Join an exclusive, insight-led day built for ambitious Scottish food and drink producers ready to win in 2026 and beyond. Delivered by the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership's programmes The Knowledge Bank and The Academy, this high-impact, full-day event brings together exclusive insights, route to market understanding, and expert perspectives from leading UK insight agencies and high-profile retailers/foodservice operators.
With a mix of presentations and Q&A sessions, you’ll gain a rare, behind-the-scenes understanding of how shoppers and consumers are changing, where growth is really coming from, and how to turn insight into real business opportunities.
Find out more about our fantastic line-up of speakers below.
Event details
Date
Tue, Mar 17, 2026 | 1 day event
Location
John McIntyre Conference Centre
Edinburgh University Campus
Pollock Halls
18 Holyrood Park Rd
Edinburgh
EH16 5AY
Speakers
Graham McLean
Commercial Manager, IGD
After a 20-year career in commercial and team leadership roles, representing brands as diverse as Lucozade, Jeyes Fluid and Nurofen, Graham joined IGD in 2007 to help connect its insight and commercial skills with the food and drink industry. He regularly speaks on platforms sharing insights and foresight on the grocery and foodservice industries and on the shoppers and eaters that shape them.
Graham returns to partner with Scotland Food & Drink, having hosted webinars and in-person events with them in recent years.
Sessions:
- The UK Food and Drink Landscape
- Insight in Conversation: Expert Q&A
- Insight in Conversation: The Operators' View
Nichola Gallagher
Senior Insight Analyst, IGD
Nichola is one of IGD’s Away From Home (AFH) experts. Drawing on substantial knowledge gained from roles at an international FMCG manufacturer and at several insight agencies, she provides a comprehensive understanding of the AFH market. Nichola leads IGD's five-year forecast for that universe, monitors its market trends, conducts research, and provides thought leadership across all sectors spanning restaurants to leisure to education.
Sessions:
- The UK Food and Drink Landscape
- Insight in Conversation: Expert Q&A
- Foodservice Channel (Travel & Leisure) Breakout
Alex Rowberry
Senior Insight Analyst, IGD
Alex helps FMCG suppliers and grocery retailers understand the UK grocery market, the performance of its main channels and the strategies of its leading retailers. Prior to his time at IGD Alex worked for 15 years at Kantar Worldpanel, working with a diverse client portfolio across the public and private sectors.
Sessions:
- The UK Food and Drink Landscape
- Insight in Conversation: Expert Q&A
- Foodservice Channel (Travel & Leisure) Breakout
Lesley Ann Gray
Strategic Insight Director, Worldpanel by Numerator
Lesley Ann Gray joined Worldpanel by Numerator in 2018 as its Strategic Lead for Scotland. With over 30 years’ experience in the Scottish food and drink industry she works across Scotland’s food and drink sector, collaborating with companies and brands of all sizes, in addition to working with the retailers, the public sector and academics. She helps them to understand and decode shopper behaviour in order to grow.
Sessions:
- A Perspective on Scotland
- Insight in Conversation: Expert Q&A
- Multiple Grocery Channel Breakout
Rhona Lawson
UK Insights Manager, The Knowledge Bank
Rhona joined Scotland Food & Drink as UK Insight Manager in September 2025, and brings considerable experience delivering actionable insights across sectors including drinks, energy, and manufacturing. She is passionate about helping Scottish food and drink businesses to unlock commercial opportunities using research to build practical, engaging narratives that inform decision-making and support responsible growth.
Sessions:
- A Perspective on Scotland
- Insight in Conversation: Expert Q&A
Jayne Webb
Director of Insight, TWC
Jayne has core responsibility for the TWC Consulting and research services, working with both the wholesaler and supplier clients to drive their category management agenda through trade and consumer insight, creating tailored analysis and recommendations. Jayne has worked with TWC for many years and has previously worked with Hallmark, Bacardi Brown-Forman, Nestle, Precima, and Constellation (now Accolade). She started her career working at an econometrics agency.
