReviewS Expert
Barbara has an unrivalled palette, an encyclopaedic understanding of food and food trends, but most importantly is passionate about food quality. She is a highly creative, driven and innovative food specialist with substantial experience in retail new product development, food manufacturing and project management. 30+ years’ experience has cemented a proven track record of excellence in formulating and implementing food business strategies and product proposition plans, identifying and obtaining key opportunities and reducing cost without compromising eating quality. She can deliver excellence in core categories, complex cross functional projects and those with very short time scales. Barbara has the knowledge and drive to set and deliver quality standards that are way ahead of the competition.
Barbara is a subject matter expert in Italian food and has attained an intermediate level of spoken and written Italian.
Companies she has made a positive impact at are Marks & Spencer PLC Food Division, Asda Stores PLC and Northern Foods PLC – her prowess is not limited by industry or company type. While others take pride in meeting all standards set before them, her passion is for delivering service that goes beyond organizational expectations, creating a win-win scenario for everyone involved.
Experience:
Marks & Spencer plc – 13 years – Senior Development roles across ambient, chilled & frozen categories & coal-face NPD on 44 Deli counters
Asda – 10 years- Development roles across all Chilled Food categories and rear service Pizza, Curry Pot & Rotisserie Counters
Food Manufacturing – 9 years across 5 chilled/bakery sites on added value chilled food, seafood and bakery
Masters in Gastronomy at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piedmont, Italy
specialist subjects:
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Italian Cuisine
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Continental Meats
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Food Retail NPD
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Recipe Development
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On-pack copywriting
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Chilled Ready meals, Pizza & Pasta
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Chilled Party Food
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Frozen Food
affiliations
See Linkedin
engagements
Quality Food Awards – Judge
Great Taste Awards- Judge
Copywriter- Parsley Box
Rebecca Ross
FDReviews Expert
Rebecca has been launching and developing food products for more than 30 years. From a UK first in Grocery Retail, launching a brand new Continental meats range (including Parma & Serrano Ham, Chorizo, Salami Milano) into Tesco in 1994 to inventing, developing and launching The Butterworks Butter brand into UK retailers. Rebecca’s breadth of experience across many food categories is built on a background of buying, developing, marketing and merchanising many categories within Tesco, Boots and Kraft Foods. Her strong Category solution skills means she is well placed to understand the whole journey of launching products from customer needs, retailer gaps, manufacturer capabilities, costings, brand plans, design, tastings, resarch and writing sell-in stories for retailer pitches. She also has wealth of Seasonal product experience including Confectionery, Snacks, Cakes, Pies and Puddings.
An all round product solutions expert, Rebecca loves ‘all things food’ and works with clients launching their new products into retailers such as Waitrose, M&S, Lidl and Tesco.
Experience:
Consultant – NPD, Brand launches, pitching to retailers, Category data knowledge & solutions and creating Sales, Brand & Category strategies across dairy, confectionery, snacks & grocery ranges.
Kraft Foods: Category Manager & Solutions generator- coffee, confectionery & dairy
Tesco Seasonal Category buying lead- Confectionery, Biscuits, Snacks, Cakes, Pies and Puddings
Boots: Lunchtime Food to go, launching “The Meal Deal” concept in 1995
Tesco Buying: Bakery, Continental Meats, Grocery, Soft drinks
specialist subjects:
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Confectionery
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Chocolate
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Bakery
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Retail Procurement
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Soft Drinks
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Food-to-Go
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Snacks
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Meats
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Seasonal Foods
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Dairy
affiliations
Assorted Mentoring Programs
Victoria Ross
FDReviews Expert
Victoria has spent her career helping brands launch, scale, and thrive in the FMCG and grocery retail sector internationally. An expert in both branded and private label, she specialises in sales, marketing, commercial strategy, and market expansion, delivering bold growth strategies and measurable results.
She has worked with brands such as Ryvita, Jordans and Dorset Cereals, and Mazzetti Balsamic Vinegar, securing listings with top retailers including Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Whole Foods, and Amazon, while driving triple-digit year-on-year growth. As COO of Purpose Driven Foods, she led commercial and operational strategy, achieving B Corp Certification and expanding the brand’s retail footprint.
