Walker Morris hosts 6th annual Food & Drink Leadership Dinner
2nd May 2017
Senior individuals in food sector gather at industry’s must-attend event
The Walker Morris annual Food & Drink Leadership Dinner reinforced its reputation as one the industry’s leading events as over 70 senior figures from the sector attended to hear Heather Hancock, chair of the Food Standards Agency Board.
Leading influential figures from some of the UK’s major food manufacturers gathered at The Grand Hotel in York for the 6th Walker Morris Food & Drink Leadership Dinner, which has become a firm fixture in the industry’s calendar and renowned for its influential eminent speakers and lively debate.
Heather Hancock from the Food Standards Agency led a Q&A discussion after dinner which was held under the Chatham House Rule. Prior to joining the Food Standards Agency last year, her career has included serving as Private Secretary to three Home Secretaries, establishing the Millennium Commission as its Chief Executive, and being Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and Executive Director of Yorkshire Forward. In 2013, Ms Hancock was awarded the LVO in the New Year Honours for her contribution to The Prince’s Trust, where she was a Trustee for more than a decade and led a series of rural revival initiatives for HRH The Prince of Wales.
Richard Naish, Head of the Food & Drink Team at Walker Morris said:
“We are honoured to have someone of Heather Hancock’s pedigree speaking at the event and I’d like to thank her, on behalf of Walker Morris and everyone who attended the Dinner, for taking time out of her busy schedule to attend. It is a pivotal time for the food and drink industry, indeed for the UK as a whole.
“We are delighted the Leadership Dinner continues to go from strength to strength which is in no small part as a result of the high calibre speakers we’ve been privileged to host over the years. We hope we can continue to provide a positive contribution to the industry through the shared learning and relationship building that the Dinner provides.”
Previous speakers at the Dinner have included: Mike Coupe, Chief Executive of Sainsbury’s, David Salkeld former CEO of Symington’s, Tim Smith, former Tesco Group Technical Director, Jim McCarthy former Chief Executive of Poundland Group plc and Andrew Higginson, Chairman of Morrisons.
