Beanstalk Global

The University of Northampton Sustainability Summit 2023 is taking place on 15th and 16th of May 2023.

This two-day Summit is being organised under the theme; ‘Adapting to a changing world: addressing our shared sustainability challenges’. Its core objective is to provide a platform which brings together businesses (particularly in the food/drink, footwear, and logistics industries), non-profit organisations, policy makers, local government, academics, and other stakeholders to identify shared sustainability challenges and devise a long-term plan of action to address those challenges through collaborative research, enterprise and knowledge exchange.

Beanstalk Global’s Max MacGillivray will be there, Chairing a key session with Simon Derrick – Global Head of Sustainability for Blue Skies as well as filming and conducting a series of interviews throughout the summit.

On a recent Pre-Event Broadcast, we heard from key individuals as to why you should attend. This included:

- Dr Ebenezer Laryea, Associate Professor of International Sustainable Development Law, University of Northampton

- Professor Amin Hosseinian Far, Professor of Systems Thinking, University of Northampton

- Simon Derrick, Global Head of Sustainability, Blue Skies Holdings Ltd

- Martin Baxter FIEMA, Cenv, Executive Director of Policy & External Affairs, IEAMA

- Kelly Shields, Communication and Technical Manager, Fresh Produce Consortium.

The search is on for the first recipient of The Caroline Drummond Award – Celebrating and Communicating Farming Excellence.

Set up in memory of former LEAF Chief Executive, Caroline Drummond MBE, who led LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) for over 30 years, the award will recognise an individual who personifies her passion and drive to advance more sustainable farming and communicating that to their peers, the wider food chain and the public. The award is open to farmers and other individuals involved in the farming industry.

As well as LEAF, the award is supported The British Guild of Agricultural Journalists and The Institute of Agricultural Management, both of which Caroline had a close involvement with.

“I hope that the award will encourage others to approach the communication of sustainable farming in a similar fashion to Caroline`s methods. That is using encouragement, motivation, enthusiasm and excitement for the good of all,” says Caroline’s husband Philip Ward.

“Caroline had a passion for improving the way the world farms and protects the environment and for sharing that message to as wide an audience as possible. This award means that others with that passion can be recognised for what they do,” says Cedric Porter, LEAF vice chairman and agricultural journalist.

“This award is a fitting tribute to Caroline and her determination to show the wider world that good farming practice and looking after the environment go hand in hand. The twin challenges of feeding an increasing global population and climate change make that goal more important than ever before,” says BGAJ chairman Johann Tasker.

“Caroline Drummond was an inspirational leader in agriculture. IAgrM is delighted and proud to support this award in recognition of Caroline’s work and as a lasting legacy to inspire others working in sustainable farming,” says Victoria Bywater, Director IAgrM.

We went live with Megan Hudson, General Manager at the Fenland SOIL team to hear about why we should get involved with the event.

Fenland Soil are a dedicated team with farmers at its core to tackle climate issues relating to agriculture and peat in the Fens.

We know how important it is to be inspired by both big businesses and individuals, which is why we are excited to present Talking Leaders, a bi-monthly initiative from the AHDB which will see a series of inspirational speakers share their life experiences and deliver impactful stories to the AgriLeader community.

In our March broadcast we are delighted to be joined by Steve Dunkley from HSBC Business Banking  who will discussing “Driving growth in Agriculture – strategies for success”.

Steve is HSBC’s Regional Agriculture Director for Business Banking in the north.

He has worked in the farming sector for the last 30 years, from the family farm in the Yorkshire Dales to careers in both consultancy and government. 

Join us as we discuss different approaches to collaborative working and explore how teamwork and collaboration can drive business success.

In our March Broadcast, we were delighted to be joined by Lucy Wager.

Lucy is an accomplished food industry professional and entrepreneur with 19 years of experience in the industry. She began her career as a Concept Technologist in food manufacturing at Bakkavor before moving on to work as a Product Developer for leading retailers such as Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s. In 2012, Lucy launched Pudology, a first-to-market chilled plant-based dessert brand that went on to achieve national success.

Today, Lucy focuses on working with early-stage Food & Drink businesses, providing guidance on all aspects of product development, food safety, compliance, and general support through the challenges of concept to launch. As a respected food industry professional, she also writes and delivers training programs for development, marketing, and commercial teams across the industry.

Lucy is dedicated to inspiring and educating the next generation of food industry professionals and entrepreneurs, helping them navigate the challenges and opportunities in the industry. Her passion for innovation, food safety, and food security for all continues to be a driving force in her work. She is committed to making a positive impact in the food world for many years to come

Ged is a very well-known and highly regarded GSCOP Expert having specialised in this area for the past five years. He has over 26 years’ experience in retail at a senior level, from managing stores, working in supply chain and then working as a Senior Buying Manager for the world’s largest retailer. We go live with him to get his view on what he is seeing in the unpredictable world of retail supply.

