Recap – Strong in Sustainability + Standing Up – International Women’s Day Panels – 4th March 2025

Recap – Strong in Sustainability + Standing Up – International Women’s Day Panels

On 4th March Women in the Food Industry held two inspiring panel events for International Women’s Day. You will have discovered how three women, who now work in the food industry, have experienced the challenges of working in predominantly male environments – finance, architecture & professional kitchens. How did they make themselves heard & stand up for their views? You would have also met three experts in sustainability who are showing how the future of our food systems depends on a diverse & empathetic workplaces and leadership.

“The World Economic Forum estimates that at the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158 to achieve full gender parity”.

What can we do as individuals, organizations, and communities to act quickly to address gender inequality?

AGENDA

3pm – Visit , sample & shop from the female founders at our mini food fair – see full details below. Also Druid Street Bakery will be providing a mixture of afternoon tea cakes for us to enjoy during the panels.

4-5pm – Standing Up & Being Successful in a Predominantly Male Working Environment

Join our panellists – Alexa Fernandez Founder of Chili Maven, Rupa Nagamootoo Food & Lifestyle photographer & Educator and Lara Luck food writer, food stylist & award-winning chef. Rupa is also holding two food photography workshops at this venue from 10am – visit this link to find out more.

5-6pm – Strong Women in Sustainability

Join our panellists – Ceri Gott – Chief Growth and Culture Officer at Hawksmoor, Alexandra Kristall – MD of The Good Eating Company and Sakshi Chhabra Mittal – Founder and CEO of Foodhak

Meet our panellists

Alexa Fernandez

Alexa founded Chili Maven to bring real Mexican flavour to the UK. After much experimentation with flavour combinations, she launched the UK’s first salsa macha. While salsa macha is a staple in Mexico, it’s a brand new concept to most Brits. Best described as a chili condiment, but so much more than that in its layers of flavour. What sets Alexa’s products apart is her pursuit of the proper taste of Mexico. Chili Maven only uses Mexican chilis in their products. They’re grown in Mexico, picked in Mexico, prepared in Mexico, and blended with artisan Mexican techniques.

Lara Luck

Lara Luck is a food writer, self taught chef, food stylist, supper club host and food consultant. Lara has developed recipes for brands including Waitrose, Ocado and Asda. Though born and raised in the UK, her heritage is from the Caribbean islands of St Lucia and Grenada and Lara’s food reflects this. She won Best Caribbean Food 2022 at the Be Inclusive Hospitality awards and is a member of the Guild of Food Writers.

Rupa Nagamootoo

Rupa is a professional lifestyle photographer @iphonefoodphotograher and the founder of Your Creative Vision. She helps business owners share their passion for food, showcasing their talent with images that help them achieve the professional success they deserve. She works with people who want to tell their food story with passion and purpose. Because in what is an ever-increasingly competitive food industry, the right images matter now more than ever before.

Rupa also held two food photography workshops at this venue from 10am – visit this link to find out more.

Ceri Gott

After a decade working in the Civil Service on a range of social and economic policy areas, in 2012 Ceri Gott surprised herself by joining her brother Huw, co-founder of Hawksmoor, which was then a small three-restaurant operation in London, “to think about people and planning” expecting to stay around 6 months!

Fast forward 13 years and Hawksmoor is an international brand with 13 restaurants, 1,250 people, and a reputation for having an outstanding workplace culture. Leading on people, planning and purpose, Ceri has been instrumental in building a company that demonstrates that business can be both profitable and a force for good.

In each of the last 13 years, Hawksmoor has been named one of the UK’s Best Companies to work for, and a 3 star sustainable restaurant by the Sustainable Restaurant Association as well as being the first UK restaurant to become a B-Corp.

Ceri is proud to grow and lead a successful international hospitality company, whilst growing and supporting a family, and is passionate about supporting others to grow personally and professionally in alignment with their values.

Alexandra Kristall

With over 25 years of experience in senior roles within the catering and hospitality industry, Alexandra Kristall is currently the Managing Director of The Good Eating Company UK & Ireland. Her journey began at the grassroots level as a barista in Oxford, and today, she exemplifies how passion and determination can propel a career in the hospitality industry.

A strategic leader with a sharp financial acumen, Alex understands that a thriving workplace is built on a foundation of people and culture. She partners closely with clients to deliver exceptional employee experiences, while maintaining a steadfast commitment to sustainability—integrating people, planet, and profit into every business decision.

Known for fostering transparent, trusting client relationships, Alex also focuses on motivating and developing her team, always striving for excellence. With her attention to detail and dedication to growth, Alex continues to drive success, delivering outstanding results and retaining long-term business within The Good Eating Company.

Sakshi Chhabra Mittal

Sakshi Chhabra Mittal is the Founder and CEO of Foodhak. Tired of a western food industry full of unnatural, toxic & inflammatory ingredients, Sakshi turned eastern Ayurveda and modern AI to create a new approach to food.

With a biotech background, she culminated her education with an MBA from Wharton. Her career began with a four year stint at Pfizer and she was poached by Softbank in California to help manage their early stage funds and run their Healthcare growth equity investments. Sakshi led the $1billion equity investment into Roivant Sciences and served on its board for five years.

After suffering from a liver breakdown during her first pregnancy, she transformed her diet using clinical research and managed to reverse it to achieve positive health outcomes. She then conceived the idea to create clinically-backed food products for those who wish to similarly improve their health and longevity. In 2021 she founded Foodhak.

Foodhak products include award winning FMCG snacks such as Seeded Omega crackers (containing more omega per serving than most omega supplements!). These ambient products are currently stocked at Ocado among other independent retailers in the UK.

In 2024, Foodhak launched an app designed to be a digital wellbeing assistant, offering a unique blend of technology and personalised nutrition advice that adapts to your individual goals.

The panel events were chaired by :

Mex Ibrahim is co-founder of Women in the Food Industry. After almost 8 years as Head of Social Media & Marketing of the UK’s fastest growing food website, Great British Chefs, Mex has delivered a variety of award-winning digital marketing campaigns & now runs her own freelance social media, content creation & digital strategy business. Passionate about women’s equality & female empowerment, she co-founded Women in the Food Industry in April 2019 which became a Community Interest Company in July 2023.

MINI FOOD FAIR

From 3pm a selection of hot drinks, soft drinks and snacks were be available to sample and buy from female founded businesses

The stalls included:

Chili Maven – award-winning Mexican salsa macha

Zaman Condiments & Sauces – award-winning eco friendly curry sauces

DrinkJinJin – award-winning & functional non alcoholic enzyme drinks

Black Barn Foods – snacks & ingredients made from rescued surplus bread

Ka Na Homecooked – award winning Masala Curry bases

Better Food Mood – wellness teas & functional hot drinks

Noughty – a range of organic alcohol free sparkling wines

Tierra Viva – extra virgin olive oil from family owned olive groves

Foodhak – a selection of award-winning snacks

Miss Nang Treats – artisan gourmet nuts & seed snacks

Change Please – Coffee that fights homelessness – hot drinks, cakes & snacks from the cafe

Better Food Mood – a range of seed mixes

The afternoon was a must-attend event for all food producers, food writers, chefs, hospitality professionals, influencers, bloggers and those with a strong interest in the food industry for International Women’s Day.

There was plenty of time for valuable networking before the panels plus  a Q&A

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS EARLIER IN THE DAY