Rachel Rutherford

NOFS

Rachel Rutherford is a Senior Buyer at Waitrose, where she leads several specialist food categories, including Deli Counter, Rotisserie and Made in Branch. With over a decade of experience spanning buying, category management and supply chain roles, she has built expertise across fresh produce, deli and food-to-go categories, delivering growth through innovation, supplier partnerships and customer-focused commercial strategies.

Before joining Waitrose, Rachel held a number of buying roles at Co-op, managing categories and leading projects that delivered significant margin improvement, cost savings and operational efficiencies. She is passionate about using data and customer insight to shape category strategies while balancing commercial performance with long-term sustainability goals.

Outside of work, Rachel is an accomplished endurance athlete, having won her age group at Ironman Lanzarote and represented Great Britain at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. Her drive for continuous improvement, both professionally and personally, underpins her approach to leadership and the evolving challenges facing the grocery industry.

Des Gunewardena

NRPBS

Des began his career in finance before meeting Sir Terence Conran in 1991. Together, they transformed Conran Holdings into a global restaurant, retail, hotel and design business with annual revenues of around £150 million. In 2006, Des led the private equity-backed buyout of Conran Restaurants, creating D&D London. Under his leadership, the company became one of the UK’s leading luxury restaurant groups, launching some of Britain’s most iconic dining destinations, including German Gymnasium, 14 Hills and 20 Stories. The business expanded across the UK and internationally, opening Queensyard in New York, and also developed the luxury boutique South Place Hotel in the City of London.

After 16 years at the helm of D&D London, Des launched his latest venture, D3 Collective, in 2023. The business brings together a portfolio of independent restaurants in partnership with investors, chefs and restaurateurs, creating distinctive hospitality concepts with entrepreneurial flair. Throughout his career, Des has received numerous industry accolades, including the UK Group Restaurateur of the Year award in 2020. He has been recognised as one of the Evening Standard’s Top 1,000 Most Influential Londoners on multiple occasions and was shortlisted for EY’s London Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018. He has also served as a non-executive director of London First and Fulham Shore Plc.

Alasdair Murdoch

LNS

Alasdair Murdoch has been Chief Executive Officer of Burger King UK since 2018. Alasdair has over 25 years of experience in the casual dining sector as the former Chief Executive Officer of Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Chief Executive Officer of Pizza Express International, Pizza Hut UK and General Manager of Pizza Hut France. Prior to that he was the Operations Director of KFC UK and Ireland, and Pizza Hut.

Alasdair studied at the Cranfield School of Management.

Chris Brazier

NRPBS

Chris is Group Event Director at Diversified, responsible for leading major UK hospitality trade shows and awards including NRB & lunch! NORTH in Manchester and lunch!, National Restaurant Pub & Bar Show and the London Drinks Exchange as part of the London Food & Drink Festival.

Katie Tyler

LNS

Katie is Event Director for lunch!, the National food-to-go, retail and coffee shop event. With eight years working in the event industry, helping shape an unmissable fixture in the industry calendar and championing the innovations defining modern food-to-go. Most recently, Katie spearheaded the launch of lunch! NORTH in Manchester in 2025, bringing the show’s energy and expertise to the north alongside Northern Restaurant & Bar.