Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based Chairman operating in the Food and Beverage space. If you think a Chairman is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Sir David Michels
Chairman of Miroma Ventures
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About : Miroma Ventures is the investment arm of The Miroma Group, predominantly investing in growth stage consumer brands and media platforms.
Anthony Pile
Founder and Chairman of Blue Skies Holdings
Anthony Pile is the Founder and Chairman of Blue Skies, a leading manufacturer of fresh-cut fruit, freshly squeezed juice, and dairy-free ice-cream, with eleven operations in seven countries, including Ghana, Egypt, South Africa, Ivory Coast and Senegal. Blue Skies supplies leading retailers around the world, including Waitrose and Sainsbury’s in the UK, Albert Heijn in the Netherlands and Carrefour in France. The company is built on the principle of value-adding at source. This means that Blue Skies aims to make the finished product in the countries where the fruit grows, rather than exporting only the raw material and processing it elsewhere. By doing this it believes that 75% of the value of the finished product remains in the country of origin, as opposed to only 15% if processed overseas. This approach also enables the business to deliver a better quality fruit that is delivered ‘fresh from harvest, from farm to store within as little as 36 hours. Anthony was a soldier in the British Army for 13 years and saw active service in the Middle East, Northern Ireland and Cyprus. He has been a magistrate, attended the post graduate Sloan Fellowship Programme at the London Business School and was the Managing Director of Orchard House Foods from 1989 to 1996. In 1997 he founded Blue Skies in Ghana and has grown the company over the last 20 years into a company employing over 6,000 people with a turnover of £100m.
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About Blue Skies Holdings: Blue Skies Holdings produces, prepares, and markets fresh-cut fruit and fruit juices to retailers and supermarkets worldwide.
Richard Prosser
Chairman of Rhubarb
Richard has spent the vast majority of his Executive career in the global leisure, travel and tourism industry. He was on the Boards of the FTSE listed companies; First Choice Holidays Plc. and TUI Travel Plc. for 14 years. At TUI, he was CEO of the highly profitable Specialist Division, which comprised a portfolio of 35 premium travel companies in diverse international sectors, ranging from luxury bespoke and experiential holidays, to complex and adventurous ’round-the-world’ expeditions in customised private jets. Over the past six years Richard has Chaired several successful high quality, private equity backed businesses including Audley Travel, CarTrawler and Tusker. Richard has always been passionate about different styles of food and loves working with companies who have a strong culture, centred around delivering world class customer service in a creative environment.
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About Audley Travel, Rhubarb, Tusker: Rhubarb is a food company that creates and delivers culinary services.
Arnie Sriskandarajah
Chairman of ChewyMoon
Arnie Sriskandarajah joined Round Hill Ventures as Managing Director in 2017.
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About Ground Floor Ventures, Round Hill Capital, Round Hill Ventures: ChewyMoon is an online snack retailer delivering all-natural lunchbox and after-school snacks to homes via post.
John Wales
Chairman of Crafty Brewing Company
John Wales is the Chairman of Crafty Brewing Company.
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About Crafty Brewing Company: Crafty Brewing is a microbrewery that produces SIBA craft beers in a sustainable manner.
Nigel Gifford
Founder and Chairman of Windhorse Aerospace
Nigel Gifford OBE CP Eng.(Aero) Chairman / Founder Windhorse Aerospace Nigel is best described as an eclectic solutions architect ~ drawing on skills, practical experience, and research acquired at different times of his life. It is from his aeronautical, skydiving and catering background he conceived the Pouncer(tm) food carrying AV that is also made of edible components. Presently, using his specialist knowledge in feeding in non-human environments, Nigel is working to get Pouncer(tm) into service with his team, and is working in the critical food technology area to ensure that the food cargo and edible structure are fit for purpose on deployment as first response into disaster areas Biography Brought up in a busy restaurant, and then trained as a chef at the Army School of Catering, Nigel has extensive knowledge of differing styles of cuisine. This includes feeding explorers and adventurers in remote and hostile environments, as well as cooking at 26,000ft on Mt Everest in 1976. He wrote the present Royal Geographical Society catering manual and his advice is still sought for extreme expeditions. As an aerospace solutions architect Nigel has designed equipment for UK Special Forces, and built protective equipment housings for the RAF Tornado. In 1991 he designed a special camera platform for the first ever hot air balloon flight at 33,000ft over Mt Everest and worked on Sir Richard Branson’s round the world balloon project advising on the small capsule’s internal ergonomic layout, feeding, and the living routines for the crew confined inside. Prior to Windhorse, he was Managing Director of the Ascenta™ – The high-altitude, long-endurance, unmanned aerial vehicle acquired by Facebook in 2014 to provide Internet access into the developing world. The aircraft has since been renamed Aquila by Facebook.
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About Windhorse Aerospace: Windhorse Aerospace has created the world’s first purpose-built UAV/Drone intended for humanitarian aid delivery – POUNCER.
Mark Bowers
Chairman & Non-Executive Director of WooHa Brewing
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About WooHa Brewing: WooHa Brewing is dedicated to making great tasting bottle and KeyKeg conditioned beer and sharing it with our friends across the globe.
Mike Carthy
Group Executive Chairman of Innovative Consumer Beverages
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About Innovative Consumer Beverages: Innovative Consumer Beverages supplies alcoholic drinks to most of the UK’s leading supermarkets, convenience chains and wholesalers.
Alex Murray
Chairman of FullClear
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About FullClear: The world’s most advanced beer line cleaner.
Brian Phillips
Chairman of Preoday
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About : B2B pre-ordering platform for integrated e-commerce solutions for businesses serving food and beverages
Rob Rainey
Chairman and Head Brewer of Quantock Brewery
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About Quantock Brewery, Quantock Brewery: Quantock Brewery brews quality real ales in cask and bottles by using traditional craft brewing techniques and natural ingredients.
Fred Edwards
Chairman of Hummus Bros
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About Hummus Bros: Hummus Bros is about feeding you homemade hummus with mouth watering toppings.
