Our team

Carina’s career began in the business world working as a sustainability consultant for Environmental Resources Management, before she realised our planetary ecological crisis would not be solved in the corporate boardrooms in which it was created. She has since worked with several  system change campaigning and movement building organisations, including Changing Markets in the UK and the New Economy Coalition in the US. A committed permaculturalist, she founded The Orchard Project, a charity working with community groups in cities across the UK to plant and nurture community orchards in public urban spaces. Carina has also been a Visiting Research Fellow of the Global Development and Environment Institute of Tufts University and is a Research Fellow of the Schumacher Institute. Her book, Frugal Value: Designing Business for a Crowded Planet (Routledge, 2017), provides a blueprint for organisations in an ecologically viable system of production and consumption.

Spokesperson on: Food corporations; Alternative food economies; Food systems

Natasha oversees Foodrise’s campaigning work on aquaculture, industrial livestock, sugar and food waste. She previously ran a series of high-profile campaigns for the Changing Markets Foundation targeting irresponsible practices in corporate supply chains and campaigned on climate change at the Environmental Investigation Agency, an international NGO with offices in London and Washington D.C. Prior to that she coordinated a push to ban environmentally unsound carbon offsets from the EU Emissions Trading System at Carbon Market Watch and spent five years in Belgium where she worked for the European Commission and in strategic communications and public affairs.

She spent her formative years in France and speaks French, Spanish and German with a smattering of Greek, Swedish, Italian and Dutch. She holds a first-class degree in European Politics from the University of Leeds in the UK and a Master’s in EU Political Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. Alongside her role at Foodrise she is a trustee for Somerset Wildlands, a game-changing new organisation creating space for nature through rewilding. She has a lifelong passion for food, people and the great outdoors.

Lucy has extensive research skills and is a research associate at the University of Liverpool, and a member of the International Commission on the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition. Lucy is engaged in several research projects with the N8 AgriFood group. She is an active participant in the Sustainable Food Cities Network, Co-founder of the Knowledge Quarter Sustainability Network and supported the creation of the AgroEcoCities European Network. Lucy held the post of Sustainable Food City Liverpool Coordinator for the Liverpool Food People project. She spent 10 years working in food and hospitality within London, running bars in Soho, managing a cookery school and being a PA to a chef; before working for 13 years as Operations Manager & Project Developer for environmental charity the National Wildflower Centre. Lucy joined Liverpool Food People in 2014 and co-founded The Food Domain a network that seeks to provide better access to fresh food for everyone and supports the Alexandra Rose Voucher project in Liverpool.

Spokesperson on: Regional food economies; Food access

Martin currently works in policy and campaigns for a variety of Foodrise projects focused on food waste, meat, anaerobic digestion and sustainable animal feed. He was previously Foodrise’s Pig Idea Policy Officer and Stakeholder Coordinator from 2018-19, and the Coordinator for Foodrise’s Gleaning Network between 2011-2017. In 2016 he gave a TEDx talk on gleaning.

He also worked for This Is Rubbish on their EU food waste campaign, and previously worked on their Stop the Rot campaign. Martin also founded a chapter of Food Not Bombs in South East London.

Spokesperson on: Farm level food waste, Food waste in supply chains, Measuring food waste

Amelia is a campaigner at Foodrise, focusing on industrial aquaculture. She has previous corporate experience working in sustainability teams within a range of food businesses, dealing with net zero strategies, sustainability data, comms and all things B Corp. However, with the growing belief that systems change best occurs best in the ‘fringes’, rather than a corporate setting, made the transition to campaigning. Outside of work she is a keen runner, bookworm and member of her local Friends of the Earth group, organising local events and campaigns.

Ali has worked to expose and advocate on environmental and human rights abuses for over a decade across investigations, policy and advocacy, predominantly on commodity supply chains and natural resource governance. She has been instrumental in pushing for reforms within industries linked to environmental destruction, most notably through her groundbreaking work with the investigative watchdog Global Witness on the natural rubber industry’s involvement in land grabbing and deforestation.  

