Dr Kevin Robinson
Head of the Judging Panel
As Head Judge of both the NBTA and the European Outsourcing Awards (EOA) judging panels, Kevin has a wealth of experience in this area. He has a PhD in molecular biology and a strong educational background in the life sciences sector. A veteran publishing professional with 15+ years of editorial, layout and production experience in B2B and contract publishing. Kevin is responsible for the editorial content, direction and integrity of the products in the Via Media UK portfolio of publications and events, and acts as the senior editor on both Nutraceutical Business & Technology (NBT) and Pure Health Magazine (PHM).

Alison Owen
Alison is head of PR at leading international food and nutritional marketing communications agency BDB. With more than 15 years’ experience in the strategic planning and direction of award-winning campaigns, Alison has helped shape the corporate reputation of major companies within the sector and has a broad understanding of the global issues, trends and legislation that impact the industry.

Dr Paul Berryman
Chief Executive of Leatherhead Food Research, a 200-strong research centre providing scientific and legal services for the food sector. Leatherhead’s platforms are nutrition, sensory science, microbiology, NPD and regulatory advice. Paul has 30 years of experience in the food sector. Previous roles include Leatherhead’s Research Director and Hampshire County Council’s Head of Science and Food Standards. He sits on three BBSRC strategy panels (including Bioscience for Industry) and DRINC – a £12 million initiative to fund industry relevant nutrition research at Universities. He also chairs the Government Chemist Working Group. Paul has four science degrees plus an MBA and a PhD in Science Strategy. He is a Chartered Scientist, Chemist and Biologist.

Robin Ward
Spent 12 years with Swiss manufacturer, Linnea SA, as Vice President of Commercial Operations with responsibility for sales and marketing, strategic supply chain and the in-licensing and commercialization of new products. In 2010, he joined Excelsa Pharma as Managing Director of the business’ two core divisions, Excelsa Supply Chain Solutions (ingredient sourcing) and Excelsa Business Development (international commercialization of finished dosage forms and pharmaceutical dossiers).

Alison Doering
A seasoned marketeer, Alison has spent her career designing award-winning communications campaigns around intelligent ingredients, nutraceutical and healthcare innovations. With a pan-European pedigree spanning food, pharma and cosmetics, Alison currently leads the marketing team at one of the UK's fastest growing contract manufacturing organisations, Aesica, where her mandate is to translate the science behind the brand into a meaningful, commercially compelling message. Formerly of international marcomms agency, BDB, Alison is immersed day-to-day in the industry's most ingenious innovations, making her a valuable commentator on the emerging trends at this year's Vitafoods.

Dr Hannah Theobald
More than 10 years of nutrition experience in research and the food industry. Hannah currently works at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as a Claims Innovator, commissioning research and developing new claims for the Lucozade Energy and Ribena brands in international markets, and was previously a Senior Nutritionist for the Horlicks brand. A graduate from King’s College London with a BSc in nutrition, she studied for a PhD investigating the effects of DHA on heart disease risk factors. She worked as the company nutritionist at Waitrose before spending 2+ years at the British Nutrition Foundation, writing journals and reviews of the role of calcium in health and the effects of unsaturated fatty acids. Hannah was communications manager at the Sugar Bureau, is a registered public health nutritionist and member of the Nutrition Society. Key interests lie in the field of vitamin D, fats, cardiovascular disease, calcium and bone health.

Dr Sybille Buchwald-Werner
A pharmacist with a PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry and more than 12 years of experience in natural product development in the B2B sector, Sybille has a range of skills in the strategic portfolio and innovation management of natural ingredients for cosmetics, DS, FF and pharmaceutical applications, portfolio evaluation, R&D and the implementation of new products. She has a wealth of knowledge in the areas of extraction process development and supply chain management, with access to a global network of potential R&D, production and distribution partners and key decision maker contacts in the functional foods industry. Known from many lectures and publications, she worked at Cognis GmbH from 2001–2009 and is now Managing Director and Co-founder of Vital Solutions GmbH. Vital Solutions works globally in the field of natural ingredients for food, dietary supplement and cosmetic use, and is currently focusing on developing sustainable, bioethical raw materials from Southern Africa.

Mark J. Tallon
Dr Tallon is a chartered scientist, biologist and a registered nutritionist through the Science Council, Society of Biology and Nutrition Society. He is currently a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, Royal Chartered Society of Biology and Institute of Food Science and Technology, where he is lead co-ordinator for the special interest group, Food Law. He holds a first degree with honours in exercise physiology, a Masters in nutrition science and a doctorate in nutritional biochemistry. He is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Food Law at De Montfort University. For 10 years, Dr Tallon has worked in the functional food and ingredients market and is founder of the UK’s leading regulatory consultancy, NutriSciences, which specializes in European health claims regulations and food labelling law. His work has also led to more than 130 publications on the science and trends shaping the global market for healthy foods and ingredients.

Sian Brenchley
Sian is Global Communications Director at Mintel and has extensive experience spanning the PR and marketing communications sectors. She is responsible for managing and implementing global publicity plans around Mintel's market intelligence and core products, including Mintel Beauty & Personal Care, Mintel Food & Drink and Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD) and profiling Mintel's senior analyst team. Her experience includes promoting the in-depth analysis of new products and ingredients as well as highlighting and raising awareness of new trends in a wide variety of FMCG sectors via Mintel's expertise in this area. Prior to Mintel, Sian has held roles at national tourist boards VisitBritain and VisitEngland as well as the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Dr Simon Wheeler
Simon Wheeler is a Lecturer in Human Nutrition at Oxford Brookes University. He does his research at the Functional Food Centre, the first of its kind in the UK dedicated to working with industry to explore the potential benefits of functional foods on human health. His specialism is micronutrient and fatty acid nutrition, especially in women of reproductive age and those most susceptible to sub-optimal nutritional status. His previous work has focused largely on exploring the relationships between maternal diet, nutritional status and the rate of complications in pregnant inner-city teenagers. He has also worked as a consultant on various projects, including the formulation of an antenatal supplement for Tommy’s and Boots UK.

Dr Rolf Lambert
Rolf has spent the last 25 years working in the pharmaceutical industry for different contract manufacturing companies. He has held the position of sales and marketing director with the R.P.Scherer (now Catalent) subsidiary, Backnang /Germany. Later on he joined to SwissCaps AG, Kirchberg /Switzerland as Senior Vice President, sales and marketing; followed by a position as sales and marketing director in the Haupt Pharma Group in Germany and Switzerland. His current position is managing director of the Dr. Rolf Lambert Pharma-Consulting GmbH with active product development for international clients (representing Kemin Health in Central Europe).