Speakers

See below all of our 2025 confirmed speakers

Agricultural Trainee
Pilgrims Europe

Toni is an agricultural trainee at Pilgrims Europe with a pig focus. She is also an exec member of Ladies in Pigs. Toni recently graduated from Harper Adams University, having studied Agriculture and won trainee of the year at the National Pig Awards 2024.

Research Fellow
University of Oxford

Dr. Harriet Bartlett is a research fellow at the University of Oxford, specializing in sustainable farming solutions that benefit people, the planet, and pigs. With a background in preclinical veterinary medicine and a PhD in sustainable farming from the University of Cambridge, she led the largest study of its kind in the pig sector. This research, based on primary data she collected from over 150 pig farms across the UK and Brazil, assessed the impacts of a broad range of pig farms on climate, biodiversity, antimicrobial use, and animal welfare. Her findings challenge the notion that trade-offs between these priorities are unavoidable.

Pork Sector Director
AHDB

Angela has experience in the dairy, beef and pork livestock sectors. She has lived and worked internationally and spent 17 years with Genus PLC. In 2002 she was appointed as their Global Business Development Director based in Wisconsin USA and was instrumental in the Genus purchase of the Pig Improvement Company in 2005.

Following her career with Genus, Angela set up her own training business and has designed and delivered hundreds of training programmes over the past seven years for both the public and private sector.

Angela is passionate about the UK agricultural industry and optimising its strength as we move forward in challenging times.

Meat & Livestock Director
Gira

Rupert has worked as a strategy consultant in the food sector since joining Gira in 2003, with a high level of specialisation in global meat and livestock markets. Gira is an independent food-focused consultancy, founded in Geneva in 1979, and working globally across the livestock, meat, dairy, food ingredients and bakery supply chains.

Rupert spends a considerable amount of time analysing the evolving nature of international meat demand and the supply systems that provide it, as well as their internal organisation. This involves working with key actors along the chain, from feed ingredients and genetics, through slaughtering, international trade, and eventually with consumer brands, drawing insight and inspiration from Asia to Europe and the Americas. This gives him a privileged view of the industry at a global level, how it interconnects, and the challenges it faces.

Rupert’s personal background in UK farming affords him a balanced outlook on the increasingly globalised meat industry, between the commercial drivers that control the processing industry and the complex cultural heritage that farming has evolved from.

Senior Retail Account Manager
AHDB

Fiona is a highly experienced retail and category management professional, currently serving as Senior Retail Account Manager at AHDB. In this role, she works closely with major UK retailers, facilitating the delivery of AHDB’s insight, technical expertise, and marketing initiatives to drive consumer engagement with British meat and dairy. She also collaborates with processors to ensure a seamless approach to industry challenges and opportunities.

With over 35 years of experience in retail, manufacturing, and strategic category management, Fiona brings a wealth of knowledge from previous roles at Tulip (now Pilgrim’s Europe), Cargill Sun Valley, and 15 years at Co-op as a Strategic Category Manager. Her expertise spans shopper insights, marketing, and commercial management.

As part of AHDB’s retail team, Fiona supports insight and sustainability initiatives and the development of in-store and online campaigns, championing British farmers and ensuring pork, red meat, and dairy remain at the heart of consumer and retailer strategies.

Council Member
AHDB Pork Sector

Hugh is an AHDB Pork Sector Council member, Chair of the AHDB Building Suppliers Forum, Chair of the Pork Environment Roadmap Steering Group, Chair of the Pig Industry Scholarship Programme Steering Group and former vice-chairman allied of the National Pig Association. He was awarded a Lifetime Fellowship of the NPA and was the David Black Award winner in 2023.

He is a Fellow of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers. Outside business, Hugh is a past Chairman of Reading RFC, leads the band Feast of Fiddles and enjoys his 1955 Sunbeam Mk III. Hugh is married with two daughters – their brother died in 2014.

Editor
Pig World

Alistair is editor of Pig World and group editor of other MAG titles, including Farm Contractor and Agronomist and Arable Farmer. He is also the National Pig Association's webmaster. Alistair has been writing about farming for more than 25 years, including a long stint as Farmers Guardian's political editor.

Health and Wellbeing Consultant
Soyo Ltd

Stephanie has worked in Mental Health for two decades and began working as a Health and Wellbeing Consultant in 2013.

Stephanie has supported many companies across varying industries including Rail, Atomic Weapons, Civil Engineering, Premier League Football and the NHS. Stephanie is flexible in successfully adapting her approach to suit the environment she is working in.

Most recently, Stephanie developed the Global Mental Health strategy for Rolls-Royce, a global organisation with over 45000 employees. Stephanie also supported Rolls-Royce employees through the devastating impact of COVID-19 and the largest restructure in the company’s history.

Stephanie specialises in delivering practical, evidence-based interventions, focusing on sustainable improvement. Stephanie is passionate about ensuring people are happy, healthy, safe and engaged in the workplace, and believes everyone can and should enjoy work.

Executive Director for Innovation
SEGES Innovation

Lisbeth Henricksen is Executive Director for Innovation at SEGES Innovation, an independent research and innovation company in Denmark. She is responsible for developing and innovating new knowledge, tools, and products for farmers across all primary production sectors, including dairy, pigs, arable farming, climate and sustainability, economics, and management. Lisbeth Henricksen holds a degree in agronomy from the University of Copenhagen.

Pig Farmer
McAuliffe Pig Farms

An award winning pig and beef farmer from Ireland, Shane is passionate about advocating for sustainable pig farming. He has a Masters in Pig Health and Production from the Royal Veterinary College and serves as the Chairperson of the Irish international NGO, Bóthar. He also works as a university lecturer and farm advisor.

Farmer
McGregor Farms

Rob manages outdoor breeding units in North Norfolk. Rob has had a lifelong agenda to improve the welfare of farm animals and the lives of those that work with them. He has 45 years of livestock experience. When he's not farming he finds time to write for Farmers Weekly and help a leading pig equipment supplier with innovative product design and development.

Head of Agriculture Sectors Team
Defra

John Powell is Head of Agriculture Sectors Team in Defra a post he has held since March 2020. He joined the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) in 1983 and until 1999 worked in various advisory and policy leadership roles. From 1999- 2017 he worked as an advisor to over 15 EU candidate countries on the establishment of EU agricultural policies and institutions. He re-joined DEFRA in 2017, and has worked on future farming policy, EU Exit and the Environmental Land Management schemes.

Senior Analyst (Livestock)
AHDB

Freya has worked within the market specialist team since January 2022. Her role focuses on analysing and understanding current market behaviours, such as production, pricing, trade etc.., and communicating these trends to levy payers and wider industry in the form of articles and presentations.


Prior to joining the market specialist team, Freya worked within the bureau team where she assisted levy payers in using the various digital tools and services AHDB provide such as Farmbench, eAML2 and e-medicine book. Before joining the company, she was the herd manager on a pedigree stud farm.

Chief Executive
National Pig Association

Lizzie Wilson is Chief Executive of the National Pig Association. She has worked in the UK pig sector for over 20 years and has a thorough grounding in practical pig production, as well as policy and legislation. She is responsible for supply chain engagement, liaising with members and government on environmental and sustainability policy areas and specialises in crisis management with regard to animal rights activism and anti-farming rhetoric