She has worked with civil society across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America to address environmental and social harms driven by corporate operations. With an in-depth understanding of global environmental and human rights laws, frameworks and mechanisms, Ali is interested in the nexus between litigation, campaigning, and broader systemic change.

Since graduating from the University of Leeds with a BA in Liberal Arts, Caela has been involved in numerous grassroots community food projects, and campaigned on a variety of environmental and social justice issues with the Environmental Justice Foundation. She has also organised local music and arts events across the UK and the Netherlands, and enjoys growing food on her allotment or in community gardens. As Foodrise’s Senior Digital Coordinator, Caela works to spread awareness of the charity’s exciting campaigns and empower people to take action and help transform our food system.

Shirley’s background is in the arts, studying Fine Art at university, and later working in operational roles within arts charities. Since having the opportunity to lead the sustainability working group in a previous role, becoming an active member in the Gallery Climate Coalition, her interest broadened to environmental charities. Shirley’s role at Foodrise oversees HR, governance, IT, and operations. Outside of work, Shirley enjoys reading and visiting galleries.

Joining us in 2020 as our Community Engagement Officer in Buckinghamshire for the Food Citizens Project, she is now project managing Green Futures. Rebecca’s background has been centred in youth work and community engagement. She has been involved in both local and international youth mobility projects, alternative learning provision, as well as project managing creative youth arts projects for a local authority. She has experience of fundraising and income generation for both statutory and voluntary sectors as well as front line face to face delivery. All this gives a fresh approach to community engagement and grassroots work in Buckinghamshire through our seed funded projects, youth engagement, employability and partnership working.

Sunita leads Foodrise’s campaigning on the shift away from destructive diets, towards healthy, resilient and equitable food environments. 

Previously, Sunita spent over four years as an environmental communications specialist. She has attended three UN climate conferences, supporting communities on the frontlines of climate breakdown to amplify their demands and influence policy outcomes. 

Sunita has delivered numerous talks on climate justice, intersectionality and communications – including at the BBC Broadcasting House and UCL’s Sustainability Leadership Conference. Based in London, she is also involved in grassroots climate activism, and is an avid hiker and vegan baker.

In her role at Foodrise, Laura is responsible for all financial management of the organisation. She previously worked in the arts, making the move to the environmental sector in 2018, working for OrganicLea, a community food growing project in north east London. Outside of work she is a Trustee for EXAUDI vocal ensemble and loves outdoor adventures and vegan baking.

In her role at Foodrise, Helen leads on the coordination of our trust and foundation fundraising and grant management. Helen has worked in the third sector for over 13 years, primarily as a fundraiser for various charities focused on bereavement, mental health, global health advocacy, and on ending modern day slavery. Helen recently completed an MA at UCL in Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health where her dissertation focused on food justice in the UK. Outside of work, Helen loves to cook and bake, and is always on the hunt for the next best place to eat!

Fraser is Communications & Media Manager at Foodrise. This involves building the profile of the charity’s key areas of work, galvanising public support for its campaigns and centring communities in storytelling. Fraser has a background in charity comms having previously worked at leading HIV organisation Terrence Higgins Trust for a decade focusing on tackling the stigma still surrounding HIV and sexual health.

Nathan is a mathematics graduate from Kings College London. Nathan started out at Foodrise as a Finance and Operations intern before being offered a permanent role. Currently in his role as a Trainee Accountant within the Finance and Operations team, Nathan assists the team in matters of financial administration whilst studying for his CIMA qualification.

Ruth is a respected environmental advocate and has worked with a wide range of not for profit and public sector organisations, helping them to engage with and influence government and parliament. She has been working with Green Alliance since 2017 to provide strategic leadership to the environment sector on major legislation and parliamentary issues. She is an experienced board member, currently serving on the board of a London Housing Association, and served as Senior Independent Trustee at the London Wildlife Trust and Chair of the Campaign for Better Transport. She is the lay member on COMEAP, the expert committee that advises the government on the effects of air pollutants on health and an honorary professor of practice at the UCL Centre for Law and the Environment.