Now, as Founder of VLR Consulting, she partners with ambitious businesses to provide strategic direction and execution, ensuring sustainable growth in competitive markets. A fluent French speaker, Victoria takes a hands-on, data-driven approach, leveraging insights and strong industry relationships to drive success
Experience:
Chief Operating Officer - Purpose Driven Foods
Country Manager - Acetum SpA (Part of Associated British Food)
Brand & Category Manager - Mazzetti l’Originale (Part of Associated British Food)
Senior Commercial Leader at Jordans, Dorset & Ryvita
specialist subjects:
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Grocery Retail
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Launching
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Scaling
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Brand Development
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International Expansion
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Oils
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Cereals
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Sauces
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Bakery
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Vinegars
Tom Russell
FDREVIEWs Expert
A food industry all-rounder with a 30-year career spanning aquaculture, yellow fats, top end grocery account management, flour milling and baking.
Roles have been in Sales, Marketing and more recently General management and now service provision. Has overseen factory moves and company acquisitions.
Specializes in working for smaller operations that need to challenge accepted norms and where an ability to work within owner operator frameworks require a more sensitive approach.
Experience:
UCMDS Trainee – Unilever – Van Den Burghs
Marketing Director and General Manager The Fabulous Bakin’ Boys
Various Posts for The Coinstone Group – 16 years
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Marketing Director Shipton Mill
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Managing Director The Celtic Bakers Ltd
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Managing Director Everfresh Natural Foods
Managing Director The Food Incubator
specialist subjects:
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Start-ups
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Bakery
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Investors
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Foodservice Supply
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General Management
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Branding and design
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Manufacturing product development
Vhari Russell
FDReviewS Expert
After years of working with the leading importers and distributors, working on branded and own-brand products for many leading retailers. She started her own agency which is celebrating its 10th birthday this year.
She is the founder of The Food Marketing Experts, Grub Club Events, and Charity Creating Nature Corridors.
Vhari has worked in the food and drink industry for the last 22 years and has judged for Great Taste Awards and the Quality Awards. Having worked across a wide variety of sectors in the industry including NPD for Waitrose, Tesco, licensed products for Country Living.
She is hugely passionate about the food and drink industry and championing great products. This is something that both her full-service agency and networking group encompass.
Experience:
The Food Marketing Experts – Founder
Grub Club Events – Founder
Creating Natures Corridors charity – Trustee
Image on Food – Managing Costa, Waitrose, Harrods
Food Network Confectionery – National Trust licence, Country Living and Boots
Winterbotham Darby looking after Tesco, Waitrose and Sainsburys confectionery
Tippee – Disney licensed products for Homebase, Tesco, WH Smiths
Trustin Unimerchants looking after Tesco, Waitrose and Sainsburys confectionery
specialist subjects:
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Marketing
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PR
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Social Media
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Food Sales Growth
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NPD
affiliations
See Linkedin
engagements
Judged at:
Quality Food Awards, Great Taste, Grocer New Product Awards, British Baker, Speciality & Fine Food Fair Awards, World Cheese Awards
Deniz Safa
FDReviewS Expert
Deniz is an experienced Director with a demonstrated history of working in the QSR industry in large multinational brands, including Subway and SSP, as well as smaller founder led businesses.
Skilled in developing and leading food Strategies, NPD/ EPD, innovation, full concept to launch, menu refreshes, procurement & cost saving initiatives and packaging strategy. She has developed a number of award winning products as well as successful international concepts and understand the flavours, packaging, pricing and branding needed to make a launch a success.
With entrepreneurial and commercial acumen, graduating from Bayes (CASS) Business School with Honours in Business Management, in addition to culinary training in French Patisserie in Le Cordon Bleu.
Experience:
Culinary & Innovation Director for Europe & Middle East - Subway
Head of Food - Coco di Mama
Head of Food - Hop Vietnamese
International Executive Developer - SSP
Pastry Chef - Ottolenghi & Claridge’s
specialist subjects:
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Grab & Go
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Product Development
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International Flavours
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Desserts & Sweet Treats
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Packaging
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Impulse Ranges
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Branding
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Cookbook Development
Paul Sheldrake
FDReviewS Expert
Paul has over 30 years of food product development experience across the breadth of own-label, branded, foodservice and business-to-business from start-ups through to multinationals. He has covered a diverse range of manufactured products where specialist knowledge of how functional raw materials are utilised helps to drive innovations in food categories.
His technical expertise has been key in creating exciting and innovative product's over many years with speciality know-how in starches, hydrocolloids, thickeners, emulsifiers, fibres, sugar / salt / fat / egg replacers, plant / alternative proteins, flavour enhancement / umami / kokumi and shelf-life extension... now that's a list!
