Best 100 Panel
Laura Clacey
Co-Founder of Sxollie:
Laura, Co-Founder of Sxollie, is a trailblazer in the cider industry. Sxollie is known for its premium, handcrafted ciders made from responsibly sourced apples.
Laura’s passion for sustainable agriculture and her commitment to preserving traditional cider-making techniques have garnered recognition and respect.
Her expertise as a co-founder and her in-depth understanding of sustainable practices will be instrumental in evaluating the nominees’ commitment to health and sustainability.
Chris White
Managing Director of This Way Up
Chris co-founded this independent, award winning agency on a mission to create, define, and design brands that help people live healthier lives.
Using their strategic understanding of the health and wellness market, his team deliver big ideas to brands of the future.
Clients including Bel Groupe, Unilever, Danone, KP and Mizkan.
Dr Elisa Pineda
Doctor in Epidemiology and Public Health Nutrition
Elisa works at the Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation (CHEPI) and at the School of Public Health at Imperial College London.
Her current research focuses on the food environment and the prevention of non-communicable diseases.
Among the projects that she is involved with are the Science & Technology in Childhood obesity Policy (STOP) Project and the NIHR Global Health Research Unit in Cardiovascular Disease & Diabetes among South Asians.
Nisha Parmar
Private Chef to Celebrities
Following her MasterChef success, Nisha has become one of the most popular names in celebrity private dining.
Her signature dishes have attracted a range of A-lister clients, from premier footballers to UK pop icons.
Michael Coaker
Culinary Ambassador
University of West London
Michael is a renowned, award winning international chef of many years’ experience in luxury hotels and has become a respected educator at UWL in the hospitality industry.
He is an honorary fellow of The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts which promotes cooking as a life skill to children whilst encouraging a Farm to Fork policy in schools.
UWL has proudly been awarded three stars by the Sustainable Restaurant Association for Pillar’s restaurant.
His passion is to encourage and engage with young people from all backgrounds to be part of this wonderful industry of ours where the “sky is the limit”!
Michael is involved in many educational projects to link education with the wider food industry to promote culinary excellence with a sustainable ethic.
Erchen Chang
Co-Founder of BAO London:
Erchen is a highly respected figure in the culinary scene, known for her expertise in Taiwanese cuisine. As the Co-Founder of BAO London, a critically acclaimed restaurant, Erchen has garnered accolades for her innovative and authentic approach to food. Her commitment to using sustainable ingredients and promoting traditional flavors makes her an exceptional addition to the panel committee.
Erchen’s expertise and unique perspective will contribute to the credibility and integrity of the award.
Jessica Barwell
Marketing Communications Manager at
Home Grown Club
Jessica is an accomplished and diligent marketer with a number of years’ experience within the hospitality industry as well as the property and finance sphere globally.
Overseeing partnerships and affiliations as well as the Home Grown members events programme, Jessica has helped to build the Home Grown brand from its inception and launch in 2019 to where it is now, London’s leading business community.
Home Grown is the private members’ club that every entrepreneur and many investors are talking about, a dedicated space for a community of scaling founders, sophisticated investors and global leaders.
A foodie at heart, Jessica has been a chef herself, having spent a year in her early career working with Rick Stein in his Padstow restaurants as well as assisting him with his Spanish cookery book as home economist. She has also represented the UK in an international culinary competition, coming fifth globally. Now, she’s the ‘go to’ for new restaurant and bar openings on the London scene.
Evelyn Lee
Founder of the internationally acclaimed Taiwanese noodle brand Kung-Fu Mama
Evelyn graduated from the Fujen Catholic University Taiwan, with a degree in French & English Literature. Her first foray in to the food industry shortly after graduation was a small online operation selling fresh and frozen noodles.
Evelyn’s mission is to introduce the benefits of Taiwanese food to the world and to put Taiwan firmly on the map for innovative, quality food exports from Asia.
Evelyn is Director of Leecious UK Ltd and Chairman of UK Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce.
John Stapleton
Entrepreneur, Speaker, Investor, Advisor, Mentor
John has over 30 years experience in pioneering new FMCG categories and establishing and growing consumer-led businesses in both the UK and the USA.
John provides business growth advice and mentorship to growing businesses. John speaks on a wide range of entrepreneurial, management & motivational leadership topics.
A founder of three start-ups, John is an expert at developing new and innovative consumer brands. John now actively manages an investor/Non-Executive Director portfolio contributing value-added business growth advice, guidance and mentoring to business owners.
John is a founder-member and a member of the Investment Committee at Redesdale, the only venture capital fund dedicated to the early-stage Irish food and drinks sector. In addition to this, John is resident business advisor to Bord Bia’s entrepreneurial start-up programme in Ireland and is investor director of Mission Ventures, a progressive business accelerator designed to build challenger brands in the UK food & drink space, principally in partnership through Corporate Venture Accelerators.
Martin Aitchison
Portfolio FD/CFO and Finance Business Partner
A Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) and Chief Financial Officer/ Finance Director, Big Four background, with extensive and in-depth knowledge across multiple industries and geographies having lived and worked in London, Singapore and Sydney.
Areas of expertise include mergers & acquisitions, raising capital through public (AIM listing) and private channels (Family Offices), digital transformation programs and providing Boards insightful and timely financial information to make informed decisions.
Member of the Institute of Directors London and Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand, London branch.
Danielle Roe
CEO & founder Luxury Fine Living
Danielle has built a successful career in the health and wellness industry through her belief in leading a clean and healthy lifestyle, a passion that has been the driving force behind her business.
As she built her brand portfolio, Danielle made sure to carefully select partners whose values aligned with hers. For her, helping a brand break into a retailer is a partnership, and it’s not just about getting the products there safely. It’s about working together as a team to keep the brand there and thriving.
At LFL, Danielle and her team practise what they preach by leading a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a good work-life balance. They even practice yoga in the office and make sure to get outside and enjoy the sunshine!
Danielle is passionate about her work and wants to help deserving brands reach their full potential as well as leading the LFL team to be hardworking, honest, and transparent whilst loving what they do. Together, they form a family that is excited about working with more and more interesting brands, and they stick together through tough times.
Georgina Cummings
Investment Manager at Rathbones Group Plc
Georgina is an Assistant Investment Manager, working within a team managing portfolios for private clients, trusts and charities.
She graduated from the University of York with a 1st class honours degree in Politics and International Relations. She also spent a year abroad studying in Barcelona.
John Devine
Managing Director Response Recruitment Ltd
John provides blue collar staffing solutions to a variety of different companies and industries.
He specialises in understanding the needs and demands within the farm to fork industry and supplies temporary labour to meet the fluctuations within that sector as well as many others.
The panel committee members’ extensive knowledge, accomplishments, and dedication to healthy and sustainable food and drink brands make them highly credible judges for the UK Best100 Taste Awards.
Their collective expertise ensures a rigorous and fair evaluation process, maintaining the Awards’ integrity recognising brands that exemplify excellence in taste, health, and sustainability.