EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FOOD FOUNDATION

Anna joined the Food Foundation as its first Executive Director at the beginning of June 2015 after 5 years at the Department for International Development (|DFID). The Food Foundation is an independent organisation that tackles the growing challenges facing the UK’s food system through the interests of the UK public. During 2019-21 she also served as Chief Independent Adviser to Henry Dimbleby – author of the National Food Strategy.   At DFID Anna led the policy team on nutrition and supported the delivery of the UK’s global commitments to tackle undernutrition.

Before joining DFID Anna worked for a number of international organisations including Save the Children and UNICEF supporting programmes in a wide range of contexts in Africa and South Asia.   Anna has also worked for the UK Department of Health. In 2014 she was awarded an OBE for her work to address the global burden of undernutrition.  She did an MSc in Human Nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1994.

Philanthropy Manager, Chefs in Schools

Anne Dal Bello is Philanthropy Manager for Chefs in Schools, a UK charity which works to improve childrens’ health and well being by transforming school food and food education, focusing on schools where a high percentage of pupils are eligible for free school meals: www.chefsinschools.org.uk

Anne was previously Philanthropy Manager at Parkinson’s UK and has a keen interest in diet-related diseases, particularly in children and young people.

Co-founder, TastEd

Bee Wilson is a writer, mostly about food. She writes about food for a wide range of publications including The Guardian and The New York Times.

Bee is the author of eight books on food-related subjects including The Way We Eat Now, and Consider the Fork. Her book First Bite looked at the psychology of food preferences and how they are acquired by babies and children. Her latest book was a cookbook, The Secret of Cooking She is the co-founder of TastEd, a food education charity aimed at giving children in schools and nurseries opportunities to experience fresh vegetables and fruits in a joyful way through ‘taste education’.

digital content officer, best beginnings

Catherine joined the Best Beginnings team in January 2024. She is a registered Children’s Nurse and has practiced as a Neonatal Nurse for over ten years caring for the most vulnerable babies born prematurely or poorly.

Catherine’s most recent role was working in the NHS to transform the quality and safety of the neonatal and maternity services. As a qualified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI) she is very passionate about feeding support and bonding and attachment.

CEO, BEST BEGINNINGS

Clare joined Best Beginnings as CEO in January 2023.

She has a wealth of experience across NHS policy and practice, initially training as an Occupational Therapist specialising in Stroke and Head Injury and laterally in mental health. She still practices clinically. She has held operational roles in the NHS in acute services, including women’s health, mental health and commissioning.

Clare also worked nationally for the healthcare regulator Monitor on national mental health policy as well as leading a national improvement model co-produced with mental health trusts and people who use services.

She initially learned of Best Beginnings after using the Bump to Breastfeeding resource when her children were born. She is passionate about early years and has been a Trustee of Best Beginnings for 4 years.

Clare lives in London with her husband and two children, holds an MBA from Henley Business School and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Leadership Fellow at St George’s House, Windsor Castle.

founder member of charity Public Health Collaboration UK

Originally from the North of Ireland, moved to Manchester to study Medicine.

After becoming a GP in 1990, Joanne became especially interested in diet and health in 2013 when she observed the impact of ketogenic diets on childhood epilepsy and that of low carb diets on reversing diabetes.

Joanne was also named GP for Safeguarding Children and recognises the systematic harm done to children by UPF and sugar sweetened beverages in diets and views this as a safeguarding issue.

From 2016, a founder member of the charity Public Health Collaboration UK.

director, first steps nutrition trust

Dr Vicky Sibson is a Public Health Nutritionist with an MSc from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a PhD from University College London. She has spent her career to date working internationally and in the UK, in the NGO sector and academia, always focusing on maternal, infant and young child nutrition and feeding. Vicky joined First Steps Nutrition Trust shortly after having her first baby and keen to bring her international experience to bear in the UK. She has been the charity’s Director since 2021 and is passionate about leading its small but mighty team in its vision to ensure all young children in the UK eat well from the start of life. In 2023 she co-authored the report: “Ultraprocessed foods in the diets of infants and young children in the UK: What they are, how they harm health and what should be done to reduce intakes”.

Research & Grants Manager, Bowel Research UK

Georgia Sturt is Research & Grants Manager at Bowel Research UK. She is responsible for the coordination of grant reviews and funding approvals, connecting with researchers, and communicating the results of their work to the charity’s supporters and the wider public.

Georgia’s personal interest in food and nutrition has dovetailed with her background in healthcare research and marketing, creating a professional interest in how our microbiomes shape our health. Her key interests are in how research could illuminate paths to better treatments across a multiplicity of non-communicable diseases.

chief executive, bowel research uk

Lindsay Easton is Chief Executive of Bowel Research UK. She is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the charity.

Lindsay joined Bowel Research UK on 1st May 2024.  Her experience spans more than 25 years in the charity sector, including six-years as CEO for Brain Research UK.

Her previous senior fundraising and marketing roles included posts at Action for Children, Amnesty International Australia, British Heart Foundation, Young Lives vs Cancer and Diabetes UK.

CEO, Sustainable Food Trust

Patrick Holden is the founder and CEO of the Sustainable Food Trust, whose mission is to work internationally to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable food and farming systems.

Between 1995 and 2010, he was Director of the Soil Association, the UK organic advocacy and certification organisation, where he played a leading role in developing the organic standards and market.

He currently leads a task force on measuring land use sustainability for the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), established by the then Prince of Wales in 2020.

Patrick trained in Biodynamic farming at Emerson College and has farmed for over 50 years on a 300-acre mixed organic dairy holding, now the longest established organic dairy farm in Wales, producing a raw milk cheddar from the milk of 85 Ayrshire cows.

He received a CBE for services to organic farming in 2005 and is Patron of the UK Bio-dynamic Agriculture Association. He became an Ashoka fellow in 2016 and was awarded an honorary doctorate for his international work in sustainable agriculture by the University of Wales Trinity St David in 2022.

COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT, bowel research uk

Rachel is a healthcare communications and patient advocacy consultant whose experience spans senior agency roles, pharma in-house and health charity communications.

Rachel runs Bowel Research UK’s Press Office and provides business development and strategic insight for Bowel Research UK communications.

Her experience includes running disease awareness campaigns, strategic brand and data communications, corporate reputation building, crisis communications, media training, internal engagement and patient advocacy.

CEO, UKHarvest

Yvonne Thomson is a highly experienced social, economic and physical regeneration specialist, qualified in community education and gaining a post graduate in Housing studies form Stirling University and Master of Philosophy in Urban Policy. She has worked tirelessly on behalf of those who are socially excluded and have no voice, opportunity or choice in life. She has worked in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Yvonne believes that only through joint working and alliance that we will solve food poverty in the U.K. She sees an intrinsic link between homelessness and food poverty and seeks to provide a solution. Yvonne sees education as the answer to tackling food waste and UKHarvest will work with consumers and everyone right along the supply chain to tackle food waste. The harvest model of food rescue will help provide the solution as part of a four-pillar approach of rescue; education; engagement and innovation.

Yvonne began founding UKHarvest in mid 2016.