The first round of judging for the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards has concluded, with five leaders making the cut for Business Leader of the Year.
Food Manufacture takes an opportunity to to introduce you to the finalists.
A full list of all the finalists for 2026 can be found here.
Business Leader of the Year 2026 shortlist
Thomas Robson-Kanu, The Turmeric Co.
Thomas Robson-Kanu is a former Premier League and Wales international footballer who retired in 2021 to champion the power of natural nutrition.
In 2018, Robson-Kanu and his father founded The Turmeric Co. after discovering the remarkable recovery benefits of their homemade turmeric blend, which supported his career through serious injuries and the demands of elite sport.
By late 2024, The Turmeric Co. was delivering over 10,000 functional shots every week.
Since becoming CEO, he has grown the company into one of the UK’s fastest-growing health brands, with products now listed in Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Boots, and trusted by leading sports clubs including Everton FC, Brentford FC, and Sale Sharks Rugby Club.
Among his achievements is the opening of a 1,858m² headquarters in Chatteris in 2022, which created over 30 local jobs. This is a state-of-the-art R&D laboratory that holds BRCGS AA+ certification.
Moreover, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, the business has published two clinical trials validating the benefits of its formulas, with two more due in the next 24 months.
This year, Robson-Kanu has secured a majority investment from AG Barr (makers of Irn-Bru), unlocking the next phase of growth and global expansion for Innate-Essence, parent company of The Turmeric Co. and Raw Hydrate.
Robson-Kanu also represents entrepreneurs nationally as a member of the UK Government’s Department for Business & Trade Business Council and the Prime Minister’s Business Council.
Anne-Frances Ball, Arla Foods
Fran Ball is a chartered engineer, with a successful career journey in food and drink that spans over 25 years.
She started at National Starch & Chemical in 1998 working in various roles including manufacturing manager, before becoming head of operations and development at Coffee Nation in 2005.
Later, she moved to Carlsberg UK (2007), where she was responsible for all aspects of technical governance as operations support manager, before heading to Britvic Soft Drinks in 2010. She served here as regional QSE manager, responsible for all aspects of quality, safety and environment.
Ball’s career at Arla began at Arla UK in 2013 when she took on the role of technical director, responsible for QEHS.
She progressed to global QEHS director for milk, yogurt and logistics three years later, becoming senior site director at Stourton in 2019.
In 2022, she became vice president of UK manufacturing and since August 2025 has lead the total UK end-to-end supply chain as SVP.
Under her leadership, Arla UK has made gross savings of more than £50 million in the last three years and secured £400 million in investment for the UK supply chain.
She has taken a people-centred approach, with inclusion at the heart. Her gender strategy is aiming to hit 30% women in the supply chain by 2030, while initiatives like bespoke apprenticeships nurture future talent.
George Hughes-Davies, Daily Dose
George Hughes-Davies founded Daily Dose in 2016 after identifying a gap in the UK for cold-pressed juice using surplus fruit and vegetables.
What began as a small start-up has grown into one of the UK’s fastest-scaling beverage manufacturers, supplying nearly every major retailer.
In 2019, he led the decision to invest in his own factory, building a vertically integrated business model that gave the business control over production, quality and innovation.
In 2023, the business relocated to a new state-of-the-art site in Corby, installing the UK’s largest HPP machine and a fully automated filling line. This year, it has invested a further £2.5 million in capacity and automation, rebranded the business and grown by 70%.
This year the business has gained BRC AA+ accreditation at our Corby site, alongside achieving B Corp status. It has grown from £12 million to £20 million in revenue.
Looking ahead, Daily Dose plans to continue scaling rapidly by delivering another 50% growth. This will be achieved through further branded distribution gains, private label expansion, and operational efficiencies from its investment programme.
George Taylor, Frive
George Taylor founded Frive in 2017 with no prior food and drink experience, starting from his home kitchen, where he cooked and hand-delivered meals.
Under his leadership, Frive has achieved triple-digit year-on-year growth, evolving from a one-man start-up into one of the UK’s fastest-growing food brands.
The company now exceeds £50 million in annual revenue and delivers to 30,000 customers weekly nationwide.
Taylor has overseen the expansion of Frive’s weekly menu from 15 to more than 40 options, and introduced new production methods that have extended shelf life from three to five plus days – cutting waste by more than 30%.
In 2024 he led the successful rebrand from Lions Prep to Frive, aligning a bold new identity with a renewed purpose: to make ‘real food’ accessible at scale. Since then the business has removed all artificial ingredients and ‘ultra-processed’ foods from its range, re-engineering recipes and supply chains.
He has built the business culture on empowerment, transparency, open communication, high performance and agility.
Ricky Flax, Delightful Food Group
Ricky Flax began his career in food service when he joined the family business, IBC Simply.
He initially joined as marketing manager and soon moved to general manager, focusing on sales, innovation and how to strategically grow the business. Over the years, he has helped drive growth of more than 350%.
He was later appointed as director at IBC Simply. In December 2023, Delightful Food Group (DFG) was formed and became the parent company for IBC Simply and the business’s first acquisition, March Foods. At the same time, he moved into the role of CEO at both IBC Simply and DFG.
With the acquisition of March Foods, Flax took a hands-on approach, taking the time to understand the new factory, discover pain points, recognise efficiencies, and get to know the team and its customers better.
Today, he leads a team of 200+ colleagues across multiple sites, with a customer-centric approach and a focus on continuous growth through innovation and customer relationships.
Revenues have risen from £16.7 million in FY24 to £28 million in FY25, expected to reach £30 million by FY26.
Flax believes tenacity is essential – if something doesn’t go to plan, he says the business learns from it, moves on, and makes sure to improve it next time.
