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The Improve Board
The primary role of the Improve Board is to oversee strategic development of the company and satisfy itself that the company is meeting the objectives for which it was created.
 Paul Wilkinson - Chairman
Paul Wilkinson is one of the UK's most experienced and successful senior food and drink industry executives, having worked for companies such as Birds Eye, Express Dairies and latterly as Executive Chairman and CEO of RHM. Paul is still active in the food and drink industry as Chairman of the Big Bear Company, makers of Fox's Glacier Mints and Paynes Poppets. He is also Chairman of Produce World, a fresh produce company supplying to the major multiples and a Director of IAWS, the Irish Group. (IAWS GROUP plc is a major food and agri-business group with operations in Ireland, Great Britain, continental Europe, Canada and the United States).
Paul started his career as a graduate trainee at Unilever, and then held senior marketing positions at the Birds Eye frozen food subsidiary, before transferring to Grand Metropolitan plc where he served as Managing Director of Eden Vale, part of Express Dairies.
In 1988 he joined RHM as Managing Director of the Foodservice Division, and subsequently was Managing Director of RHM British Bakeries between 1992 and 1996. In 1996, he was appointed Executive Chairman and CEO of RHM.
In January 2003 he stepped down from this role to become a part-time Adviser to the Board.
|  Jack Matthews
Jack Matthews joined Improve Ltd as its Chief Executive in August 2004, prior to which he was Director of Operations for the Sector Skills Development Agency. Jack was recruited to the SSDA as part of the start-up team, to set up and head the operational function of the Agency. As part of his role at the SSDA Jack had overall responsibility for activity relating to employer engagement, cross-sector skills, operational strategy and development of the UK-wide network of Sector Skills Councils. Jack’s previous experience includes many years in the energy industry, working for the Scottish Executive as Head of the Scottish Prison Service College and consultancy in Hong Kong and Northern and Eastern Europe.
|  Mike Mullan
Mike Mullan is the HR and Corporate Change Director of United Dairy Farmers. This is the parent company of Dale Farm, Northern Ireland's largest dairy business. Mike has held previous HR positions with Viridian, Moy Park, Northern Foods and Coats Viyella. Mike is also currently a board member of both Sentinus, the leading supplier of science, business and engineering awareness training in the province and Corrymeela a cross community organisation where he sits on the employment affairs committee of CBI NI.
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 Brian Cains
Brian Cains is a highly motivated and professional HR Director with a broad experience of management at a senior level in the food and drink sector. Brian previously worked at Glanbia Consumer Meats Ltd, Aylesford Newsprint and Cadburys Schweppes before joining Moy Park in April 2005 where he holds the position of HR Director and is a member of the board and senior management team. Brian has also worked as a consultant for the food and drink sector before joining the Improve Board.
|  Stephen Chambers
Stephen Chambers is Finance Director of Improve Ltd and is also the Company Secretary. He has a mix of private and public sector experience, his most recent roles being with the Sector Skills Development Agency, Grant Thornton and secondment to the DTI. Prior to joining Improve in September 2004, Stephen was Head of Financial Consultancy at the Sector Skills Development Agency where he was primarily responsible for the licensing of Sector Skills Councils and related contracting and also provided support to developing Sector Skills Councils on a wide range of matters including governance structures and financial planning. Stephen is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
| |  Sylvia Halkerston
Sylvia Halkerston, is a director of Macphie of Glenbervie Ltd. She has had a career spanning 30 years in Human Resource Management focussing largely on the private sector from Oil & Gas, Hospitality, Construction to Food & Drink. Although training falls within the remit of her role, she is passionate about people development and is committed to finding ways of exposing people of all ages and academic backgrounds to the best possible opportunities for personal development. At every stage of her career she has been involved with and committed to Education/Industry Links from a Management Training initiative for teachers through Enterprise Awareness for teachers to her present role as LAB member Grampian and Board Member of the emerging Food & Drink Sector Skills Council. Sylvia is also currently a member of the Scottish Enterprise Food Steering Group Strategy Group and a Local Advisory Board member of Careers Scotland.
|  Bill Jermey
Bill Jermey has a distinguished track record as a business leader in the food and drink industry. As a former president of the British Meat Manufacturers Association, Bill led the merger with the British Meat Federation, re-shaping the face of the UK meat industry. Bill has also led Butchers & Bakers Foods through a successful phase in building a new site without disturbing production. Bill Jermey embarked on his career as a trainee on the Unilever Management scheme and through this programme he progressed from product development to production management going on to senior site management. Bill remains a trustee of the British Meat Processors Association and is also the newly elected chairman for the Meat Training Council. A chartered scientist, he is also a fellow of the Institute for Food Scientists.
| .JPG) Graham Randell
Graham Randell has been working at Greggs plc, the UK’s leading bakery retailer as Regional Managing Director for Greggs North (Greggs N.E. and Greggs Cumbria) since 1992. Previously he was employed as Managing Director for Greggs South London and as M.D for Surridge Newsagents Ltd and initially began his long-standing commitment to the company as a Marketing Manager in 1974. Graham is a board member at Improve Ltd as well as Vice Chairman of East End Partnership. He is also a member of Tyne & Wear committee for the Chamber of Commerce and Tyne and Wear Learning & Skills Council & Audit Committee.
