AFBI Northern Ireland
Please click on their name to find out more about each mentor
Ellen is a recent graduate of Queen’s University Belfast where she graduated with a first-class honour’s degree in Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition with Professional Studies in July 2022.
In summer 2019 Ellen successfully completed the 8-week food technology summer internship at Mark’s and Spencer. This was a great opportunity to experience the world of retail and carry out some real-life food technology project work. The summer internship gave Ellen the experience she needed to apply for the Mark’s and Spencer business placement year during her Professional Studies year at Queen’s. During this time Ellen worked for six months as a Food Technologist in the prepared produce category followed by six months spent in industry with Avondale Foods, one of Mark’s and Spencer key prepared produce suppliers. This placement year allowed Ellen to understand the entire product development process and experience first-hand the importance of a strong partnership between suppliers and retailers.
Ellen returned to her final year of university where she completed her dissertation on a Systematic Review of Consumers Environmental Concerns surrounding Meat Products. She also took part in a TV programme on Food Sustainability and chaired the Food and Nutrition Society helping to organise social events for her fellow students.
Since graduating from university Ellen has moved to London and returned to Mark’s and Spencer on their graduate programme. She is currently working in the confectionary category and feels incredibly lucky to be in a job she loves working for such an innovative, fast pace and forward-thinking business!
Ruth Brown graduated from Queens University Belfast with a degree in Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition with Professional Studies in 2012. Over the past 10 years she has worked as a Food Technologist in Marks and Spencer across both chilled and ambient manufacturing.
Her current role is Senior Food Technologist responsible for fresh and frozen seafood. She also chairs the Food Fraud group for Marks and Spencer working closely with external experts in this area, labs, industry working groups and horizon scanning to ensure Marks and Spencer are a step ahead.
She has a pivotal role to play in influencing the future of the food industry focusing on protecting the magic of M&S through maintaining the trusted reputation through her work in Food Fraud and market leading standards of quality, whilst modernising the rest through science-based innovation and manufacturing excellence.
Rebekah McKelvey is a BSc Human Nutrition graduate from University of Ulster, who is currently employed as a technical manager with Finnebrogue Artisan. Finnebrogue is a leading, innovative food manufacturing company based in Downpatrick supplying major retailers across the UK and other global markets products such as premium pork sausages, wagyu burgers, nitrate free bacon and plant based vegan meat alternatives.
Rebekah started her career in the food industry as a lab technician for a small farmer owned cooperative in Fivemiletown; where she quickly realised that the food industry provided a range of unique and varied career opportunities and none more than in Technical. After four years with Fivemiletown where she had progressed into the role of Technical manager. Rebekah then joined Moy Park as a Quality Manager before being promoted to Senior Quality Manager; she spent six years based at the primary slaughter sites, Dungannon and Ballymena. During this time she led and developed a technical team responsible for the retail division of the business.
Rebekah joined Finnebrogue as Technical Manager in March 2020 at the beginning of covid lockdown. She quickly found her feet leading the technical team during one of the most challenging periods. Rebekah was also part of the team who built the EU’s biggest plant-based factories, ensuring that the new site complied with all statutory and customer requirements. Rebekah’s remit now includes day to day technical management of 3x meat sites within Finnebrogue.
Dr Michael Walker is a consulting chemico-legal practitioner with demand led UK and international responsibilities. He is an experienced analytical chemist and court-going expert witness, regular peer-reviewer and Honorary Professor in Queen’s University Belfast. He was elected an Honorary Fellow of IFST in 2017. Between 1986 and 2004 he was the resident Public Analyst in Northern Ireland. In 2004 he took up the post of Chief Executive of Forensic Science Northern Ireland returning to private practice in 2006. Along with a wide range of private clients Michael was consultant Referee Analyst to the Government Chemist in LGC, Teddington 2006-2021 and Head of the Office of the Government Chemist 2018-2020. His research focuses on IgE mediated food allergen measurement systems and risk assessment, and on the application of forensic principles to assessing food safety and authenticity. Michael is also comfortable in strategy and policy and is an experienced committee member currently sitting on seven expert committees for government departments and professional bodies including the IFST Scientific Committee and the IFST External Affairs Committee. Michael promotes equitable and transparent science with outputs aimed at protection of consumers and responsible businesses.
Diane Christie has over 25 years’ experience leading Product Development teams. Her career has spanned all food categories, developing, and launching hundreds of successful products with all high street retailers. Skilled in food processing, consumer insight and fast-moving consumer goods, she is currently Head of Innovation & Marketing for Linden Foods since 2019. She is enjoying the challenge and fast pace of the meat industry which was her last unconquered food category! Her responsibilities encompass all innovation & NPD activities within the Linden and Kettyle sites.
Previous winner of the Institute of Directors Prize for Marketing & Strategic Management, Diane earned her MBA at the University of Ulster and has supported Product Development modules of Higher education courses throughout Northern Ireland. She is passionate about helping her teams reach their full potential and recognises she can only be as good as the motivated team she manages. She is fully committed to investing time in her team, proving if someone has the right mindset, they can be the best at anything.
Pre covid she took part in annual charity treks to raise money for Dementia NI. She is hoping to get back to business 2023 with Cambodia or Cuba on her horizons.
Dr David Farrell is a meat science project leader in AFBI Food Research Branch. In a previous role he gained experience of chemistry and medicinal diagnostics, project design, validation, execution and analysis with a view to delivering a product that gives an advantage to the stakeholder. His current research interests include the analysis of flavour precursors of beef flavour, rapid analysis methods to predict and assure the quality of meat, chemical composition of meat and poultry and how it can be manipulated to improve flavour. He has experience of managing projects for industry customers as well as DAERA and delivers project supervision to final year students at CAFRE’s Loughry College.
Fiona has always had a keen interest in the Agri - Food industry through growing up on a dairy and sheep farm on the shores of Strangford Lough. She developed her interest further when attending Assumption Grammar school in Ballynahinch where she studied Nutrition and Food Science to A level.
In 2018 she was accepted to study BSc Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition with Professional Studies at Queen’s University Belfast. This was an exciting time for Fiona as she gained a great insight into the many career opportunities within the food industry. She completed a placement year at Glanbia Cheese in 2020 within the Technical Services department.
Throughout this year, Fiona was offered many new learning experiences in her role which focussed on process and product improvement. The placement year also offered many challenges and rewards which helped Fiona develop valuable experience and expertise in an industry she realised that she would like to pursue a career in.
Returning to final year at Queen’s in 2021, Fiona’s dissertation project involved a study of the impact and control of Listeria species within an Industrial Dairy Plant. Aided by her experience at Glanbia Cheese, Fiona was able to succeed in this project and graduated with a First-Class Honours degree from Queen’s in July. She has now returned to Glanbia Cheese as a Technical Services Graduate, keen to continue her learning and career progression.
Carmen is a Technical Manager at Raynor Foods and is responsible for the management of technical, quality and sustainability compliance. She ensures that the Food safety and Quality management system (FSQMS) is fully compliant with all relevant certification standards and at best excels as ‘top of class’ in our industry.