Ruth is Programmes Director at the Soil Association where she leads the charity’s programmes to transform food and farming for climate, nature and health.

Ruth has a deep knowledge of the issues and opportunities within our food system, having previously led the Soil Association’s Healthy and Sustainable Diets portfolio of programmes, including the award-winning Food for Life and Sustainable Food Places.

Ruth’s background is in marketing and communications where she worked for 15 years across the private and third sectors.

Ruth is passionate about the natural world and ensuring that our food system is healthy, fair and sustainable.

Amy is the Head of Catering at the University of Bristol, leading an in-house catering brand that operates 12 cafés and bars, four catered halls of residence, and campus-wide events.

She is passionate about ethical and sustainable food, working to reduce waste and promote plant-forward, low-carbon meals. Amy champions shorter supply chains and sustainable procurement practices, collaborating with local farmers and suppliers to support ethical practices while maintaining cost-effectiveness.

As co-founder of The Good Food and Eating Well Network, she advocates for a holistic approach to food, emphasising health, sustainability, and community engagement.

Anthony is a fifth-generation farmer with a mission to help consumers buy fresh, healthy, and affordable local food direct from their local producers.

In 2001, he launched BigBarn, a local food website that now features over 9,000 producers on an interactive map, helping people find nearby suppliers by entering their postcode.

In 2023, he took the next step and built a Community Food Park, Frank’s Farm, offering a better alternative to supermarkets. With ambitions to replicate the model across the UK, the park is growing fast and aims to be carbon zero by 2030.

Bethan is the senior policy specialist in foodservice and procurement for the National Farmers’ Union. Within this role Bethan leads on foodservice and hospitality engagement, and public sector procurement policy within the NFU’s Food Business Unit, the team which manages the relationship between the NFU’s 44,000 members and all parties within the food supply chain from retailers, manufacturers, and foodservice.

Bethan’s focus is to engage with Government and build relationships within public sector food procurement to drive greater opportunity and collaboration between British food producers and the market.

Derek is the Catering Services Manager at Blackpool Council and a passionate advocate for locally sourced produce and its benefits for nutrition, sustainability, and the local economy.

Growing up in rural Lancashire, he developed a deep appreciation for British produce. With over a decade in hospitality, from Preston North End to Royal Ascot, his commitment to local ingredients has only grown.

Since joining Blackpool Catering Services in 2015, he has expanded operations to 34 sites, serving 135,000 meals monthly. Derek is also a Director of Love British Food and a member of its Schools Working Group, promoting British ingredients in education.

Bio coming soon!

Greg has over 35 years of experience in the food and drink industry, starting out in hospitality before working up to senior roles at Bestfoods (Unilever) and Dairy Crest. He later became Commercial Director at Ashley Chase and Managing Director at Cricketer Farm, where he launched the Cheeky Cow cheese brand.

In 2014, he founded Somerset Larder, a collaboration of food and drink SMEs supplying food to Hinkley Point C. Since 2018, he has worked with Welsh Government on the Môn Larder public procurement project.

In 2019, Greg bought into Sharpham Partnership Ltd, a Devon-based award-winning artisan cheese producer, and has chaired Food Drink Devon CIC since 2022.

Jimmy is the Chief Executive of Pasture for Life, an organisation driving the transition to low input, agroecological livestock systems in the UK.

His previous career was spent across financial services and food business, including for Citigroup, Neal's Yard Dairy and GAIL's Bakery and he has experience working within and around hospitality and catering businesses.

In addition to the NAB, Jimmy sits on the Abattoir Sector Group and FFCC's Farming Leadership Group and is a trustee of two conservation and educational charities.

Karen is the Commercial Lead for Food and Drink at the Crown Commercial Service and a passionate advocate for the food industry. With extensive experience in FMCG manufacturing, category management, and technical roles across both the private and public sectors, she brings a wealth of expertise to the board.

Her career spans blue-chip manufacturing, supplier management, and UK retail, and she has consistently championed high standards in food quality, safety, and supply chain efficiency.

Karen is highly skilled in policy development and procurement, with a strong commitment to continuous improvement and strategic problem-solving within the food industry.

Mark is Food Development Manager at Soil Association Certification. After a varied career in kitchens and supply chains, Mark now supports organic businesses to grow, understand the values of the organic movement and navigate the regulatory organic space.

Soil Association Certification delivers trusted solutions with nature, for people and planet, providing businesses an opportunity to utilise nature based solutions.

Soil Association Certification Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the charity the Soil Association.

Rich, a former Commercial Director at Procter & Gamble, has led Equilibrium Markets since 2013. He has pioneered strategic innovation in food supply chains through AgileChain technology and Emfood Consulting Ltd, promoting short food supply chains for the wide range of benefits we know they bring.

His work on Dynamic Food Procurement led to the creation of the National Advisory Board, and has been recognised in national strategies and government reviews.

In 2024, Rich led the formation of a partnership with Entegra, the group purchasing arm of Sodexo, who, together launched the Crown Commercial Service Buying Better Food & Drink framework, enhancing public sector catering with improved SME producer inclusivity and supply chain transparency.

Ellen supports the DFPNAB board with her diverse skills and experience spanning marketing, design, project management and administration. 

Having grown up on a farm, she is committed to supporting rural communities and expanding opportunities for smaller producers and suppliers to access public sector food markets. 

She has previously worked with The South West Food Hub and DP Food, providing project, marketing and events support to raise awareness of the potential and impact of dynamic food procurement.