Food & Agriculture speakers

Adam Henson is perhaps the best-known farmer in the UK, presenting his own section on BBC's Countryfile to millions of viewers each Sunday evening.

Adam Richman grew up in the food Mecca of New York City and began his love affair with food early on, sampling all of the diverse culinary specialties The Big Apple had to offer. From samosas to sushi, even at a young age, Adam had a desire to taste it all. A self-educated food expert and trained sushi chef, since 1995 he has kept a travel journal including each of the restaurants he visited and what he learned from the trip. Adam has subsequently worked in nearly every echelon of the restaurant world coast-to-coast. The nature of his work allowed him to feed his appetite for discovering the best local dishes across America, all of which found their way into his ever-expanding food journal. Although described as a bit on the husky side, to maintain his health while indulging for his show on The Travel Channel’s Man v. Food (which he began hosting in 2008), Richman exercises twice a day while he is on the road.

A native of south-west France, the young Alain Ducasse went on to work under some of the most-respected chefs of his time – Michel Guérard, Gaston Lenôtre, Roger Vergé and Alain Chapel – before taking over at Louis XV in Monaco in 1987. Within less than four years, he had earned three Michelin stars. Today, he holds 19 Michelin stars across 23 restaurants in 8 countries.

Anjum Anand is a British Indian food writer and TV chef of Indian cuisine.

Annabel Karmel is a modern day “mumpreneur” juggling life as a busy working mother of three with a hugely successful career.

Brian Turner is a British chef, based in London. He has appeared as a cook on BBC2's Ready Steady Cook since 1994 as well as presenting other cookery programmes.

Charlotte Smith is a Radio Presenter with experience as a reporter, producer and presenter.

ChefFed is a journalist, and entrepreneur with a unique penchant for creating memorable cooking and dining experiences.

After a TV production company first stumbled across Chris Bavin in 2011 he has gone from strength to strength and is currently co-presenting his fourth series of BBC1’s hugely successful series Eat Well For Less? With Gregg Wallace. The show has had incredible ratings across its first three series with the next two to be aired in 2017.

As star of the Food Network's hit show Rescue Chef, Danny Boome is a superhero in the kitchen, able to solve any kitchen crisis while pleasing the pickiest of eaters. Incredibly charismatic and energetic, Boome provides practical eating advice for aspiring cooks of any skill level. A strong believer that a healthy meal enhances both body and mind, his handy tips are designed to provide essential nutrition on the go.

Eamonn Quinn is currently an Executive Chariman of Kelsius Limited and has a wealth of experience within the food retail sector.

Fraser Doherty is an entrepreneur and the founder of SuperJam. He started at the age of 14 selling home-made jam to neighbours, and now supplies over a million pots each year to 2,000 supermarkets across the world - from Russia to Australia.

George McGavin is a British entomologist, author, academic, television presenter and explorer.

Gregg Wallace is an English television presenter known for co-presenting MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef.

Being recognised as one of the best and most wacky, outlandish chefs in Britain, Heston Blumenthal is the chef-proprietor of the Fat Duck restaurant in Berkshire. He was awarded his first Michelin star in 2000 and has since received a further two. In 2002 he was awarded the Good Food Guide's Chef of the Year and the AA Guide's Restaurant of the Year awards. The Fat Duck was voted "Best Restaurant in the World" in 2005 and Heston was awarded an honorary degree by Reading University in 2006 in recognition of his unique scientific approach to food and outstanding achievements in biosciences.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a British celebrity chef, television personality, journalist and food writer. He has also become a well-known campaigner on issues related to food production and the environment, such as fisheries management and animal welfare.

James speaks with passion about entrepreneurialism, brand development and chocolate. James made his name in chocolate, founding Gü Chocolate Puds and turning it into a £30m business. The idea for Gü came from living in Brussels where James was inspired by patisseries and chocolate shops. He formed a joint venture with a patisserie company back in London and developed the company’s first three products: two chocolate mousses and a chocolate soufflé in glass ramekins. James sold the business in 2010 (circa £30m) and has since continued to nurture and support future entrepreneurs.

