The 2024 City Food & Drink Lecture to delve into the importance of a robust food system

The theme and panellists for this year’s City Food & Drink Lecture have been announced.

Keynote speaker and CEO of Sainsbury’s, Simon Roberts, has announced that he will present his thoughts on why good food is the result of a great food system, and how the industry can work to overcome risks and challenges in this area.

Following his lecture, Simon Roberts will join the expert panel for an interactive Q&A session. This year’s panel consists of:

• Tom Bradshaw, NFU President 2024
• Anna Taylor OBE, executive director at The Food Foundation
• Dan Aherne, Group CEO at New England Seafood International
• Chair of panel, Charlotte Smith, who is well known for her role as presenter on BBC1’s Countryfile and on Radio 4’s Farming Today.

As this year’s highly anticipated City Food & Drink Lecture approaches, keynote speaker and CEO of Sainsbury’s, Simon Roberts, has announced that he will present his thoughts on why good food is the result of a great food system, and how the industry can work to overcome risks and challenges in this area.

Key topics set to be covered by Simon Roberts in his lecture include:

• Global and local perspectives on the key environmental, social, and technological challenges the UK food system is currently facing, offering potential solutions
• The need to build resilience of the UK’s food system while managing the diverse and increasing risks
• The importance of collaboration as a key factor in addressing the challenges
  How technology and upskilling can be utilised to build a better food system.

Roberts was appointed CEO in June 2020 after joining Sainsbury’s in July 2017 as retail & operations director. He is also a member of the CR&S Committee, supporting inclusion on the operating board.

With over 30 years’ experience in retail, Simon Roberts began his career at Marks and Spencer, later serving as executive VP of Walgreens Boots Alliance and President of Boots UK and Ireland.

The City Food & Drink Lecture panel come from a range of backgrounds, experiences and expertise, offering a diverse and well-rounded discussion of the topics covered in the lecture, which we expect to deliver thought-provoking takeaways from the event.

Now in its 23rd year at London’s Guildhall, The City Food & Drink Lecture expects around 600 livery and VIP guests to attend the event on March 11th, alongside leading industry experts to discuss the prevalent issue of creating a robust food system from farm to fork.

Allan Wilkinson, chair, notes that this year’s lecture is set to be a thought-provoking exploration of the challenges and opportunities facing the UK food system.

“Simon Roberts, is in a great position as the leader of one of the largest supermarket chains in the UK to comment on ways the industry can collaboratively address challenges of the UK’s food system and drive positive change,” Wilkinson said.

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