Paul can help you to identify the key materials needed to make successful improvements to meet the latest trends and insight such as plant-based, HFSS, Ultra Processed Foods, low carb, healthy living with clear consumer functional claims and messaging.
Experience:
Healy Group – Application & Technical Director
Focus Food Solutions – Consultant Owner / Director
AVEBE Food Starches – Market Manager
Newly Weds Foods – Commercial
New York Bakery – Development Manager
Unilever, Alembic & Kraft
specialist subjects:
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Liquid Products
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Meats
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Plant-Based
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Bakery
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Confectionery
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Coatings/Snacks
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HFSS
affiliations
See Linkedin
Katharine Shipley
FDReviewS Expert
Katharine is an experienced product development and innovation specialist with over 18 years’ experience across a number of retailers namely, Asda, Morrisons & latterly head of innovation at Co-op. She has a true passion and excitement for food and delivering what customers want and need, now and in the future, ensuring value and quality all alongside ensuring this forms part of making a profitable business.
Katharine has an extremely trained palate and experience and understanding of a wide range of product areas from ambient to fresh.
She has a keen interest and knowledge of consumer and food trends, market insight and developing product strategies and propositions.
Experience:
Founder Food Curious Food – Food and Drink Consultancy
Co-op – Head of Innovation
Morrisons – Lead Product Developer
Asda – Product Developer
specialist subjects:
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Ambient Grocery
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Chilled Food & Drink
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Food Retail
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Seasonal Food
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Food-to-Go
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NPD
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Branding and Positioning
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Snacking
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Hot Beverages
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Product and Brand Strategy
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Global and Product Trends
engagements
Judged for:
Quality Food Awards
Scottish Food and Drink Awards
Wales Food and Drink Awards
Peter Simpkins
FDReviewS Expert
Peter Simpkins has served in the UK foodservice industry for more than 20 years. Initially focussing on beers, wines and spirits industry, he is perhaps now best known for working in the coffee industry.
Peter spent 12 years as Sales Director for Tchibo Coffee International UK and most recently for Lavazza Coffee UK as their Commercial Director in the away-from home division. Peter has judged for the Hospitality Catey Awards and is a qualified SCA barista (Level 2 – foundation).
Experience:
Lavazza Coffee UK – Commercial Director
Tchibo Coffee International – Sales Director
Bass Brewers – National Sales Manager
Omnico (PTY) Ltd – Partner and shareholder
specialist subjects:
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Coffee
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Tea
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Hot Chocolate
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Coffee Sales
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Coffee-to-Go
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Coffee NPD
affiliations
SCA barista (Level 2 – foundation)
engagements
Hospitality Catey Awards - Judge
Andrew Skinner
FDREVIEWs Expert
Andrew has over four decades' experience in the food industry with an extensive experience in food safety, product development, quality and integrity. Has worked in many areas of the food industry, from raw materials, processing and manufacture, import/export and distribution from small private firms to multinationals and with two of the UK's largest food retailers.
Personal experience encompasses chocolate and confectionery, ambient stable grocery, fresh, chilled and frozen foods. He has, travelled extensively throughout the world over thirty five years and is well positioned to understand and appreciate many of the 'cultural nuances' that often prevail with food outside the UK.
Experience:
TQS Food Consulting – Director/Principle
Hygrade Foods – Technical Director
Tesco Stores – Technical Manager
Safeway Stores – Category Development Technologist
specialist subjects:
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Cheese & Dairy
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Cooked Meats
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Continental Meats
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Chilled Processed Foods
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Wines & Spirits
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Chocolate
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Confectionery
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Frozen Foods
affiliations
Fellow of The Society of Food Hygiene & Technology
Participation in UK Food Technical Panels & Committees
engagements
Judge at Quality Food Awards
Cheese & Dairy Judge at UK & International Events & Shows.
Food Judge at Bellavita in UK, Europe and USA.
Diana Spellman
FDREVIEWs Expert
Diana was born and brought up on grass to beef rearing farm. It’s hardly surprising that this led to becoming one of the hospitality industry’s foremost experts in food sourcing and provenance.
Whilst building and running PARTNERS IN PURCHASING for over 20 years she has pivoted the PARTNERS IN PRODUCT service of the business with emphasis on connecting Farm producers to Foodservice to underpin provenance in their menus.
As a Nuffield Agricultural Scholar for Food Supply Chain she has worked alongside key practitioners of ‘Farm-to-Fork’ strategies including Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation & Organics), Carlos Petrini (Slow Food Movement), Joel Salatin (You Can Farm). She has even gained the support of Princess Anne.