As Founder of Plant for Peace, James has overseen its strategy since early 2007. James passionate journey determining the Plant for Peace strategy involves farmers, Taliban and Government of Afghanistan. James’ drive and motivation stem from the environment and nature and understanding people and a natural food chain.

Jay Rayner is a British journalist, writer, broadcaster and food critic. His television appearances have earnt him the nickname Acid Rayner due to his sour demeanour.

Jean-Christophe was born in France where he left school at the age of 14 to become a baker. From there, Jean-Christophe has excelled to the top of the culinary world. Becoming a professional chef at the age of 20, winning his first 2 Michelin stars as Chef Patron at the Gordleton Mill. Jean-Christophe now owns restaurants all around the world, and has opened his own cookery school to pass on his gift to others.

Jo Fairley is co-founder of the pioneering organic chocolate company Green & Black’s, which has gone from a niche organic and Fairtrade brand to a global chocolate name - voted ‘Coolest Food Brand in the UK’ for the sixth year running, by Coolbrands. Engaging and passionate, Jo never fails to inspire – and is always happy to network with attendees, offering more direct input to individuals.

Joe McEwan is a knowledgeable keynote speaker who tells the inspiring story of his journey from a university student to the Head of Digital and Communities for Innocent smoothies.

Every Sunday, millions tune in to John Craven OBE as he highlights rural and environmental issues in Britain on the BBC broadcast CountryFile. John has been a part of the CountryFile team for nearly 25 years. However, what made John a household name was his role in presenting and editing John Craven's Newsround - the first TV news show for children.

With over thirty years of experience working in and leading large businesses, Justin brings in-depth knowledge of retail transformation and operations as well as a good historic understanding of the M&S business and values. Justin is currently Vice Chairman of Terra Firma, where he acts as an adviser to the General Partner. Prior to this, Justin was the CEO of Sainsbury’s between 2004 and 2014, where he led the business through a major turnaround which led to nine years of profit growth. Before joining Sainsbury’s, Justin was Head of Food at Marks & Spencer where he was one of the pioneers of the development of the Simply Food business. He held prior roles at Asda, Haagen-Dazs, PepsiCo and Mars and was a board member of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Justin was also a member of the UK Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group.

Ken Hom OBE was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona – his Cantonese parents emigrated to the US in the 1920s. Growing up, he found American food unpalatable compared with his mother's cooking, so she sent him to school with a flask of hot rice and stir-fried vegetables, much to the envy of his friends. In 1969, Ken went to university in California, where he funded his tuition by giving cooking lessons. They proved to be so popular that he was recommended to the BBC by Madhur Jaffrey; Ken’s first Chinese cookery programme followed soon after. Ken has also taught many great chefs, including Charlie Trotter, who went on to open the famous Trotters restaurant in Chicago. Ken has cooked for many politicians, including Tony and Cherie Blair, the Prime Minister of New Zealand and the presidents Taiwan and France, as well as the Sultan of Brunei.

Kimberley Wilson, Waitrose/The Good Food Guide Restaurant Inspector Competition finalist, presenter on BBC2's Food & Drink, and finalist on The Great British Bake Off 2013.

In 2006, Levi became a Dragon Slayer; he won the heart and investment of Peter Jones with his Reggae Reggae Sauce pitch. Since then, the sauce has become a nationally loved product, seeing Levi venture into releasing cook books and recipes with his new-found culinary acclaim.

Liz Bonnin has worked on television in both Ireland and the UK and currently presents Bang Goes the Theory and Countrywise.

tuart Rose has spent all his career in retail joining Marks & Spencer plc in 1971. He left to join the Burton Group in 1989, becoming a director in 1993. Following the Group’s demerger in 1997 he became Chief Executive of Argos plc during the bid by GUS. In 1998 he became Chief Executive of Booker plc which was merged with the Iceland Group in 2000. He then became Chief Executive of Arcadia Group plc in November 2000 and left in December 2002 following its sale to Sir Philip Green. He was named Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer plc in May 2004 and became Chairman in 2008, standing down in January 2011. He was Chairman of The British Fashion Council from 2004 – 2008, Chairman of Business in the Community from 2008 – 2010 and a Non-Executive Director of Land Securities from 2003-2013. He is Chairman of Ocado, Fat Face, Oasis Healthcare Group and a Non-Executive Director of Woolworths (South Africa). He is also Chairman of The Healing Foundation, a medical charity.

