Rachel currently serves as Deputy Director for Growth, Technology and Trade in the Agri‑Food Chain at Defra,  during her time in this part of Defra her portfolio has involved Agri Tech, genetic Resources and technology, Food labelling, Food marketing standards, Food compositional Standards, oversight of alcoholic drinks policy, the UK’s organic policy, and British Food promotion including Geographical Indications, where she works to protect iconic local foods and strengthen their place in UK and international trade agreements. She also sponsors key parts of the UK’s food and drink sector—manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and SMEs—working closely with industry bodies and major supply‑chain partners. A recent highlight was the partnership on Government Buying Standards for Food partnership between NHS and Soil Association for more sustainable food in the public sector.

Previously, Rachel was Deputy Director for Environmental Governance for five years. Her leadership delivered major milestones such as the Environmental governance framework through the Environment Act  including setting up the Office for Environmental Protection and the Environmental Principles Policy Statement, and the UK’s negotiations on the emerging international Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment

Earlier roles at Natural England saw her lead regional operations, national governance functions, the creation of the New Forest National Park structures, and the delivery of England’s largest agri‑environment scheme.

With a strong scientific foundation—holding MSc and BSc degrees from Imperial College London —Rachel brings deep expertise in ecology, biodiversity, and land management alongside senior leadership credentials. She is known for her pragmatic, collaborative approach and her commitment to protecting landscapes, improving environmental outcomes, and supporting sustainable rural and food economies.

Rachel is passionate about championing innovation and leadership in sustainability, and brings her extensive cross‑sector insight to the Footprint Awards 2026 judging panel.

Clare Clark is a Fellow of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals and was recognised as Planet Mark’s 2023 Sustainability Game Changer. She is currently Director of Sustainability at Oak View Group International, where she leads the delivery of environmental improvement while enhancing guest experience. Previously, Clare was Head of Sustainability at CH&CO Group, part of Compass UK & Ireland, and has also worked across public health and sustainable food and farming systems with the Soil Association.

Alistair is Head of the Climate and Environment Unit in the House of Commons Select Committee Team. In that role, he leads work supporting the scrutiny of sustainability policies across select committees, working particularly closely with the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Environmental Audit Committee and the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee. Previously, Alistair worked on scrutiny of EU sustainability policies across Commons select committees. He spent the early years of his career working in the European Parliament.

Anya Doherty is the Founder of Foodsteps, a leading food sustainability platform helping businesses measure, reduce and report their environmental impact. Since founding the company in 2019 while at Cambridge University, she has led Foodsteps to partner with more than 200 organisations — including Compass Group, Greencore, Accor Hotels, KFC and Danone — helping the food industry’s best-known brands decarbonise.

In 2024, Anya led the acquisition of Foodsteps by Registrar Corp, a global leader in food compliance. In her current role as Brand Ambassador, Anya serves as the company’s primary external voice, championing the transition to a net-zero food system on the global stage. Backed by the vast resources of Registrar Corp, Foodsteps remains anchored in Anya’s founding vision of scientific transparency while operating at a global scale.

A former researcher at the University of Cambridge, Anya won prizes in ecological sciences and food security, and co-authored the largest scientific study on carbon labelling of food. She is also a trustee of two environmental charities, including Youngwilders, which she co-founded to empower youth-led nature recovery projects across the UK.

Emma is Head of Sustainability for Nestlé UK&I, focusing on delivering the ambitious net zero climate commitment and driving the business to be a force for good. Prior to joining Nestlé, Emma led a team at WWF on food system transformation and before that was in Unilever’s sustainability team working on bringing the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan to life. She also holds a doctorate in supply chain sustainability.

Celena Fernandez is a sustainability leader with over 20 years’ experience shaping responsible business strategies across consultancy and the foodservice sector. Celena has led sustainability agendas in‑house for major brands including Compass Group, KFC, and Subway, translating ambition into practical, award‑winning programmes. Celena was recognised with the Special Achievement Award at the Footprint Awards 2019 for outstanding contribution to sustainability.

