Charles Livingstone
Partner, Brodies LLP
Charles Livingstone
Partner, Brodies LLP
Charles heads up Brodies' cross-practice food & drink sector group. He leads Brodies' competition law practice, supporting clients on sensitive and strategically important matters including obtaining merger clearance for major M&A projects, investigating potential competition breaches, responding to dawn raids and acting in competition litigation. He also advises private and public sector clients on State aid and public procurement, in both contentious and non-contentious scenarios.
Charles also supports commercial, public sector, charitable and individual clients on public law issues including judicial review, human rights, information law, charity law and public authority powers and duties. He advises clients on constitutional matters, such as the limits on the Scottish Parliament’s powers, and is the co-head of Brodies' Brexit Advisory Group. He also has significant experience of drafting legislation, including Acts of the Scottish Parliament. Charles is an experienced litigator, having handled major cases in courts up to the UK Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Carly Forrest
Partner, Brodies LLP
Carly Forrest
Partner, Brodies LLP
Ranked by both Chambers & Legal 500 UK, Carly is a Partner and Solicitor Advocate who has worked exclusively in the personal injury field for almost 20 years handling a full range of EL, PL and motor claims. Her specialty is in catastrophic injury claims involving head/brain injuries, severe spinal conditions and amputations as well as psychiatric and psychological disorders. Carly is also extremely experienced at handling fatal claims having defended a case which reaffirmed the law in relation to secondary victim claims and having represented her insurer clients in the UK Supreme Court.
Carly routinely assists insurers and their policyholders in the immediate aftermath to coordinate post-accident investigations as well as their internal and external communication strategy and approach. She is often instructed at the outset of a claim, well before any litigation has commenced to assist develop a clear defence strategy. Carly also frequently assists clients negotiate and conclude any claim/s well in advance of any court proceedings being raised.
Contact CarlyAmanda Brown
Programme Director, Scotland Food & Drink
Scotland Food & Drink celebrated its 18th anniversary of launch in 2025 and I’m delighted to share some of that history with you including the economic importance of the food and drink industry in Scotland and the challenges and opportunities in today’s market. Amanda Brown
Amanda Brown
Programme Director, Scotland Food & Drink
Amanda rejoined Scotland Food & Drink in July 2023 as Programme Director with responsibility for the delivery of Scotland Food & Drink’s wide-ranging programme of projects emanating from Sustaining Scotland, Supplying the World, the updated industry strategy launched in June 2023.
Prior to this role Amanda led the creation and implementation of The Knowledge Bank, a new service launched by the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership in September 2021 to identify and develop new market opportunities using, research, insight, market data and knowledge to deliver sustainable growth for the businesses involved in the Scottish food and drink industry.
With a career spanning almost 30 years working in the food and drink industry in Scotland, Amanda’s experience includes marketing and selling a variety produce across the food & drink sector.
Contact AmandaGeoff Ogle
Chief Executive, Food Standards Scotland
Geoff Ogle
Chief Executive, Food Standards Scotland
Geoff is an accomplished Senior Civil Servant with a rich public sector background, specialising in operational delivery, change management, and policy development. As the inaugural Chief Executive of Food Standards Scotland since 2015, he brings extensive experience, having served in key roles within the Food Standards Agency since joining in 2008.
Contact GeoffPhilip Bartlett
Senior Economist, Royal Bank of Scotland
Excited to contribute Royal Bank’s perspectives on the latest developments shaping Scotland’s Food and Drink sector and exchange ideas with industry leaders. Philip Bartlett
Philip Bartlett
Senior Economist, Royal Bank of Scotland
Philip is Senior Economist with Royal Bank of Scotland. He leads complex analytical projects – often leveraging big data – that shed light on critical issues affecting households and businesses. Current research priorities span the outlook for the consumer sector, developments in the labour market, and drivers of business performance, including use of Artificial Intelligence. Prior to joining the bank Philip played a hand in economic policymaking at HM Treasury and other government departments. He holds degrees in economics from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, where he lives with his family.
Contact PhilipSuzie Millar
Co-Founder, The Natural Larder Collective
So pleased to be on this year's panel chatting all things food and drink and giving some background to our ever-evolving portfolio of brands! Suzie Millar
Suzie Millar
Co-Founder, The Natural Larder Collective
Suzie Millar has spent the last 10 years building and growing consumer brands from the ground up. She is co-founder of The Natural Larder Collective, home to The Scottish Bee Company, Nuisance Drinks, and The Big Cheese Making Kit, brands now sold across e-commerce, retail, and international markets.
Suzie’s journey hasn’t followed a traditional path. She’s grown her businesses while raising a family, navigating investment, cash flow pressures, and the very real ups and downs of founder life. Having raised over £1 million in funding and scaled into major retailers including Sainsbury’s and Ocado, she brings an honest, practical perspective on what growth really looks like behind the scenes.
Contact SuzieJohn Noble
Director, British Brands Group
I’m thrilled to be joining Brodies’ Food & Drink Conference next week to listen, learn and debate the opportunities and headwinds shaping our sector. I hope to bring a brand lens to some of the forces facing suppliers and look forward to collaborating on ideas that move the industry forward. John Noble
John Noble
Director, British Brands Group
For nearly thirty years, John has led British Brands Group, a not-for-profit membership organisation that champions brands in the UK and provides the collective voice for branded companies supplying the fast moving consumer goods market. A Chartered Marketer, John brings a wealth of experience, from launching a marketing career at British Airways, to consulting with Marketing Solutions, and driving marketing strategy at Hamptons and Bristol & West International. His passion for brands and strategic insight power the Group’s mission to shape policy and highlight the value of brands across society.
Contact JohnSteven Hill
Group CFO, Finsbury Food Group
Steven Hill
Group CFO, Finsbury Food Group
Steve is the Group CFO at Finsbury Food Group, one of the largest Bakery businesses in the UK with leading positions in both sweet and savoury speciality bakery and with 11 sites across UK and Europe, including three in Scotland. Steve has worked in FMCG for over 20 years and at Finsbury since 2017. Prior to that Steve worked at Mondelez International and Cadbury.
Contact StevenStuart Blues
Finance Director, Chanrossa Group
Stuart Blues
Finance Director, Chanrossa Group
Stuart is Finance Director of the Chanrossa Group and its associated trading divisions in spirits and drinks, beauty and wellness and digital and technology. Bringing a strong background in strategic financial management, he previously gained experience across the premium lifestyle and hospitality sectors as well as a grounding in audit. Stuart supports the growth of Chanrossa's portfolio with a focus on building cultures of operational rigour and financial management and accountability.
Stuart is also the Group's executive for the Digital & Technology division, leading the development of our best in class spirits industry platform, MasterDistiller, and associated AI developments as well as responsible for internal systems and development.
Contact Stuart