Lorraine is a British former model and television cook and is very supportive of the charities Barnardos and Tact which both deal with fostered and adopted children. She is also an ambassador for Rays of Sunshine, The Prince’s Trust and Sutton Community Farm. At the end of last year, Lorraine was also named as the government’s first Fostering Ambassador.

Celebrated chef, restaurateur and food writer Mark is known for his original take on British gastronomy, after 17 years as Chef Director at Caprice Holdings, he opened his first restaurant in 2008 - the distinguished Hix Oyster & Chop House in Smithfield, and has since opened a further five establishments including Hix Oyster & Fish House in Lyme Regis and the award-winning Mark's bar, and of course the latest Tramshed all to great critical acclaim.

Matthew Fort is best known as The Guardian Food and Drink editor for 15 years, author of several award-winning books on food and expert judge on popular TV series, The Great British Menu.

Monty Don is an English television presenter, writer and speaker on horticulture and has presented a number of gardening and travel programmes over the years.

Trend forecaster, academic, product developer, writer and broadcaster, Morgaine lives and breathes ideas and future trends. She asks the question 'why' so that she can deliver the 'what'. Identifying why people aspire to new things, she discovers what will be desirable and aspirational in the future. She endeavors to make food fun, informative and a social commentary on culture, class, behaviours and belief. She is the founder and director of Bellwether: Food Trends, a fashion/design/food/social trend (digital and print) compendium for global markets.

Morgan Spurlock is a documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter, and political activist, best known for the documentary films “Super Size” Me and “This Is Us”. Spurlock was the executive producer and star of the reality television series “30 Days”. As of June 2013, Spurlock hosts and produces the CNN show “Inside Man” and is the co-founder of short-film content marketing company cinelan, which produced the Focus Forward campaign for GE.

Nadiya Hussain won the sixth series of BBC's The Great British Bake Off in October 2015 and subsequently wrote for The Times Magazine, and signed a publishing deal with Penguin Random House.

Nick Holzherr is the CEO of Whisk.com, a smart grocery shopping list application that allows users to send their lists into online grocery supermarket baskets with a few clicks. Since launching in June 2012, the company has won many of the UK’s biggest retailers, FMCG brands and digital food publishers as clients.

Nigel writes and presents on food and especially drink. He also narrates power boat racing for Channel 4 and occasionally acts as rugby correspondent for BBC London. His passion for all kinds of booze has even taken him to the Edinburgh Fringe in a theatrical mission to make sherry trendy.

Championing dyslexia through a dynamic and diverse career that encompasses the world of the agile entrepreneur, international exploration, high altitude elite adventures, and innovation in aerospace and humanitarian aid. Mentor for the UK charity Heropreneurs.

Patrick Holden is the founder and chief executive of the Sustainable Food Trust, an organisation founded in 2012 and working internationally to accelerate the transition to more sustainable food systems.

Phil Vickery MBE is as happy and inspiring in front of a corporate audience as he is back home on the farm. Capped 73 times by England and also capped with British & Irish Lions he now commentates, presents and delivers after dinner speeches as well as awards hosting he remains a dab hand in the kitchen and enjoys country life.

Pippa Malmgren is an American policy analyst. She served as Special Assistant to the President of the United States for Economic Policy on the National Economic Council and former member of the U.S. President's Working Group on Financial Markets.

Raymond is a completely self-taught chef, inspired by his mother (fondly referred to as Maman Blanc). Raymond grew up in Besançon, near Dijon. He arrived in England in 1972 and became a waiter at the Rose Revived in Newbridge, Oxford. When the chef fell ill, Raymond took over, and in 1975, he was promoted to chef. The rest, as they say, is history. Raymond went from strength to strength, gaining the Rose Revived a Michelin Star two years later. He then worked all hours to save for his own restaurant; he opened Les Quat' Saisons in Oxford in 1977 and soon won a host of distinctions.

