KFC Global CEO Tony Lowings, Co-op Food CEO Jo Whitfield and 2 Sisters Food Group founder Ranjit Singh have been announced as speakers at this year’s Meat Business Women UK and Ireland conference in May.
Also speaking at the event will be Heidi Robertson, corporate head of diversity and inclusion and employer brand at ABB, and Gerry Maguire, managing director of Linden Foods. Marks & Spencer’s Katharine Haenelt, head of trading for meat, fish, poultry, deli, dairy and bakery, will chair a roundtable debate of meat processor CEOs.
The theme of this year’s conference, which takes place virtually on May 26, is ‘transformation’.
Speakers will be sharing insight on their approach to business, personal and industry transformation at a time of extraordinary change for the meat sector and wider food industry.
The processor CEO roundtable will also discuss what meat companies are doing to improve gender representation, and will discuss the findings of a recent Meat Business Women report on female talent and diversity.
Among the key findings of the report was that women make up just 36% of the meat industry’s global workforce and hold just 5% of chief executive roles.
Bringing women together
Meat Business Women chair Laura Ryan said: “The Meat Business Women conference brings together women from all parts of the meat industry to share the business and soft skills they need to build successful careers.
“There is no better way than to learn from the best.
We’re immensely proud and grateful to have the support of so many high-profile leaders in our industry, who have agreed to share their own lessons on business and personal transformation with our community.
In addition to a full speaker programme, this year’s conference also includes breakout sessions on key topics and the announcement of the winner of the ‘One to Watch’ award.
The One to Watch is an annual prize awarded to a female aged 35 or under working within the meat industry in UK and Ireland.
Bespoke platform
The Meat Business Women UK and Ireland conference will be delivered on a bespoke platform that offers online networking, creating a “highly engaging and interactive experience for delegates”.
All UK-based delegates will also receive a delegate box of goodies.
Meat Business Women works in partnership with meat businesses towards removing the barriers that stop women from reaching their full professional potential.
It does this by focusing on five key areas: changing perceptions of the sector; moving inclusion up the agenda; tackling the broken career ladder; strengthening networks and creating visible role models; and gender-proofing working practices and patterns.
