This event is organised by IFST South East Branch
Join us for the IFST’s South East Branch Annual Meeting to hear about the updates of the branch from this past year and highlights of the coming year.
This will be followed by our annual branch lecture, where this year’s theme will be on ‘The Future of Food Scientists'. This event examines the future role of food scientists and the growing importance of soft skills in shaping successful careers. With insights from speakers representing industry, regulatory and policy sectors, and entrepreneurial start-ups, the discussion will highlight how communication, adaptability, leadership, and collaboration are becoming essential for driving innovation, ensuring compliance, and meeting global food system challenges.
An opportunity for members/non-members, students, graduates and professionals to engage and discuss this topic with networking opportunities. If you would like to attend the networking event immediately following the lecture, please book your spot - CLICK HERE.
What participants will learn:
Participants will gain an understanding of the soft skills that are increasingly critical for success in food science careers, including effective communication, adaptability, leadership, and collaboration. Through perspectives from industry leaders, regulatory and policy experts, and entrepreneurial innovators, they will learn how these competencies complement technical expertise, prepare professionals for diverse career pathways, and equip them to address emerging challenges in the global food system.
Target Audience:
Any students, graduates and professionals in both academia and industry with an interest in food science, nutrition, policy and regulatory and related areas.
Did you know that this event is discounted for IFST members? Join IFST today to save £90 on your ticket to this event. If you need some more time to think about it, contact us in the next 30 days and let us know that you've joined as a member, and we'll deduct £90 from your membership fee for your first year. Click here to become a member.
Speakers:
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Phil Mitchell - Technical Manager, Innocent Drinks Phil is a Technical & Responsible Sourcing Manager for innocent drinks. He looks after the safety, quality and sustainability of some of the company's biggest fruit ingredients including oranges, coconuts, bananas and pineapples, and is innocent's allergen expert. He has an MSc in Food Science, is a chartered scientist with the IFST, and has over 20 years' experience in the food industry, including over 7 years at innocent and 5 years as a technologist at Marks & Spencer. Talk title: How Not To Bore People With Science. |
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Natalie Alibrandi - Nali Consulting Natalie has over 15 years' experience working within Fast moving consumer goods ( FMCG) in Quality Assurance, Research and Development, Innovation and Marketing. Her aim is to support small brands and start-ups with the technical assistance to formulate, package, and execute manufacturing on a large scale for product launches. Natalie is London-based having previously lived in New York City, and has a global experience of product launches in LATAM, EMEA and APAC. Talk title: Across the Pond and Beyond: Building a Female-Founded Food and Beverage Consultancy. |
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Ojus Sanjay Rane - Senior Regulatory Executive, FDF Ojus Rane is a food scientist and regulatory advisor specialising in UK and EU food law. He currently works at the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), where he leads on policy areas related to food ingredients, additives, enzymes, flavourings, and food contact materials. Before joining FDF, Ojus gained regulatory and food safety experience at Tesco, supporting compliance across all food categories. His academic background and professional expertise centre on translating complex scientific and regulatory developments into practical policy insights for the food industry. Title of Talk: Bridging Science, Policy, and People: The Role of Communication and Stakeholder Skills in Regulatory Careers |
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Dr Holly Neill - Science Manager, Yakult Dr Holly Neill is the Science Manager at Yakult UK and Ireland where she communicates the latest research on the gut microbiota, probiotics and health. Holly holds a PhD in nutrition and has experience managing and conducting human trials across a range of topics including vitamin D, polyphenols, B-vitamins and cardiovascular health in both healthy populations and ileostomy patients. Before transitioning to industry, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher and has presented her published research internationally. Talk title: Transitioning from academia to industry – where do I belong? |
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Chair:
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Dr Kiu Sum - IFST South East Branch Chair Dr Kiu Sum is a Lecturer in Dietetics and Human Nutrition and course leader of the MSc Human Nutrition at the London Metropolitan University. With a BSc(Hons) and MRes in Human Nutrition, Kiu's mixed-methods research includes workplace nutrition, public health nutrition, and nutritional behaviour. Her PhD explored doctors' and nurses’ nutrition during shift work. Aside from nutrition, Kiu is a pedagogy researcher focusing on student engagement and partnerships, assessments and feedback. Kiu is a Registered Nutritionist (Nutritional Science) with the Association for Nutrition (AfN) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She is a member of The Nutrition Society, Chair of the Institute of Food Science and Technology’s South East Branch Committee, and the Communications Officer of the UK Society for Behavioural Medicine’s Early Career Network. Kiu serves as Secretary at the RAISE Network, where she also convenes the Engaging Assessment and the Early Career Researchers Special Interest Groups. Dr Sum is also the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal. With an interest in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Kiu serves on ALDinHE’s Steering Group and leads the EDI Working Group. |
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Fees:
£10 - IFST members
£100 - Non-members
£25 - Student non-members (you must register with your student email address and use the Discount Code - SE25student). If you join IFST, you can attend this event for only £1 as student membership is only £26. Click here to become a student member.
If you are an IFST member, please ensure that you are logged into the IFST website before completing your booking so you can access member rates for events.
Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, click here and please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions via events@ifst.org
Please note: IFST is a registered charity with the mission of ‘recognising and empowering food professionals by promoting excellence in science and its application throughout the food chain’. Each year, we are proud to run over 60 events, including webinars and workshops, which engage with thousands of food professionals worldwide from over 50 countries.