The Grocer Top New Talent list 2014

It’s a tough time in grocery, but this is not the time to rehearse the reasons why. Instead, the second year of The Grocer’s Top New Talent list offers the perfect opportunity to celebrate. 

Yes, there is doom and gloom out there, especially on the retail side. But Top New Talent 2014 proves there is an enormous amount of talent out there in grocery too - and this fact offers a wealth of reassurance that the industry has a bright future ahead of it. 

It’s evidenced by the sheer volume of entrants for Top New Talent in 2014 - the total ran well into three figures - and all of them had a very strong case for inclusion. It was a testing experience at times, deciding on the Class of 2014, but it does make the 33 people who are featured over the next 10 pages a very special crop indeed. 

“The talent on show offers a wealth of reassurance that grocery has a bright future”

The initial inspiration for this initiative was a ticking timebomb in food manufacturing, with suppliers struggling to recruit quality candidates as an alarming proportion of its workforce approaches retirement age. At the same time, I felt there was a wider reputational issue affecting the entire food and drink industry. Despite employing some 3.6 million people, and offering an incredible diversity of roles, it was nevertheless frequently characterised as a market for shelf stackers and ethnic immigrants on slave-labour wages. 

Top New Talent therefore acts, at the same time, as a fantastic showcase for the incredible variety of roles that are available in this industry. And this year’s list delivers in spades on that score - arguably even more than it did last year. From inventors to development chefs, store managers to placement students, MDs to PRs, passionate eco-warriors to relentless rainmakers, brand marketers to number-crunchers, hard-nosed buyers to entrepreneurs, this year’s list truly sums up the breadth of roles available to anyone considering a career in food and drink. 

Earlier this week, the 33 people on the Top New Talent list joined a host of senior industry VIPs at an event to celebrate, to network and to share their experiences. It was an electric evening, and every bit as awe-inspiring as it was the first time around. And if you are reading this and thinking ‘Why didn’t I enter?’ then rest assured. There is always next year…

Adam Leyland, editor

Codie Pearce

AGE: 22

JOB TITLE: Buyer

WORKS AT: Morrisons

“In my many years in fmcg I have never met someone so young, driven and capable,” says one Morrisons director of Pearce. She is a “young woman with an incredible amount of passion, energy and enthusiasm combined with a large amount of intelligence. And despite giving her role her full dedication, this has not stopped Codie being on track for a first-class degree.”

Adam Sopher

AGE: 29

JOB TITLE: Co-founder

WORKS AT: Joe & Seph’s Popcorn

Popcorn has exploded over the past couple of years, and when it comes to the premium end, Joe & Seph’s is right up there. Founded in late 2010 by Sopher and his parents, Joseph and Jackie, Joe & Seph’s has won 15 Great Taste Gold Awards and is listed in the UK and across the globe. Sales grew 254% between 2012 and 2013 and are expected to grow over 200% this financial year to over £2m. It now employs 24 people.

Helen Walsh

AGE: 24

JOB TITLE: Supply chain analyst

WORKS AT: Morrisons

Walsh joined Morrisons as a graduate in 2012 and now leads a team of supply chain analysts. Morrisons describes her as “tenacious, creative and a superb networker who delivers results” as well as “fearless and not afraid to challenge anyone to get problems sorted.” According to Simon Thompson, the MD for Morrisons.com, “it’s only a matter of time before I end up reporting to Helen.”

Martin Knowles

AGE: 25

JOB TITLE: Account manager

WORKS AT: Arla

Knowles worked in recruitment before joining Arla in 2013. Progress has been rapid. He started on foodservice accounts including McDonald’s, Starbucks, Bidvest 3663 and Brakes before being promoted to cover Aldi, Lidl, Iceland Boots, WH Smith and Superdrug, managing a P&L budget of more than £750,000. He’s also been given several side projects, and launched two new butter and cheese lines for Arla.

David Lepley

AGE: 31

JOB TITLE: Senior director, supermarkets north division

WORKS AT: Asda

Lepley joined Asda as a temporary shop floor assistant in 2000 and swiftly came to the attention of head office, eventually being appointed as project manager for CEO Andy Clarke. At 22 he became a store manager and was promoted to regional operations manager at 28. Now senior director, he looks after 104 stores within eight regions with sales of £790m.

Dave Knowles

AGE: 30

JOB TITLE: Account manager

WORKS AT: C&C Group

After successfully delivering on major multiple accounts, Knowles now runs the Tesco account for C&C – the group’s largest. According to his nomination he is a “very talented and energetic team player and a sharp and trustworthy colleague”. In his spare time he raises money for charity: last year he raised £16,665 for the MNDA after competing in 13 different challenges, including running 13 marathons in 13 days.

Solveiga Pakstaite

AGE: 22

JOB TITLE: Inventor

WORKS AT: Recently graduated from Brunel University with a first-class degree in industrial design & technology

James Dyson knows a thing or two about inventions, and he was quick to make Pakstaite, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, the British winner of the James Dyson Award for product design. Her invention? A label containing gelatine that changes texture as the food inside the packet nears its sell by date and goes bumpy, offering a tangible way for consumers to know whether the product is actually still perfectly edible, even if the best-before date suggests otherwise –potentially saving a lot of pointlessly wasted food. “Because gelatine is a protein, it decays at the same rate as protein-based foods like pork, milk and cheese,” she says. “The label copies what the food in the package is doing, so the expiry information is going to be far more accurate than a printed date.”

Ben Molineux

AGE: 25

JOB TITLE: sustainability officer

WORKS AT: HPS – Product Recovery Systems

The fmcg industry generates a vast amount of waste – but Molineux is on a mission to reduce it. As a “passionate believer in reducing waste in the process industry” he has spent three years working towards slashing waste for customers including Saladworks (owned by Samworth Brothers), and others involved in the fmcg world. His work is achieving results and gaining Molineux recognition.

