Green Food Skills Mentors
Real-world insight from the UK Food sector's leading experts, across farming, manufacturing, food service & retail
Julie Cleijne
Julie Cleijne holds an MBA in Sustainable Food & Agriculture and is a Nutrition-trained Naturopathic Chef specialising in plant-forward, seasonal, low/zero-waste, and sustainably sourced recipe development. Her work centres on creating menus that prioritise both human health and planetary wellbeing. She brings extensive expertise in Green Hospitality training, nutrition, and cultural food education.
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Her career spans keynote speaking, sustainable education delivery, restaurant operations, award-winning recipe and product development, small business mentoring, and hands-on organic and regenerative farming. As CEO of Sustainable Kitchen Consultants, Julie leads a team of nutrition-trained chefs dedicated to helping food sector businesses embed sustainability strategies, train staff, and improve both impact and profitability.
Julie approaches sustainability from a One Health perspective, recognising the deep interconnection between human, animal, and planetary health. She has developed a unique One Health framework that food businesses can apply to sustainable sourcing strategies, recipe development, and operational practices—supporting them in moving beyond surface-level initiatives to achieve true sustainability.
She is the lead developer of the Sustainability for Food Sector and World Cuisine curricula for the new East London Food School (ELFS). These programmes draw on her academic background, farming experience, and chef training. She piloted the Introduction to Sustainability for the Food Sector curriculum with leading organisations including Jamie Oliver Group, Hilton, Sofitel Landmark and Athenaeum Hotels, Burger & Lobster, and Macknade, all of whom reported strong engagement and positive, action-driven outcomes.
She holds a Level 3 Award in Education and Training (AET), and is also qualified with a Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA).
As an award-winning recipe developer, Julie has launched her own sustainable food product range with a 90%+ UK ingredient sourcing ethos and a strong focus on waste repurposing. She has also collaborated with organisations such as the Vegan Society, British Leeks, The Food Foundation and VegPower, promoting UK farming and ingredients through innovative recipes and visual storytelling.
Julie’s credibility is rooted in direct, practical experience working on regenerative farms and managing hospitality outlets. She maintains strong relationships with farms and producers across Kent, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Gloucestershire, partnering with them to deliver immersive training. These partnerships enable learners to engage directly with producers, gain in-depth on-farm knowledge, and understand the full spectrum of challenges and opportunities from soil to service.
She combines academic knowledge, sector case studies, and lived understanding of sustainable food systems—offering learners an integrated “farm-to-fork” perspective on how regenerative practices can be embedded into food operations.
Julie has also delivered immersive on-farm training with UK producers, connecting learners directly with farmers to understand real-world challenges and opportunities across the supply chain. She has led sessions at FarmED, covering soil health, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and their direct links to nutrient density and human health—making scientific and ecological principles tangible, practical, and inspiring for food sector professionals.
In addition, Julie has delivered Green Food Skills training to hospitality students (16+) at Barking College, provided tailored sustainability mentoring to SME hospitality businesses in Barking & Dagenham’s Amplify Programme, and supported these SMEs in aligning with the Borough’s Good Food Charter.
Stefano Cuomo
Stefano is the 6th generation of the family business at acclaimed Kentish food & drink brand, Macknade, heading it up for the past 15 years and taking it from a partnership to a limited company in 2014.
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Stefano’s family once farmed the land upon which Macknade’s Faversham food hall is built, and he spent his childhood surrounded by hops, fruit & livestock, enjoying everything the Garden of England has to offer.
Today, Stefano leads the business and inspires a team of over 80 people to deliver emotive spaces & experience for everyone to enjoy. His ultimate focus is in identifying opportunities for Macknade to grow and touch a wider portion of society, with social & environmental harmony at its core.
Sarah Brading
Sarah Brading is a sustainability strategist, creative brand builder, and co-founder of Flat Earth Pizzas – recognised by Time Out as one of London’s top three most sustainable restaurants and the only independent pizzeria to hold the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s 3-star rating.
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At Flat Earth, she has combined her 15+ years of experience helping over 50 hospitality and lifestyle brands grow through purposeful storytelling with hands-on leadership that has delivered measurable impact: reducing food waste by 30%, pioneering closed-loop systems, and achieving industry-leading staff retention.
Named a 2024 Sustainability Trailblazer in CODE Hospitality’s Women of the Year, Sarah blends deep sector expertise with creativity and commercial acumen. She helps businesses transform sustainability into a competitive advantage – building brands that stand out, inspire, and drive growth while proving what’s possible through her own ventures.
