This year 14 awards are up for grabs, including the prestigious Factory Manager of the Year award.
This award recognises an outstanding food or drink factory manager who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation and operational excellence.
It celebrates managers who have significantly contributed to the success of their food manufacturing facility, ensuring high standards of productivity, quality, safety and employee satisfaction.
Three factory managers are in the running for the top accolade.
Neil Sanderson, AG Barr
Neil Sanderson is the Site Director for AG Barr’s factory and warehouse at Milton Keynes.
He joined the business two years ago after a career with extensive manufacturing leadership experience at a range of food manufacturers including Adelie Foods, Oscar Mayer and Bakkavor.
Since joining in 2023, Sanderson has delivered improvements across all aspects of the sites’ performance including quality and Health and Safety. He also instigated the creation of a site Safety Committee that has improved employee engagement.
He knows the importance of skills and training and has ensured that all factory employees have a skill-matrix sufficient for their role, as well as skills development roadmaps captured in their personal development plans. He is a big believer in promoting from within.
As an AA+ rated BRC site, the factory under Sanderson’s leadership has a demonstrated a strong track-record of excellent product quality and safety.
Richard Collins, Arla Foods
Richard Collins is senior site director at Arla’s Lockerbie site, which produces cheese, milk and whey protein concentrate.
Since taking over, he has transformed the factory with a clear strategic direction and a growth mindset. His comprehensive Factory Strategic Plan set a long-term vision to sustainably grow the fresh milk, cheddar cheese, and whey concentrate operations.
Under his leadership he has established clear goals, communicates the site’s vision, and cascades strategic priorities into team objectives.
He fosters open communication, providing regular feedback, and recognises achievements.
He also highlights that sustainable growth depends on developing people and has emphasised building capability at all levels. He was also instrumental in identifying that leadership development and upskilling are key to long-term success.
He has also championed structured development pathways, offering tailored training, mentoring, and access to learning resources.
Under his leadership he has prioritised succession planning, encouraging high-potential individuals to take on new challenges and supporting team leads.
Mickey O’neil, Daily Dose
Mickey O’neil has taken the Daily Dose factory through a major operational transformation, implementing structured daily management and clear KPIs for the entire site team.
Under his leadership there has been a focus on improving planning and communication.
He has focused on people development through mentoring, clear objectives, and regular one-to-ones.
He focuses on keeping the team motivated understanding that this starts with strong communication and genuine recognition.
Training initiatives address skills gaps, while regular staff surveys give everyone a voice, and involves the team in Daily Dose’s broader strategies.
Developing people is central to his leadership and he has introduced Health & Safety workshops that have transformed attitudes across the site, creating a safer and more engaged workplace.
He has also spearheaded leadership coaching for supervisors and encouraged cross-training to build flexibility, resilience, and future capacity.
He has also focused on investment in technology and smarter ways of working.
The past 18 months have been a landmark period for the factory after it achieved BRC AA+ status following an unannounced audit.