Sophie is a senior lawyer and the Environment and Climate Change Practice Lead at international law firm RPC. She is part of RPC’s growing multi-disciplinary ESG advisory practice, working with in-house counsel, business leaders and sustainability teams to support their organisations’ sustainability initiatives by advising on a range of regulatory, commercial and consumer matters. She is also responsible for coordinating the firm’s environmental and climate change work globally. She recently completed a masters in Environmental Law and Policy at University College London.

View Sophie’s LinkedIn profile.

Darren Hughes is a food systems science, policy and communications consultant with over 30 years of experience working in Government, academia and the charity sector, across food, nutrition, agriculture, the environment and health.

His current clients include: the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, a group tasked with providing independent evidence to inform equitable, healthy and planet-friendly school food programmes, in support of 95+ national governments signed up to the School Meals Coalition; and Innovate UK where he serves as an assessor for Government research grants on innovation.

His previous clients and employers have included the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, Rothamsted Research, the UK Department of Health, the Food Standards Agency, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Government Office for Science, where he served as Private Secretary to the Government Chief Scientific Adviser.

Darren holds a MSc in Human Nutrition from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a PhD in human energy metabolism and appetite regulation.

See Darren’s LinkedIn profile.

Matthew is a Chartered Accountant with 20 years of experience working across Finance, Risk Management and Governance, oversight of insurance programmes, implementing compliance programmes and providing ongoing assurance, and internal controls.

He’s worked overseas on new business ventures and helped with international onboarding of new companies within the wider organisation.

Over the last seven years, he’s focused more on governance and has been involved in strategy on a range of projects, including energy transition projects such as creating biofuel from waste.

See Matthew’s LinkedIn profile.

Jenny leads Greenhouse Communications’ portfolio of food, land use and ocean protection campaigns.

Examples of her work include directing communications for the Food Systems Pavilion at COP27 and COP28 on behalf of a coalition of leading international food organisations, campaigning to restore and protect the world’s mangroves with WWF, IUCN and Wetlands International, exposing destructive trawling with Oceana UK and supporting smallholder farmers adapt to the climate crisis with One Acre Fund.

Previous to Greenhouse Communications, Jenny worked with the organic charity the Soil Association and the surplus food charity FareShare.

Libby is a leading researcher, commentator and advocate for the circular economy and is head of resource policy at Green Alliance, the UK’s leading environmental think tank. There, she works closely with other NGOs, academics, policymakers, politicians and businesses to promote better use of resources throughout the economy. She previously spent nearly ten years as an editor at Resource Media, an environmental publishing and communications company aiming to lead discussions around sustainability and resource use. She has been on various advisory boards, including the steering advisory group for the previous government’s resources and waste strategy and for academic consortia including  the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions and the Circular Economy Centre for Technology Metals.

Adesola Sotande-Peters is a distinguished finance executive and business leader with over two decades of experience driving strategic financial management, governance, and organizational transformation across global and multinational organizations. Her career spans leadership roles at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC UK), Diageo, Unilever, Godrej, Informa Group UK, Openwave Telecoms UK, and Sakura Bank, London.

She currently serves as Executive Director, Program Finance at the Mastercard Foundation, where she provides strategic financial leadership across the Foundation’s program portfolio, ensuring financial stewardship, efficiency, and impact delivery across multiple regions.

Prior to this role, Adesola was Chief Financial Officer for Africa, USA, the Caribbean, and the Middle East at Godrej Consumer Products Limited, and earlier served as Vice President, Finance at Unilever Nigeria Plc, Unilever Ghana, and Unilever Francophone Africa. She made history as the first Nigerian and first female Vice President, Finance in Unilever Nigeria’s nearly 100-year history. In that capacity, she also led the Controls and Governance agenda for Unilever Africa, driving strategic resource allocation and embedding strong financial governance to deliver sustainable business growth across multiple markets.