David Chenery
David is an interior architect and design consultant. He has specialised in commercial interiors throughout his career including a varied range of international and UK based retail stores, hair salons, restaurant concepts and luxury fashion department stores. More recently he founded OSP, a RIBA Chartered Practice working across the complimentary disciplines of Architecture, Interiors and Branding with a core focus on sustainable hospitality design.
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Over the last 9 years David has worked to understand the sustainability challenges facing the hospitality industry and this now dominates his approach to design. The result is a “Restorative Design Framework”, built around the principles of a circular economy; designing with end of life in mind, building in rigorous flexibility, designing out waste and lowering embodied and operational carbon.
Notable projects include:
- Apricity – A Green Michelin starred restaurant in London for chef Chantelle Nicholson
- Kindle – Fire cooking meets deep sustainability in this refurbishment of a park warden’s house in Cardiff.
- GAIL’s – Have so far designed 20 GAIL’s bakeries along with their 11,000 sqft head office
- National Trust – Development of Sustainable Design Codes for the Trust to apply across all fitout work across its F&B estate
Notable accolades include:
- Apricity and Kindle were finalists in the Estrella Damn Sustainable Restaurant of the Year awards.
- Apricity was a finalist in the Dezeen Sustainable Interior of the Year awards
- GAIL’s Fire Station in Southwark won Renovation of the Year (QSR Awards) and Innovation of the Year (FEJ Awards)
- OSP were finalists at the Global Good Awards for the RDF and subsequent work in applying it to client work and measuring the link between circular economy and embodied carbon.
Jess Latchford
Since founding Waste Knot in 2016, as a response to the colossal amount of pre-farmgate, fresh produce wasted due to oversupply and aesthetics, I have become focussed on helping build a resilient food system; one which truly values people and nature by addressing factors such as social justice and environmental sustainability, respectively.
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Through positively disruptive and transformative processes, along with a focus on regenerative environments, we start to imagine and formulate the fusion of human and natural systems, all with the aim of approaching different ways of supporting and developing reformative ways of acting, being, thinking and doing from a holistic approach to interconnectedness between people and planet.
Waste Knot works with corporate caterers, restaurants, pubs and hotel groups, supplying surplus and misshapen, regeneratively-grown fresh produce from the UK, providing an opportunity to support the UK farming industry and the communities within which they sit, fight food waste, support our work with charities and to reignite relationships between those who grow our food and those who use it.
A firm believer in the power of education with how we move forward, I am a trustee of the Field Studies Council, as well as running Waste Knot People days and sessions, focussing on how we use purpose and the wider environment to lead decisions, develop processes and rewrite systems which no longer serve us. Within this realm, I also have developed and run Leading Wild, an approach to address the overlap or regenerative agriculture and regenerative leadership, restoring soul and soil by recalibrating us through and for the world in which we live.
Glen Burrows
Glen Burrows is a creative strategist and systems thinker with over two decades of experience shaping how we communicate, produce, and engage with food. His work bridges storytelling, sustainability, and regenerative system, helping mission-driven organisations translate complex ideas into accessible, emotionally resonant narratives.
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As Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Ethical Butcher, Glen helped pioneer the UK’s regenerative meat movement, creating a brand that challenged conventional thinking around sustainability, ethics, and animal agriculture. He conceived and led the #Regenuary campaign, which reached millions and catalysed a national conversation about soil health, sourcing, and consumer responsibility. Under his creative direction, The Ethical Butcher became the UK’s first B-Corp certified online butcher and a benchmark for transparency and purpose-driven business.
Today, Glen is a Founding Partner at Syntropic Agency, a creative strategy studio working with startups and growth-phase brands that are regenerative or disruptive across multiple categories, from food and farming to wellness and lifestyle. Syntropic helps these businesses undergo brand transformations that communicate integrity, purpose, and systemic awareness. Glen’s approach draws on Holistic Management, Spiral Dynamics, and systems thinking to align creative direction with deeper organisational context and mission.
Glen’s expertise includes sustainable sourcing communication, food-business startup strategy, supply-chain transparency, and regenerative brand development. He is especially skilled at guiding early-stage founders through the intersection of ethics, storytelling, and market differentiation, turning regenerative principles into commercially compelling narratives.
