The National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing has appointed four leading industry figures to its board of directors.

They are Tim Smith, chief executive of the Food Standards Agency, Professor Colin Dennis, director general of Campden BRI, Bob Spooner, group operations director of Premier Foods, and David Eslick, director of production at Britvic. They join the eight-strong board chaired by Paul Wilkinson, chairman of Big Bear and Produce World.

Academy director Justine Fosh said: “I am delighted by these appointments. Our board was already extremely strong in terms of its members’ diverse backgrounds and wide-ranging expertise in the food and drink industry, and our new members add to that strength significantly.

“That wealth of knowledge and experience is going to be an invaluable resource as we continue to develop the National Skills Academy in response to the industry’s needs,” she said.

Chairman Paul Wilkinson said: “It is very pleasing that we have been able to attract such high-profile and influential figures from the industry on to the board. It really demonstrates the level of support the National Skills Academy has, which is crucial to its success.

“Our purpose is to deliver a service which has been developed by the industry, for the industry, and we can take it as a sign that we are heading in the right direction when such prominent individuals are keen to get involved.”

The new appointees to the NSA board join fellow members Jack Matthews, CEO of food and drink sector skills council Improve, Ellen Cockburn, HR director of Youngs Seafood’s parent company Foodvest, and Ed Bales, managing director of Poultec Training.

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