|  John Whitehead
John Whitehead was Managing Director of Top Hat Holdings Limited (supplier of ready meals and soft fruit to most of the major UK multiples and some export markets) from 1989 until 1998. Since leaving the company, John has accepted a number of appointments on a non-executive or part time basis in the food and drink sector. Currently, John holds posts as Deputy Chairman for the Seafish Industry Authority, a non-executive directorship at Strathmore Foods Ltd and Scotfruit and is Chairman of the Certification Council, Scottish Food Quality Certification Ltd. John also carries out a number of consultancy projects in several areas of the food industry including:- pate manufacture, ethnic foods, bakery, oat milling, food service sales development, red meat sales development, ice cream and turkey processing and has acted on behalf of a major food processor in identifying acquisition opportunities.
| | Angela Coleshill Angela Coleshill is currently Human Resources Director for the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and through that capacity is acting chair of the Employee Relations Panel (ERP) of the FDF until such time as an employer chair is identified. Angela has a number of direct links to HR directors via this position on the ERP and through her role on the FDF council. This is a valuable asset to the Improve board as she is able to directly represent Improve to employers.
Angela’s impressive background had led her to provide human resource service to more than a hundred managers and over 200 retail outlets for Greggs Plc. She has been a major player in developing business strategies, supporting the growing businesses and to ensuring maximum performance from the people involved. In addition, Angela is an experienced manager with over 14 years of human resources background in the Service, Food and Retail sector. | Chris Griffith
Professor Chris Griffith is the Head of the Food Research and Consultancy Unit at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC). Chris has over 30 years teaching experience from vocational craft level to PhD. He has also written and developed many food related degrees and industry training courses.
Chris also has over 20 years experience of working with food manufacturers (from SME’s to large multi nationals) on all aspects of food quality and safety. He is also the recipient of 3 international research awards, including IAFP International Food Safety Leadership Awards 2006.
Chris is also a member of the Society for General Microbiology (since 1973) and Institute of Food Science and Technology (since 1989). He has also had over 350 conference and written publications. | Iain MacLean
Iain MacLean is a leading trade unionist in Britain’s food industry and is currently the National Officer responsible for the Food, Drink & Tobacco sector within UNITE – the union (Amicus Section). UNITE is the 2-million strong union newly formed from the merger of Amicus and the TGWU.
With 35-years active involvement in the trades’ union movement, Iain brings a lifetime’s experience to the job of representing workers’ interests over a cross-section of industry. Formerly a deputy general secretary with the banking and finance union, UNIFI, he spent the early part of his career as a regional negotiator in the Northwest on behalf of white-collar employees, mostly in the engineering industry. Outside of the unions he spent 6-years as a researcher in HM Treasury and 4-years as an industrial relations adviser at the Industrial Society (now the Work Foundation).
Iain is an executive member of EFFAT – the European union of food, agricultural and hotel workers and is a UK representative on the management committee of the International Union of Foodworkers (IUF). Most of his members in the UK food industry are highly skilled mechanical and electrical engineers and technicians, with significant representation within management and R&D functions as well as some process and warehouse workers.
| Stefan Barden
 Stefan Barden is Chief Executive of Northern Foods, and joined then on 5th February 2007. Born in 1962 in the UK he graduated from Leeds University with a first in Engineering. He was sponsored by Unilever, who he joined on graduation in 1984 as a graduate trainee. In 1992, from his MBA, Stefan joined McKinsey and Company Inc, where he worked as a consultant to multinational and UK businesses, largely in the branded consumer goods and retail sectors across Europe and the USA. A period in the food retailing business followed when, in 1995, Stefan joined Iceland Frozen Foods heading up its ambient Grocery business, with responsibility for over £400m of sales and 12 major grocery buying groups. In 1997 Stefan joined Heinz and in subsequent years he held a number of senior roles across the business, including European Director and global Co-ordinator for its Sauces business, culminating as Managing Director of Heinz UK and Ireland from 2003 to 2005. Stefan joined Northern Foods in January 2006 when he was appointed Executive Director of the Chilled division, with a brief to turnaround the underperforming business. A subsequent programme of simplification of the supply chain, a clear cash focus, enhanced customer relationship management and a robust new product development plan has followed, delivering improving financial performances for the division. Stefan became Chief Executive following the completion of the company’s disposal programme. Stefan is also a Governor of the British Nutrition Foundation charity and also sites on the Policy Issues Council of the IGD.
| Simon Jackson
Simon Jackson is a proven and highly experienced General Manager, with a strong and successful multi disciplined track record, including extensive experience of manufacturing, distribution, logistics, sales and customer marketing. He has operated at UK Management Board level.
Simon has significant experience in capital investment programmes, rationalisation projects, industrial relations, change management, service/productivity improvements through people strategies, Health and Safety, and Environmental systems and management.
Simon is currently the Executive Director and Secretary of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and has full executive responsibility for this global professional member’s organisation and educational charity. His previous roles also include UK Manufacturing Director of Scottish and Newcastle UK. |
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