With a professional background in film, photography, and copywriting, Glen has produced campaigns for leading global brands including Nike, Timberland, and Jaguar, while increasingly focusing on food systems and ecological restoration. His work consistently bridges the creative and the systemic, the emotional and the practical.
Glen is passionate about equipping the next generation of food entrepreneurs to build businesses that heal rather than exploit. Through his lived experience in brand creation, regenerative supply chains, and sustainable communication, he offers Green Skills learners the tools to think systemically, act ethically, and communicate with clarity and confidence.
Jonty Brunyee
Jonty Brunyee is an award-winning tenant at Conygree Farm, a 73 hectare nature focused and diverse National Trust farm in the Cotswolds producing organic vegetables and pasture fed beef and lamb. He is also an experienced educator, consultant, and mentor with a passion for agroecology and regenerative principles.
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He is the founder and facilitator of the Regenerative Agriculture Accelerator Programme in the Cotswolds, a founder and director of the Emergent Generation youth network, and a founder and steer of the North East Cotswolds Farmer Cluster. Prior to this he was Head of Sustainable Farming and Food Systems at FarmED, a senior lecturer in farm business management at the RAU in Cirencester, and a director of Pasture for Life. Jonty is a Nuffield Farming Scholar and a commissioner for the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission.
Max Ruddle
Max’s varied career in food spans the full farm to fork, with experience in farming including wheat, rapeseed and sheep farming, and many years in pub and restaurant operations across both back and front of house roles.
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He is a first-generation farmer dedicated to advancing sustainable agriculture in the UK, with a focus on Organic Regenerative practices, and supporting British farming to ensure it remains viable financially and with respect to the environment and human health.
Max is now Operations Director at Duchess Farms in Hertfordshire, managing the operations of 2 leading British food brands – Duchess Oil and Gilchesters Organics. The latter he has steered to almost double turnover in the last 2 years, whilst maintaining Organic certification and prioritising quality, efficiency and profitability.
In his role with Gilchesters Organics he oversees the production of 100% British organic, stoneground flour via the mill onsite at Duchess Farms – the UK’s largest milling production of 100% British grown flour. He also oversees logistics, supplying customers ranging from artisan bakeries to national retailers. Max is also fluent in French and Spanish, alongside his native English, after having lived and studied around the world.
Max is passionate about process efficiency, and leading teams with respect and openness. He is always looking to drive improvements that benefit all – farmers, customers, and the teams he leads.
Giacomo Ranalli
Giacomo is a sustainability specialist with over five years’ experience driving change across the food retail, manufacturing, and hospitality sectors.
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In his current role as Senior Consultant at Anthesis Group, he designs and manages supplier engagement programmes for food retailers and manufacturers that combine training with data collection on critical issues such as carbon, food waste, and gender equity. An example of this is TESCO’s leading industry-first sustainability-linked supply chain finance programme, which rewards suppliers for raising their climate ambition.
Alongside supplier engagement, Giacomo leads industry-oriented research projects revolving around regenerative agriculture, MRV and food sector decarbonisation. For the World Business Council for Sustainable Development he led on the development of a on monitoring, reporting, and verifying regenerative agriculture and nature metrics, synthesising best practice, scientific innovation, and ESG frameworks.
He has also co-authored influential publications for FoodDrinkEurope, including a discussion paper on the cost of transitioning to sustainable agriculture in the EU and a forthcoming EU food and drink sector’s decarbonisation roadmap. In these projects, he facilitated industry-wide stakeholder engagement, and contributed EU-level policy recommendations aiming at catalysing systemic change while maintaining industry competitiveness.
In his previous role, Giacomo worked as Sustainable Food Supply Chain Manager at Sustainable Kitchen Consultants, where he supported hospitality businesses measure and reduce Scope 3 emissions, create low-carbon sourcing strategies, and design healthier, more sustainable menus. He contributed to the development of the Healthy People Healthy Planet™ certification mark and a holistic assessment framework for evaluating the sustainability level of suppliers and producers.
In 2022, Giacomo co-founded, a growing network which brings together young people aged 18–35 from across the entire food system – from farm to fork – with the shared goal of enabling, encouraging, and empowering a new generation of leaders to drive the transition toward a regenerative food and farming future.
Through the network, Giacomo has been instrumental in promoting youth leadership and fostering meaningful connections between farmers, food entrepreneurs, researchers, and policymakers. As an active member of the steering committee, he leads on the coordination of events, facilitates knowledge exchange, and represents the network both nationally and internationally. His work focuses on creating spaces for collaboration and learning that inspire young professionals to take agency, amplify their collective voice, and catalyze positive change across the food system.