Diana regularly speaks on provenance and supply chain experience at Speciality Fine Food, IFE, Foodservice Forum, Foodmatters Live and The Oxford Farming Conference. Current clients span Leisure, Retail, Farm shops and Restaurants.
Oh, and apart from all of that, she is a qualified cordon bleu cook!
Experience:
PARTNERS IN PURCHASING – Managing Director
PARTNERS IN PRODUCT – Managing Director
Compass Catering – Procurement Contracts Manager
Guild of Agricultural Journalists Annual Award Ceremony – Traceable Sourcing Manager
Westminster Kingsway College – Dragons Den
Advisor for “Better Food on the Public Plate”
specialist subjects:
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Functional Foods
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Better for You
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Natural Products
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Traceability
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Sourcing
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Health & Safety
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Food Provenance
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Farm to Fork
affiliations
Nuffield Agricultural Trust – Scholar
Springboard Charity for developing professionalism – Fundraising Friend
Friend of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts.
Food and Wine Trust Certified Sommelier
Founder of Mercury@
Women In Agriculture
Women in Hospitality Founder
engagements
Catey Food and Drink Product Awards - Judge
Cateys – Technology Judge
Quality Food Awards – Foodservice Chairing Judge
Westminster Kingsway College – Dragons Den Judge
Eddie Stableford
FDReviewS Expert
Through a career spanning more than 44 years, Eddie has amassed an enviable food and drink innovation client portfolio spanning from the multiple-retailers (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, M&S, Co-op), through major food manufacturers (Premier Foods, ABF, Hains Daniels, Britvic, 2 Sisters) to entrepreneurial start-ups and emerging brands with whom Eddie has a great empathy as he is passionate about helping new brands achieve success.
His passion for understanding what consumers do and how and why products and brands influence their purchasing behaviour has taken him on an exciting journey of discovery and learning. His extensive food sector network of product development partners, ingredients suppliers, chefs, manufacturers, packaging suppliers, designers, PR and marketing experts, enables him to bring together a customised resource for each and every project.
He has given presentations on ‘Grey Consumers’ at Leatherhead, ‘The last 3 feet’ at the FDIN, ‘Reduce, Re-use & Recycle’ in Dublin, Branding for Export’ at EEDA and ‘21st Century Brands’ at The Marketing Forum as well as various presentations on strategy, trends and branding.
In March 2017 he was one of the participants in the ‘Towards Sustainable Packaging’ think tank, initiated by global bottled water brands including Nestle, Britvic, Coca Cola, Danone and Highland Spring.
Eddie has also appeared on television and radio as well as in numerous newspapers and magazines including Marketing and Marketing Week where he has provided expert comment.
In recent developments, Eddie is launching his concept Street Food Box, an infinitely reusable, fold flat and inexpensive alternative to single us food to go packaging.
Experience:
Bryt: Food & Drink Sector Brand Design Agency
Brand Clock: Food & Drink Sector Brand Consultancy
specialist subjects:
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Ready Meals
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Sauces
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Snacks
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Fitness & Health
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Drinks
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Product Creation
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Innovation
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Sustainable Packaging
affiliations
Member of Hubbers - Future Packaging
Street Food Box: Creator & Founder
Suölo Reduced Sodium Seasonings: Co-founder
Positively Good For You: Co-founder
engagements
Virgin Start Up Mentor
BSEEN Mentor
Member of Hubbers - Future Packaging
Client consultancy activity
Perry James Wakeman
FDReviewS Expert
Perry is a Certified MonS Affineur, working and studying under Hervé Mons, Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Artisan Craftsman of France), in the 9 MonS maturing cellars located in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region. Perry currently holds the highest certification possible with the Academy of Cheese and is a regular contributor to the Academy's curriculum. He was asked to judge at the World Cheese Awards in Bergen, Norway in 2018 and again the following year in Bergamo as a Captain Judge.
In 2020 he was asked to present a Masterclass at the British Cheese Weekender, and once again in 2021 where Perry matured one artisan cheese at three different profiles to illustrate the importance of affinage to cheese.
In 2021 Perry Judged at The Virtual Cheese Awards.
In 2021 Perry Judged at the Melton Mowbray Artisan Cheese Awards. The cheese he selected for best on his table which in turn would be nominated for best cheese, and that cheese would go on to be judged the Supreme Champion (Best Artisan Cheese in Competition).