David Gudgeon is the Head of External Affairs at Reconomy, leading strategic engagement across government, industry, and key stakeholders to strengthen collaboration and drive meaningful policy outcomes. With a career rooted in effective advocacy and relationship‑building, David brings a clear focus on connecting organisational priorities with the wider environmental and regulatory landscape. He works closely with partners to shape discussions on resource efficiency and circular economy solutions, ensuring evidence-based decision making remains at the forefront. David is committed to championing practical, forward‑thinking approaches that support both innovation and long-term sustainability across the sector.”

Amy is currently Director of Investor Relations and Sustainability at Mitchells & Butlers plc. Starting her career as a finance professional, becoming a chartered accountant with Ernst and Young, Amy has added sustainability to her skillset and is now leading Mitchells and Butlers plc’s sustainability strategy alongside responsibility for investor relations. With ten years’ experience within Mitchells and Butlers plc Amy’s role provides a unique opportunity to combine the internal drive for enhanced sustainability with the need to communicate progress and ambitions externally to an audience who are increasingly focused on ESG.

Robin Sundaram is a sustainability and supply chain leader with nearly 40 years’ experience in the FMCG sector, including more than 30 years with Nestlé in the UK. During his career he has worked at the intersection of supply chains, agriculture and sustainability, helping organisations tackle complex environmental and social challenges across food systems.

At Nestlé, Robin played a leading role in developing and delivering responsible sourcing and sustainability initiatives working closely with farmers and supply chain partners. His work has included programmes supporting more sustainable agricultural practices, strengthening environmental stewardship within supply chains, and embedding responsible sourcing approaches within large-scale food businesses.

He has also helped lead programmes addressing modern slavery risks and building more inclusive procurement models that create opportunities for social enterprises and communities.

Robin’s work has been recognised through a number of industry awards, including the Footprint Sustainability Special Achievement Award and the Unseen Business Champion Award for leadership in tackling modern slavery.

Robin now works independently, helping organisations build practical sustainability and supply chain capability, translating sustainability ambition into action that works in the real world.

Justin is Sustainability Director at Bunzl Catering & Hospitality Division, where he works with supply chains and customers to develop more sustainable systems across both reusable and disposable packaging, helping organisations meet their sustainability targets and navigate areas such as the Green Claims Code and the complex legislative landscape.

He is also a Director at the Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA), where he contributes to industry discussions on packaging legislation, recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility, and the role of reuse in the UK foodservice sector.

Justin believes progress comes from collaboration across the value chain, supporting innovation, and focusing on practical, scalable solutions.

Dominic is a partner and global head of consumer sector at DWF. He is a specialist consumer product regulatory lawyer supporting clients with launching and commercialising products in the UK and globally. He also deals with the regulators when things go wrong whether that is defending notices or prosecutions received or dealing with recalls. He also leads DWF’s consumer sector practice globally and is responsible for the coordination and growth of DWF services.  Dominic attends the OPSS Business Reference Panel and is on the LexisNexis Corporate Crime Editorial Panel. 

 

Dominic specialises is supporting clients rolling out products and services across multiple jurisdictions and in helping clients navigate the ever-changing regulatory frameworks, particularly in respect of sustainability. He has 20 years’ experience of supporting clients in dealing with regulatory challenges from UK and EU regulators and approaches matters to protect client’s reputation.

 

Safety work includes litigation including corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter cases through to retail fatalities and serious injuries. He also has wide experience of auditing safety management systems and is currently auditing systems for a national supermarket. He also is defending a number of prosecutions against retailers and food manufacturers.     

 

Dominic is working extensively on sustainability issues from deforestation, to single use plastics, eco design of products, Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and a broad range of other topics impacting our clients.  

 

Brand protection work is focused on higher risk advertising in particular comparative campaigns and price claims.  Dominic is currently focussed on the game-changing implementation of the Digital Markets Competition and Consumers Bill and the way in which green claims enforcement is changing the approach to regulation.

The shortlist will be announced on April 27th.

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The Footprint Awards 2026 dinner and presentations will take place on the 11th of June 2026.

Details on the location to be announced shortly….

Details to follow shortly….