Dr Bhavnita Patel is a Sector Lead for AgriFood at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), supporting food and drink manufacturers to adopt technologies that improve productivity, efficiency and growth. Before joining MTC, she spent over a decade in R&D roles with leading manufacturers including Mondelez International and PepsiCo. Drawing on both her industry experience and MTC's independent, technology-agnostic approach, Bhavnita works with businesses to evaluate opportunities, de-risk investment decisions and turn innovation into practical commercial outcomes.

Chris is a Director in Walker Morris LLP's Regulatory and Compliance Team. Formerly Head of Legal at the Food Standards Agency, Chris's experience spans all aspects of food and animal feed law and he specialises in helping businesses navigate the complex and ever-changing demands of food and animal feed regulation.

Louis Bedwell has spent the past decade helping food businesses work out what is changing, what matters and where to act.

He spent six years at Mission Ventures, working with hundreds of food businesses and delivering investment and innovation programmes with organisations including Sainsbury’s, Warburtons, Ocado and Impact on Urban Health. He later led industry engagement at Future Food Movement, working with senior teams across major UK retailers and manufacturers.

Today he works independently across the food industry, advising businesses on growth, innovation and market change. His work brings together commercial strategy, consumer behaviour, retail, health and emerging shifts shaping the future of food.

Mat has 30 years experience working in a range of food manufacturing including soft drinks, fresh produce, airline catering, dairy and bakery with some of the UK’s leading FMCG businesses including Britvic, Yeo Valley and Warburtons.

With experience of developing and implementing new technology in processing and packing automation, bringing to market exciting product innovation for leading brands and nurturing leading edge research collaborations between industry and academia, Mat is proud to be a member of The Manufacturer Top 100 and delighted to support the development of this exciting conference.

Matthew has over 20 years’ experience in the world of product development and innovation. He is currently Brand & Futures Innovation Director at leading food manufacturer The Compleat Food Group. This role combines health strategy, futures innovation projects and delivering the innovation plans for the Group’s brands including Vadasz, Squeaky Bean and Wall’s Pastry.

He joined The Compleat Food Group through the acquisition of Winterbotham Darby, where he worked for seven years as Head of Inspiration and Product Development. When The Compleat Food Group formed in 2021, he became the Group’s first Director of Product Development and Innovation. Prior to this, he spent 10 successful years working at M&S, across many different categories in a variety of product development roles.

When he is not talking about food, developing products or dreaming about the next big thing, you will find him cooking for friends and family, eating out or exercising to stay fit. His favourite product (today) is the Vadasz Smacked Cucumbers.

Sessions can cover:

• Product concept development and formulation strategy
• Ingredient selection, functionality, and dosage considerations
• Regulatory compliance and claims guidance
• Innovation opportunities across supplements, functional foods, and drinks
• Formula optimisation and cost considerations
• Manufacturer and supplier considerations
• Troubleshooting existing products or development challenges