SPEAKERS | Festival of Fresh

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Ali Capper

British Apples & Pears

Ali’s former career was in advertising and marketing. Today, in addition to numerous roles at her hops and apples farm, her work includes membership of the boards of the British Hop Association, Wye Hops and the Oxford Farming Conference. Ali is the former chair of the UK’s NFU Horticulture & Potatoes Board, and executive chair of British Apples & Pears. She is a Nuffield Scholar and a non-executive director of NFU Mutual.

David Sanclement

The Summer Berry Company

David Sanclement joined The Summer Berry Company as CEO in September 2020, bringing a wealth of experience in finance and operations in the global fresh produce industry. David holds an MBA from IE Business School in Madrid and a BA in Management. He is fluent in four languages: English, Spanish, French and German.

Ed Ayton

Abel & Cole

Ed Ayton is the sustainability and ethics advisor for the sustainable grocery delivery company Abel & Cole. He manages supply chain impacts such as biodiversity, animal welfare and human rights. With a passion for wildlife, sustainability, and good food, he believes all three can meet with mutual benefit. He finds there is usually a good story behind it all too.

Jack Ward

British Growers Association

Jack Ward is the CEO of the British Growers Association. He joined in 2014 after working for the NFU and City & Guilds. His main role at British Growers is to provide representation for the UK vegetable sector. He is currently closely involved in the Defra Review of Fairness in the Supply Chain, the plans for a replacement PO scheme, and the future for research and development in a post-AHDB Horticulture world.

John Heginbottom

Albert Bartlett

John joined Albert Bartlett in 1997 and has served as a main board director of the business since 2001. He has led commercial functions across sales and marketing, and has developed multiple campaigns to drive the Albert Bartlett Brand. The commercial cut and thrust, combined with the creative and agency management of the marketing role, are both areas that John has enjoyed throughout his career with Albert Bartlett.

Kate Bannister

NFU

Kate Bannister’s Net Zero project delivery manager role provides the focus to translate the Net Zero by 2040 ambition into action on the ground. Kate’s background is in communications and engagement with a strong emphasis on relationship and project management, having worked agency-side for many years. She is focused on the environment, with previous roles at an environmental investment company and prior to that with National Grid as a key agency client.

Kyla Flynn

Coregeo

Kyla Flynn specialises in communications and marketing, creating powerfully crafted stories that resonate in wider culture. Stories that bring to life the passion and dedication in the world of fresh produce. Finding an audience for those stories, and then engaging that audience is, she says, the challenge that keeps this job fresh.

Laura Fry

Kantar

Working for Kantar since 2022, Laura’s focus is on grocery retail. Until recently, she led the Waitrose account, which involved influencing the supermarket’s business strategy for 2024. Laura moved into jointly leading Kantar’s fresh produce team and client base this year. Her expertise spans retailer performance at total grocery level, insight into retailer strategies, and what this means for the produce category.

Lorraine Fountain

Coregeo

Lorraine Fountain is senior commercial manager at Coregeo with responsibility for new business development and innovation. She has a wealth of commercial experience in food and agricultural supply, having worked in the fresh and chilled FMCG market and in agricultural commodity supply chains for many years. This included cereals and sugar in the early days, before she moved into prepared fruits, topfruit, brassicas and, most recently, fresh lamb and pork.

Martin Emmett

NFU

Martin Emmett is in his second term as chair of the NFU Board for Horticulture and Potatoes. During his first term he launched the NFU’s UK Horticulture Growth Strategy, a document that addresses the key factors limiting the development of the UK industry. This has been updated for 2024. He is a director of garden plant nurseries on the south coast and a trustee of the LSA Charitable Trust.

Naomi Farmer

Brandbloom

Naomi Farmer has been the owner of graphic design and marketing agencies for 15 years, specialising in fresh produce and FMCG. With a global client base, she has worked with growers, suppliers and retailers to create, connect and nurture brands for growth, expansion and acquisition. Her vision is to empower creative teams from the world’s most innovative and ethical companies to adopt strong principles and get fantastic results through outstanding design and creative thinking.

Nick Marston

British Berry Growers

Nick Marston joined the UK berry industry in 1995 when he was appointed managing director of Kentish Garden Marketing (later Berry Gardens). On standing down from this full-time role in 2017 after 22 years, Nick was appointed chairman of the UK berry industry representational body, British Summer Fruits (now British Berry Growers) in a role he has fulfilled since. Nick is also involved in other sectors as a non-executive director of brassica co-operative East of Scotland Growers and combinable crops co-op Openfield Agriculture.

Richard Bonn

Aethr Associates

Richard Bonn co-founded Aethr Associates with the mission of supporting business leaders to achieve sustainable strategic change, bolster profits, and improve resilience. Drawing from extensive leadership experience across the FMCG, food, and agriculture sectors, Aethr is attuned to the need for a practical approach when navigating the intricate Net Zero transition and addressing climate change risks facing the sector. Additionally, Bonn serves as a board advisor and non-executive director for several agtech startups dedicated to sustainable food production.

Richard Walker

Fresh Direct

Richard Walker has specialised in fresh produce procurement for the foodservice industry for the past 20 years, working in a variety of roles across Sysco companies, Brakes and Fresh Direct. He is currently the merchandising and pricing director for Fresh Direct, with responsibility for procurement across more than 3,000 produce lines. Richard believes in building long-term, sustainable relationships with suppliers. He has a particular focus on increasing the number of British growers that Fresh Direct works with.

Romy Wilkin

Jones Food Company

Romy Wilkin, head of sales at Jones Food Company, joined in 2021 to initiate the company’s sales function. Beginning with 100kg of basil daily at the Scunthorpe site, she has overseen substantial growth to a diverse crop range, currently yielding 1.5 tonnes a day across two commercial-scale sites: JFC1 in Scunthorpe and JFC2 in Gloucestershire. Romy’s team swiftly introduced two retail salad brands and successfully entered the basil market with both own-label and branded products. With a sustainability focus, Romy aims to position Jones Food Company as a trusted domestic horticulture provider across retail, aggregators, wholesale, and foodservice markets.

Tim O’Malley

Nationwide Produce PLC

With a lifelong dedication to fresh produce, Tim’s fresh produce journey began early, spanning roles at VHB, Briess, Hassy and G’s. Now group managing director of Nationwide Produce, founded by his father in 1975, Tim oversees all aspects of the business, which celebrated a £177m record turnover in 2022-23. Tim is honoured to be a trustee of the charity FareShare and its Food Committee Chair. He is also a Liveryman at The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers and Freeman of the City of London.