Giacomo holds an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London, where he specialised in regenerative agriculture and sustainable food systems.
He brings a unique combination of hands-on industry expertise, academic rigour, and policy insight, equipping him to mentor others on how to bridge strategy, innovation, and implementation in the pursuit of sustainability.
Jackie Bailey
Jackie Bailey is the founder of Umami Chef, making innovative new products using traditional Japanese fermentation techniques. Jackie’s clever use of koji fermentation transforms British grown produce, food waste and excess produce into award winning products – winning “Fermented Food of the Year” at the Great British Food Awards 2025, as well as numerous Great Taste Stars.
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She has a degree in Analytical Chemistry, as well as an understanding of the health and safety aspects of food fermentation. Working with food safety regulators, Jackie has established and received approval for new fermentation manufacturing techniques and can support and advise on introducing these into your food production. She has created numerous HACCPs for fermented foods, ensuring that they are produced safely as well as being delicious.
Jackies passion for using local and sustainable products extends to making use of wild foraged foods. She won the cookery competition at the Great British Wild Food Festival in 2025 and has a deep knowledge on how to safely and sustainably forage for wild ingredients. Jackie extends the use of these ingredients throughout the year by utilising a range of preservation and fermentation techniques to enhance their shelf life and flavour.
Umami Chef’s products are free from the top 14 allergens and Jackie works hard to ensure her supply chain is completely free from allergens. This ensures that the products she develops are as accessible as possible.
She has sourced sustainable ingredients for food manufacturing and understands the challenges of trying to find bulk quantities of quality British ingredients, whilst also remaining profitable.
Jackie is passionate about sustainable food production. She’s an active member of Slow Food UK and supports local artisan food producers, raising awareness of British food wherever possible.
Ali Murrell
Ali Murrell is a financial strategist and systems thinker with over 15 years of experience spanning investment banking, entrepreneurial ventures, and impact-driven business. His work bridges financial rigour and values-led thinking, helping mission-driven founders build organisations that achieve economic success without compromising on purpose. Ali operates at the intersection of capital, strategy, and integrity — translating complex financial realities into clear, actionable direction.
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As Co-Founder of Riz Boardshorts, Ali helped pioneer sustainable swimwear in the UK, building a B Corp-certified brand that challenged industry norms around materials and supply chains. He secured retail partnerships with Selfridges, Liberty London, and Browns Fashion, and pioneered 100% recycled swimwear materials. After 14 years, he made the principled decision to close the business in 2023 rather than compromise its values — taking those hard-won lessons directly into his next chapter.
Before establishing his fractional CFO practice, Ali served as Board Director and CFO at New Foundation Farms, a regenerative agriculture technology startup. He co-led an £800k equity fundraise and steered the company through multiple pivots before making the responsible decision to wind it down — gaining hard-won experience in navigating uncertainty, maintaining investor confidence, and leading with integrity under pressure.
Today, Ali holds fractional CFO roles across three businesses: Inherently Human, the human rights consultancy he co-founded, now a £475k-turnover, seven-person team serving thirty clients including FTSE 100 companies; NeuralShift, an AI quantitative trading platform democratising institutional-grade infrastructure for wealth managers and retail investors, where he is supporting the £250k SEIS pre-seed fundraise and developing the business and financial model; and The East Portlemouth Collective, a sustainable hospitality business in South Devon. Across these roles, his breadth is deliberate — reflecting his ability to navigate fundamentally different financial profiles and stages of growth.
Ali’s expertise includes impact-aligned financial strategy, fundraising and investor relations, business model development, and cash flow management across diverse business models. His approach draws on triple bottom line accounting, Doughnut Economics, and B Impact frameworks — grounding strategic and investment decisions in a clear understanding of planetary and social boundaries. He is especially skilled at guiding early-stage founders through the tension between mission integrity and commercial reality.
With a professional foundation in investment banking and credit asset management — including an Oxford MA in Biological Sciences, CIMA qualification, and a Business Sustainability Management distinction from Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership — Ali brings an unusually integrated lens. He is passionate about equipping the next generation of impact founders to build businesses that are financially resilient and genuinely regenerative, offering them the tools to think systemically, act with integrity, and build with both conviction and commercial clarity.
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