As a senior buying manager at Asda / Walmart, Ged worked in some of the fastest moving categories including beer, grocery and frozen food.

Ged has been training for over 10 years, the last five years training suppliers, helping them work better with Retailers. Ged delivers training & consultancy that supports delegates & businesses to make the most of the relationships they have their key retailing partners. He offers insight into what makes a retailer tick and how to use this to improve profitable relationships.

His experience across store operations, supply and buying has given him a unique approach to buying with an understanding of the full supply chain. His experience gives him a pragmatic and insightful approach to having successful and profitable relationships with Retailers.

We know how important it is to be inspired by both big businesses and individuals, which is why we are excited to present Talking Leaders, a bi-monthly initiative from the AHDB which will see a series of inspirational speakers share their life experiences and deliver impactful stories to the AgriLeader community.

In our February broadcast we were delighted to be joined by Remy Beaumont, Founder & CEO of GEN Z TALENT & farmmarketing.co.uk who will discussing “The rising role of social media within UK Agriculture”.

After gaining considerable experience working on arable and dairy farms from the age of 13, Remy’s initial career plan was to become an agri-business consultant.

He studied at Plumpton College before graduating with a degree in Agriculture from the University of Reading.

The COVID-19 pandemic meant Remy’s final year at university had to be completed from home. During this period, he observed the huge growth of social media platforms, such as TikTok, and, living with an influencer at the time, Remy decided to set up his own social media business.

In 2021, Remy founded GEN Z TALENT, an agency specialising in influencer and social media marketing, initially to provide a part-time income while completing his final year of university.

The company grew quickly, and he has an extensive client list, including the likes of Starbucks, ASOS, Taco Bell and Hello Fresh.

Remy’s final year dissertation focused on farm diversification, and it was during this time that he began to see the potential for social media marketing within agriculture.

In 2022, Remy took his love of social media marketing and applied it to another passion – farming – and founded Farm Diversification UK Ltd. This is an agency that focuses on taking farm diversification to a new audience through digital and social media marketing.

Join our broadcast for a rare insight into how farming enterprises can use social media for business development.

We went live with some well-known names in the farming industry to share thoughts from the AgriLeader Forum 2023 event and to discuss the topic of leadership and management. 0.37% of people are embarking on leadership and management development so what are the main drivers and barriers to getting more people in this area and what are the mindsets, traits and skills of a good leader?

With the AHDB and on Beanstalk Global, we were joined by: Joe Seels, Olly Harrison, Charlotte Ashley, Georgina Sammut, Rebecca Wilson and Izak van Heerden (AHDB)

“Women in Food and Farming” is a group of professional women in food, agriculture and the land-based industries at all stages of their careers, who get together to discuss business issues, support each other via mentorship and advice, and help generate networks of contacts that might be useful to themselves and their businesses.

Founded in 2011 by Christine Tacon CBE, the group started back in 2011 with just five women and has now grown to over 500 members. Christine is known to many as the first Grocery Code Adjudicator and head of the Co-op’s farming business, she has just been appointed Chair of Assured Food Standards which operates the Red Tractor Assurance scheme amongst other roles.

Beanstalk is very proud to offer our extensive platforms to allow Women in Food and Farming to continue their conversation and debate and to encourage new members ongoing to join them, be that on a virtual Broadcast basis.

MDS is the UK’s foremost provider of management training for the food industry. Founded in 1986 as a not-for-profit membership organisation, we create a pipeline of well trained, capable leaders to work in all aspects of the food supply chain.

Their membership includes some of the industry’s leading businesses: forward thinking companies committed to developing high-calibre individuals. MDS offers members the opportunity to build their own leadership pipeline whilst contributing to the success of the industry. Thier members provide opportunities for MDS trainees to learn ‘on the job’ in roles with real responsibility, often managing specific projects or filling seasonal peaks. Their close collaboration with members ensures a broad range of suitable secondments as well as allowing ongoing input into the development of programmes.

In this month's broadcast the WIFF Team invited a number of current MDS Trainees to discuss the importance of Networking.

These included:Arunima Amar, Hollie Earles, Katie Gray, Harvey Griffiths and Francesca Pritchard.

In our January broadcast we were delighted to be joined by Rex Conyers-Silverthorn, Director of Brookfield Properties who will discussing “Future-proof thinking, predictions and adaptation”.

Brookfield Properties develops and operates real estate investments on behalf of Brookfield Asset Management — one of the largest alternative asset managers in the world. From office to retail, logistics to multifamily, and hospitality to development, they work across sectors to bring high-quality, sustainable real estate to life around the globe every day.

Rex has advised on some of London’s most iconic buildings, including The Gherkin, Heron Tower and the Olympic legacy at Stratford to promote both functionality in design and placemaking.