Adesola brings a wealth of board and governance experience and currently serves as a Non-Executive Director on the boards of Abumet (a subsidiary of Julius Berger), Nestoil Group, WELEAD, LONADEK Nigeria Limited, Sygen Pharmaceuticals, LEAP Africa, Aruwa Capital Investment, and Chika West Africa Limited. She previously chaired the Finance Committee for LEAP Africa and continues to contribute her expertise to the organization’s financial governance and strategic development.

A pioneer in strategic finance transformation, Adesola developed and implemented an organization-wide business partnering framework at Diageo Nigeria, a model that has since been adopted across several organizations to strengthen alignment between strategic vision and operational execution. Her leadership experience spans multiple geographies, including the United Kingdom, Kenya, Cameroon, and Nigeria, reflecting her depth in managing diverse, multicultural teams and complex market environments.

Adesola holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics from the American International University in London (Richmond College) and an MBA for Finance Professionals from the Manchester Business School. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), and a Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration (ICA). She has also completed executive education programs at IE Business School, Lagos Business School, and INSEAD, underscoring her commitment to lifelong learning and professional excellence.

A passionate advocate for leadership development and gender equity, Adesola believes her purpose is “to leave people better than she met them.” She actively mentors emerging leaders and contributes to several platforms promoting women’s leadership and youth empowerment. She is the Chairperson of Women Empowered for Leadership Advancement and Development (WELEAD), a non-profit dedicated to equipping women, and increasingly young men and women with the skills and character needed for transformative leadership. Through WELEAD, she has championed impactful capacity-building programs, including initiatives at the Special Correctional Centre for Boys, Oregun and the Correctional Centre for Senior Boys, Isheri, in Lagos State.

She also serves as an Advisory Board Member of Women on Boards (WIMBOARD) and Women in Manufacturing, Africa (WIMAFRICA) — organizations committed to advancing women’s representation in leadership and promoting gender inclusion across sectors.

Adesola’s leadership excellence has been recognized through numerous awards, including:

• Great Place to Work Exceptional Female Leader Award (2019)
• CFO Awards – CFO of the Year (FMCG Category, 2017)
• Unilever Finance Recognition Award (2016)

She is married and blessed with two children.

See Adesola’s LinkedIn Profile.

Gillian is a former solicitor who has worked in private practice, in-house, as a government lawyer and for the last ten years in not for profit organisations. Her broad experience covers commercial, negligence, regulatory, public law and environmental law matters, with a particular focus on strategic litigation and legal risk management.  In her role at ClientEarth, she conducted or supported the environmental law charity’s precedent setting litigation on clean air, climate and access to justice.

She is a trustee of Great Causes II, a charity working to improve health outcomes

See Gillian’s LinkedIn Profile.

With over two decades of experience in Human Resources, I bring a deep commitment to “getting things right”, aligning people, purpose, and process to create environments where individuals and organisations can thrive. My career has been built around strategic workforce planning, talent development, and cultural transformation, all underpinned by a strong belief that meaningful change begins with people.

I’m passionate about how technology, including Artificial Intelligence, can be embraced to enhance human potential rather than replace it. I believe the future of work, much like the future of food systems, depends on our ability to innovate responsibly and inclusively. For me, it’s about progress with purpose: using modern tools to build stronger, fairer, and more sustainable outcomes.

What drew me most to Foodrise is how its ethos and values mirror my own, community, inclusion, collaboration, and a belief that access to good food and opportunity should be universal. The way Foodrise connects social impact, empowerment, and sustainability deeply resonates with my personal values and cultural perspective.

I’m excited about the opportunity to contribute as a trustee, bringing my HR expertise, strategic insight, and people-first mindset to help strengthen Foodrise’s governance, culture, and continued growth in tackling food injustice and building healthier, more resilient communities.

See Manpreet’s LinkedIn Profile.