Richard won his first Michelin star at Stephen Bull's Fulham Road restaurant in 1994, before launching the acclaimed Michelin-starred Lindsay House in London's Soho in 1997. In 2006, Richard took over the reins at the well-established London fish restaurant, Bentley's, opening a second Bentley's in Dublin in 2008. Richard has catered for numerous prestigious events, including lunch at 10 Downing Street for Tony Blair and the King and Queen of Jordan. He has appeared in several UK television cookery programmes and hosts the Irish TV series Corrigan Knows Food.

Following their successful pitch in the BBC’s Dragons Den, Richard decided to turn down the deal and move on to bigger missions. 6 years World travel focused on researching and interviewing World experts for Enrichd.org has grown into the book he is co-authoring with fellow celeb trainer in Hollywood. Just before pitching in the BBC’s Dragons' Den, Rich was on the operating table having a tumor removed from his left shoulder - oh and the BBC said ’no’ for a week before they did the shoot - overcoming adversity, motivation and making it happen is this mans' game!

Richard is the UK's most celebrated nature writer and a major voice in promoting environmental issues. He is an experienced speaker on topics such as the Environment and Nature. As well as delivering regular lectures, he contributes frequently to BBC radio.

Rick Stein is an English celebrity chef, restaurateur and television presenter.

Sally Preston, entrepreneurial mum of two, has revolutionised the baby food market globally with her award-winning baby food brands Babylicious and Kiddylicious. Sally previously worked at M&S as a food scientist for 11 years and understands the vital role that early food experiences play in a child’s development, and the effect it has on their attitudes to food for life.

Mumpreneur, Investor and Dragon, Sarah has won multiple entrepreneurial and business awards and has appeared on television programmes as a business expert including 'The Restaurant' and Dragon's Den. Sarah is a popular speaker in the UK and internationally on topics including all aspects of money saving, Leadership and Teamwork, Business Turnarounds, Food, Restaurant, Retail, Leisure industries and Entrepreneurism.

Sheila Dillon is a food journalist who began her career writing about the politics and business of food in New York at Food Monitor magazine. On returning to Britain she began work as a freelance reporter for Radio 4's The Food Programme and was then hired as a reporter on the programme. She went on to produce it for a number of years while Derek Cooper was the presenter covering the early days of BSE, the commercialisation of organic food, globalisation of the food industry - stories that didn't then interest mainstream media. She's been the programme's regular presenter since 2001.

Simon Rimmer is an English chef, best known for his on-screen partnership with Tim Lovejoy, with whom he co-hosted the BBC Two programme Something for the Weekend.

Sophie has enjoyed a long globetrotting career as a travel journalist but moved closer to home when she trained as a London tour guide and wrote a book on the English summer season. She now combines writing and guiding with travelling at home and abroad and spends as much time as she can in her home town of London.

As an individual and with her comedy counter-part Mel Giedroyc, Sue has entertained the nation and has been a firm favorite on British television for nearly fifteen years. Sue has recently developed a profile as a foodie, providing a dynamic, insightful, and comedic edge to TV shows such as The Big Food Fight and The Great British Bake Off. Sue is also a regular on current comedy panel shows, including TV's Have I Got News For You and Argumental, as well as radio's Just A Minute.

The late David Myers and Simon ‘Si’ King collectively known as the Hairy Bikers, are British television presenters who have fronted the series The Hairy Bikers Cookbook, The Hairy Bikers Ride Again, The Hairy Bakers and The Hairy Bikers’ Food Tour Of Britain. Sadly David passed away 28th February 2024 and will be deeply missed.

Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones is a British businessman, farmer and founder of “The Black Farmer” range of food products.

In 2002, William was appointed as the editor of Waitrose's magazine that was then named 'Food Illustrated', where his work led to a string of awards for his editorials, writing, photography, and stories. William still writes for Waitrose and a host of other magazines, even making his was onto our TV screens as a food critic and journalist.