Sessions:
- Convenience Channel Breakout
Stephen Brown
Head of Food to Go, CJ Lang & Son Ltd
Having been involved in retail from an early age, initially with his family businesses, Stephen went on to hold roles in a number of well-known retail brands in Scotland, including Menzies, David Sands and Scotmid. Stephen is currently Head of Food to Go at CJ Lang & Son Ltd and has been instrumental in bringing a state-of-the-art food-to-go offering to SPAR Scotland’s stores. He has seen a significant amount of change throughout the sector over the years. Stephen’s current focus is on developing a strong bakery and food on the go offer, meeting the needs of the customer of today.
Sessions:
- Convenience Channel Breakout
- Insight in Conversation: The Operators' View
Andy Crossan
Head of Insights, Lumina Intelligence
Andy Crossan is the Head of Insight at Lumina Intelligence. With over a decade of experience in commercial and category insight roles, Andy has built a strong reputation for understanding consumer behaviour and market dynamics across multiple retail channels. Before joining Lumina Intelligence, Andy held roles on both the agency and supplier sides, including at Hain Celestial, where he worked on well-known UK brands. His insight spans the full spectrum of the industry, from main estate and convenience stores to e-commerce. Andy is passionate about using data to tell compelling stories that drive positive change in the convenience and wholesale sectors.
Sessions:
- Foodservice Channel (Contract Catering & Events Breakout)
Ben Hedley
Segment Business Partner, Sodexo
Ben has worked in a variety of roles within catering and hospitality in a career spanning 23 years, across sports, leisure, entertainment and education sectors.
Currently a Business Partner for Supply Management within Sodexo, he works with Education and Sodexo Live; stadia, cultural venues, airport lounges. Focussing on purchasing compliance and local sourcing, Ben supports over 500 sites from Truro to Dundee.
Sessions:
- Foodservice Channel (Contract Catering & Events) Breakout
- Insight in Conversation: The Operators' View
Dean Wilson-Hartles
Director of Food & Drink Development, The Restaurant Group Concession (TRGC)
Dean Wilson-Hartles is the Director of Food & Drink Development for TRGC, the specialist travel hospitality arm of The Restaurant Group that delivers multi brand dining experiences across the UK’s major airports and travel hubs. In his role he drives menu innovation, elevates the food and drink offering and partners with own brand and key partner brands, including some of the biggest casual dining names in the UK.
Dean combines operational insight with trend-led culinary development to support TRGC’s growth in high-footfall environments, shaping dynamic concessions concepts that enhance passenger experience while maintaining excellence and consistency across the portfolio.
Sessions:
- Foodservice Channel (Travel & Leisure) Breakout
- Insight in Conversation: The Operators' View
Joanne Burns
Reformulation Manager for Health, Food & Drink Federation Scotland
Since launching the Reformulation for Health programme in March 2019, Joanne has established it as the leading authority on food reformulation in Scotland, contributing to the removal of billions of calories and tonnes of salt from commonly consumed foods. She has played a pivotal role in raising the profile of reformulation across Scotland’s food industry, developing a suite of practical, evidence-based resources to support manufacturers in creating healthier products. Through extensive collaboration across the food system, Joanne has driven industry engagement, increased awareness of reformulation, and developed solutions to common reformulation challenges.
Joanne brings over 25 years of experience across the food and health sector, combining expertise in public health, nutrition, and the food industry. Beginning her career as an NHS dietitian, she progressed to managing health provision across diverse settings including workplaces, stadia, leisure facilities, and major events such as the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Champions League Final. She subsequently spent 13 years as a senior leader in Public Health Scotland’s Healthy Living Award, supporting the food service sector to improve the nutritional quality of their offerings, before leading the development of the Reformulation for Health programme.
Sessions:
- Multiple Grocery Channel Breakout
Jill Sutherland
Local Sourcing Buyer Scotland, Tesco
Jill has worked across retail, sales and buying for 25 years. Initially joining the John Lewis Partnership graduate scheme then moving to sales within the UK drinks industry before moving into food, first with Border Biscuits and then moving to buying by joining Tesco’s Local Sourcing team. Now with a remit for buying Scotland’s local fresh range she works closely with the leading suppliers in Scotland to ensure Tesco has the optimum local and Scottish range.
Sessions:
- Multiple Grocery Channel Breakout
- Insight in Conversation: the Operators' View
Ticket Prices
Member Standard – £200 + VAT
Non-Member Standard – £400 + VAT
Delivered in Partnership:
REGISTER TODAY
Are you ready to uncover growth for your business? Don't delay! Get your tickets today.