Dan Broughton

AGE: 34

JOB TITLE: Sales director

WORKS AT: Cawston Press

After starting out in sales with PJ smoothies and Green & Black’s, Broughton switched to a national account management role within Cadbury when it snapped up Green & Black’s, where he was responsible for growing and retaining the Compass account.

In 2012, he joined Cawston Press for his first director-level role. “One of the brightest young men I have come across in my career in the grocery trade. He is dedicated and motivated, he just keeps going until he gets the result, which he has proven time and time again he can get,” read one of several nominations for Broughton.

And it’s not just talk. He recently achieved sales of 8,000 cases across 60 new customers in 14 weeks, delivering overall sales growth of 38%, and increased profitability across the range. He also won new clients in Canada, Norway and Holland.

Chow Mezger

AGE: 33

JOB TITLE: Managing director

WORKS AT: Jude’s Ice Cream

Jude’s supplies some of Britain’s top chefs and is served in the Houses of Parliament and Blenheim Palace. It has also won 25 Great Taste Awards. For the past two years, Mezger has led the marketing team: redesigning the Jude’s packaging; increasing brand recognition and spearheading its launch into retail, winning listings in Waitrose, Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Whole Foods Market.

Amy Burgess

AGE: 32

JOB TITLE: Associate director

WORKS AT: Publicasity

Burgess handles Publicasity’s flagship accounts, including Heineken, Britvic and Bacardi. According to one of her clients, she “quickly developed a detailed knowledge of our business, and won the trust and confidence of all who work with her.” Practical, resilient and creative, Burgess also plays a “pivotal role” in adding new accounts to the Publicasity portfolio.

Jamie Welch

AGE: 26

JOB TITLE: Store manager

WORKS AT: Tesco

Welch started working in supermarkets at the age of 16, rounding up trolleys at Morrisons. He joined Tesco in 2009 and since April 2014, has managed a Tesco store in Sheffield. He also led a £91m investment into Tesco.com as programme manager, based on improving online service, and was recently voted by Tesco directors to be part of the Tesco Future Leaders programme.

Susan Connolly

AGE: 31

JOB TITLE: Business development manager

WORKS AT: Connolly Spar

Connolly works “tirelessly to build community links through new ideas and customer engagement,” but there are some pretty serious numbers to add weight to the nice stuff, like a 24% year-on-year rise in footfall and 15% rise in turnover. “A savvy and passionate entrepreneur, Susan’s the next generation of Spar retailer and personifies the mantra ‘never give up’,” says Spar MD Debbie Robinson.

Nicola Tilley

AGE: 27

JOB TITLE: Retail area manager

WORKS AT: James Hall & Co

Tilley loves the business of food and drink. She started on the 12-month Tesco graduate scheme in 2009, working within the burgeoning Express format, and was made store manager after nine months. After 18 months she joined Aldi as an area manager, where she spent three years “facing numerous opportunities and challenges that such extreme growth poses to a business.”

Having worked at James Hall & Co for the past five months, her approach and management style is described as keeping it simple: focusing on delivering fantastic availability, great store standards and motivated and engaged people, who also have the drive and ability to do a great job every day. Some of her biggest achievements to date have been opening new stores, managing teams of more than 150 individuals and the training and development of young new talent.

Muhammad Asad

AGE: 30

JOB TITLE: wholesaler

WORKS AT: Bestway

Since he arrived in the UK in 1999, Asad has always worked at Bestway. He joined its GTO scheme in 2005 and became general manager of the Barking branch in 2013, shortly before winning the FWD Young Wholesaler of the Year award. Asad says poor availability is a “crime”, developing his team is a priority, keeping the store clean and tidy is key, as is remembering to “always be pleased to see the customer.”

Robert Jakobi

AGE: 29

JOB TITLE: Managing director

WORKS AT: Metcalfe’s Food Company

“Recognise a genius and get him in!” was Julian Metcalfe’s initial reaction upon meeting former investment banker and hedge fund manager Robert Jakobi. When he joined, Metcalfe’s was a popcorn company selling to Pret and Itsu with annual sales of £300,000. Today, three-and-a-half years after Jakobi first joined, Metcalfe’s Food Company delivers annual sales of more than £15m.

Pippa Rodgers

AGE: 21

JOB TITLE: Marketing assistant

WORKS AT: Waitrose

As part of her marketing degree at Sheffield Hallam university – where she is predicted to receive a first – Rodgers spent a year at Waitrose, working as a marketing assistant on its direct email campaigns, which she sent out to 2 million customers a week.

As a direct result of her work, which included creating more than 200 variants of a single template email based on a customer’s previous purchase history, open rates went up 20% and sales conversions tripled. In addition, a direct email campaign over Easter recorded the best results Waitrose had ever had.

As a result, she was awarded the IGD Leading Light Award in 2014. Waitrose describes her as a “real asset, not only due to her remarkable contribution, but also because her positive attitude never fails to motivate those around her.” She’s now in the market for a graduate job.

Sally Barton

AGE: 30

JOB TITLE: Senior brand manager

WORKS AT: Cadbury Dairy Milk

Barton was promoted in 2013 to lead Mondelez’s Bitesize bags business, and quickly helped deliver a period of fast expansion and double-digit growth. She also launched category-building innovations like Cadbury Bitsa Wispa and Cadbury Dairy Milk Pebbles, and led a £6m multi-platform communications launch for Cadbury Crispello, Cadbury’s first new brand in more than 20 years.