Perry is ‘Head of Cheese’ at Rennet & Rind, responsible for maintaining the strong relationships we have with our British cheesemakers, regularly visiting them on the family farm to batch select our cheese. Perry also looks after our Rennet & Rind maturing room, using his expert knowledge to ensure every cheese that leaves us arrives to you at its very best.
Experience:
UK Affineur of the Year 2022 & 2023
Qualified Affineur at MonS
Patron and Contributor to Academy of Cheese
World Cheese Judge
British Artisan Cheese Melton Mowbray
specialist subjects:
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British Cheese
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Continental Cheese
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Artisan Cheese
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Dairy
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Wholesale Sector
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Packaging
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Deli
affiliations
Sales Director Rennet & Rind
Cheese+
engagements
Academy of Cheese – Patron & Contributor
World Cheese Judge (Bergen, Bergamo and Spain)
British Artisan Cheese Judge Melton Mowbray
Virtual Cheese Judge
Steve Walpole
FDReviewS Expert
Steve is a director of his own food development business with over 30 years’ experience in the industry. He has a broad range of knowledge and experience gained within sectors such as fresh and frozen meal solutions, airlines, fine dining and teaching - with roles extending to Executive Chef, Head of Food and Culinary Director.
Steve can also be regularly seen across all forms of media including TV, radio, magazine, newspaper and blogs. On top of that he can often be seen compering and designing and leading cookery classes!
In the retail sector he has experience of supply into the major multiples including Asda, Morrisons and Sainsburys plus the convenience stores market with the Co Op and Spar.
Experience:
Director lead consultant- Steve Walpole Ltd
Culinary Director – Niche Free from Kitchen
Head of Food – Ugo Food Group
Group Executive chef – C&B Wine Bars
Senior Executive Chef UK&IRL – Gate Group (Clients incl. BA, Emirates Airlines and JJL)
specialist subjects:
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Food Retail & QSR
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Bakery & Patisserie
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Food Production
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NPD
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Foodservice
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Retail & Travel
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Grab & Go
affiliations
Member of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts
engagements
Principle Judge for Quality Food Awards
Miriam Watson
FDReviewS Expert
Miriam has been a much-valued team-member and consultant to the UK wine & spirits industry for over 30 years. Specialising in Champagnes, Wines & Bespoke Spirit Brands, she has not only launched several drinks brands in the UK market but is also regularly asked to act as a NED on alcoholic brand launches. Aside from launching Magners in the UK, her experience includes roles with United Distillers, Vranken Pommery, Percy Fox and Diageo - leaving her well placed to support the journey of your drinks brand.
Experience:
Arbikie Distillery – Business Development Specialist
Vranken Pommery Champagne – Brand Ambassador
Magners Irish Cider - Manager On-Trade UK
Diageo – Field Sales Specialist
specialist subjects:
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Whiskey & Rye
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Distillation
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Grappa
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Brand Launches
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Italian Cuisine
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Wines
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Champagne
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Non-Alcoholic
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Sparking Wines
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Bar Snacks
affiliations
WSET Diploma Level 4 /Wine & Spirit Education Trust Top Level
Masters of Taste UK
BSA /Beverage Standards Association /Members Guide
Clare Wood
FDREVIEWs Expert
Clare is founder and director of Food Labelling Services and is an expert in food law, food labelling and compliance for the UK and EU markets.
At Food labelling Services we see labels for hundreds of products, from SME’s to large retailers, and both national and international clients. We therefore have a huge experience on the trends and types of products coming onto the market and their artworks. Clare not only advises on standard compliance, but can also give opinions on other labelling challenges such as Health and Nutrition claims or Novel Foods.
As the UK left the EU, the main Food Labelling Regulations were retained from EU law into UK law. However, there are some amends that Food Business Operators should be aware of, and there will be more to come as we devolve further from the EU.
Clare judges for the Quality Food Awards and Taste of the West Food Awards.
Clare started her career in the food industry over 25 years ago as a Development Technologist in food manufacturing and has worked as a Technical Manager and buyer for retailers such as Tesco and Iceland Frozen Foods.
Experience:
Food Labelling Services – Founder
Technical Expectations Ltd – Founder
Tesco Plc – Buyer
Tesco Plc – Technical Manager
Iceland Frozen Foods Plc – Technologist
specialist subjects:
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Food Law
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Food Labelling Compliance
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Food Retail
affiliations
Member of Taste of the West
Founder of Food Law Group at the IFST.
engagements
Quality Food Awards – Judge