Beyond compliance: Building resilient food safety systems for a changing world

Alec Kyriakides, Food Safety Consultant

Alec Kyriakides is a food safety consultant with over 35 years experience in the industry, spending 28 years managing technical operations at the retailer Sainsbury’s, prior to which he worked in food manufacturing. He is a qualified microbiologist and co-author of books on the practical control of foodborne pathogens including Salmonella spp., Clostridium botulinum, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes. He is currently a Non-Executive Board Director of Campden BRI, a Board Trustee of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST), Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food, Chair of the FSA Root Cause Analysis Steering Committee and Honorary Lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast.

Caroline Goodburn, Campden BRI

Caroline has some 25 years of Technical Management experience in food manufacturing in both the UK and Europe. In 2020, Caroline moved to a role within a Global Certification body, delivering training and conducting audits.

Her experience includes working with retail and food service sectors – covering a wide range of chilled food including ready meals, savoury pastry, sandwiches, food to go and ready to eat salads and vegetables. In other sectors, Caroline has also worked with ambient bakery products, ambient snacks, and ambient stable meat products.

Before joining Campden BRI in 2022, Caroline had approximately 30 years of experience in the food industry, including with companies such as Kerry Foods; Florette; Tyrrells; Hilton Food Group and SGS.

Cronan McNamara, Crème Global

Cronan McNamara is a leader at the intersection of food safety, data science, and innovation. As Founder & CEO of Creme Global, he has built a world-class data science platform that helps major corporations and governments make smarter, safer decisions.

With over 85 peer-reviewed publications produced by his team, Cronan has a proven track record of turning complex science into practical systems. He combines a background in physics, high-performance computing and international business with hands-on experience scaling technology solutions.

Cronan continues to drive advances in AI, predictive modelling, and data-driven decision-making, while also serving as Adjunct Professor at University College Dublin.

Sara Mortimore, Independent Food Safety Specialist

Sara Mortimore is a food scientist and passionate food safety advocate with over 40 years of experience. This includes 5 years in retailing as the Global Vice President of Food Safety for Walmart Inc., 11 years leading food safety and quality in food, animal feed and agriculture in Land O’Lakes Inc., a US based farmer owned co-operative, and 19 years in various manufacturing food safety and quality roles within Pillsbury and General Mills.

Sara is also the co-author of many successful books and chapters on HACCP and food safety management. She has served on the GFSI Steering Committee and as a trustee of the Royal Society for Public Health, as well as on editorial boards and technical advisory committees. Now working as an independent food safety adviser, Sara continues to work with both retailers and manufacturers and serves on several advisory boards, in addition to being a member of the Campden BRI Advisory Council, and IFSTs Policy and Engagement Committee.