The pressure on food and drink manufacturers continues to heat up.
VUCA – standing for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity – has become the norm. Producers are grappling with a convergence of crises, comprising fluctuating costs and regulation, alongside increasing supply fragility.
All the while, customers and consumers demand more - better quality, more innovation, cheaper products - on the double!
The fast pace of today’s world has come to seem ordinary; we generally accept that one person does several jobs, that trends that became an overnight hit are now dead in the water. But it doesn’t make it any easier.
Despite this, some businesses are making it work; moving quickly and intuitively with a constantly evolving market. But how exactly are they doing this without Bernard’s watch stashed in their pocket...?
In our upcoming webinar on 30 June, we look to answer exactly that. We’ll be joined by four industry experts as they unlock the key to staying ahead when change never slows.
Register for the webinar here.
Meet the panel
Ian Toal, chief executive officer at Oscar Mayer UK
A seasoned food industry leader, Ian Toal brings over 38 years of global experience spanning food manufacturing, supply chain, restaurants, and home delivery across 12 countries, including the USA, Europe, and the Middle East.
Formerly global president of Alshaya Group, Toal oversaw the international growth of brands such as The Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang’s, Texas Roadhouse, Shake Shack, and IHOP, earning the title of ‘World’s Best Restaurant Partner’ at the Global Restaurant Leadership Conference (2017–18).
Since 2019, he has led Alfa Co. (Riyadh), part of the Al Faisaliah Group, managing nearly 100 outlets across award-winning concepts like Steak House, Piatto, and FireGrill.
He also serves as group CEO and board director of Oscar Mayer Group (UK), leading a £350 million chilled-meals business, and advises F&B companies across the USA, UK, Italy, and the Middle East on brand expansion and strategy.
Mike Stanbridge, business architect at HSO UK
Mike Stanbridge is a Business Architect at HSO UK, helping food manufacturers respond to margin pressure, regulatory compliance and supply chain volatility. He works with leadership teams to shape practical, value‑led transformation across operations.
For over 30 years, HSO has helped organisations around the world transform with the full power of the Microsoft Cloud. Backed by decades of industry experience, award-winning delivery, and all six Microsoft Cloud Solution Designations, the business brings deep expertise in Fabric and Copilot to turn data into action and AI into impact.
Richard Kottmeyer, group chief strategy officer at FutureBridge
Richard Kottmeyer is one of the most consequential strategists in global food and agriculture. Over a 30-year career spanning investment banking, management consulting, government advisory, and technology, he has built and led the largest food and agriculture practices at six of the world’s most prominent professional services firms.
At FutureBridge, he advises Fortune 500 clients, investors, and governments on structural shifts in the global food system, covering everything from protein transition economics and precision agriculture to food-as-medicine, trade policy risk, and the future of consumer demand across emerging markets.
Merijn Meulemans, operating partner at BainCapital
Merijn Meulemans joined Bain Capital in 2021. He is an operating partner in the portfolio group and a member of the Europe Private Equity team.
Prior to joining Bain Capital, Meulemans worked for Ammeraal Beltech, a global leader in conveyor belts as the country director for the Netherlands and Belgium. Previously, he worked at Bain & Company in the Amsterdam office.
He obtained a Masters in management with distinction from London Business School and a masters in commercial law, cum laude, from the University of Amsterdam.
Key learning outcomes
Over the course of one-hour, the experts will help viewers understand the key blockers that may be slowing progress; how to make prudent, thoughtful decisions when it comes to embedding efficiency into the business; and what investors look for in transformation projects.
Attendees will also hear how leading food businesses translate strategy into operational capability – enabling faster decisions, smarter efficiency and measurable value. This includes the real-life case study of Oscar Mayer UK which has managed to turbocharge its NPD and turn around previously dwindling results.