Event in conjunction with this year’s City Food & Drink Lecture sets out to instill confidence in young people considering a career in food
The Future Generation Forum is once again preparing to connect students and lecturers with key industry leaders to discuss pathways to a career in food.
The event, which takes place in advance of the City Food & Drink Lecture at London’s Guidlhall, involves a panel of important industry figures. They will discuss the key opportunities and challenges that have shaped their careers.
Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts, who is the keynote speaker at this year’s CFDL, will be joined by new NFU president Tom Bradshaw, Anna Taylor OBE (executive director at The Food Foundation), Dan Aherne (CEO at New England Seafood International Group), and Charlotte Smith (BBC presenter and CFDL chair).
Amid the ongoing challenges of Brexit and climate change, the forum aims to inspire confidence in young people considering a career in food.
Expert speakers from CFDL’s top-line sponsor ABP Food Group will share their personal journeys and explore the varied disciplines and rewarding opportunities in the food industry.
Following this, a diverse line-up of students and graduates from top agri-food universities will share their experiences and perspectives in a ‘soap box’ style debate. These include:
- Darcy Johnson – a Harper Adams University student currently undertaking a McDonald’s young farmers placement
- Joe Care – an ABP operations graduate in Business Management
- Meg Beswick – a final-year Harper Adams University student studying Agriculture with Animal Science
- Glesni Pugh – a PhD researcher in the School of Biological Sciences/Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast
As well as aiming to inspire the next generation, the forum will tackle key challenges in the food industry in a Q&A panel.
Phil Hambling, head of CSR at ABP UK, said: “People outside the industry are amazed to learn about the breadth and depth of the sector but also the care, enthusiasm, and rewards available to those seeking a career in food.
”The forum is a great opportunity for us to share our stories with those who can be the future leaders of our industry.”
