Sterling Crew, President-Elect of the IFST speaks with Jon Poole, our outgoing Chief Executive, on his reflections and insights on his 12 years as head of IFST.
Jon’s prime role is to provide the leadership and direction for the executive team. He works closely with the Board to develop our overall strategic direction, translating this into actual delivery. He is responsible for external relations with many of our key supporters and collaborators. In addition, he oversees our publications, especially the International Journal of Food Science & Technology.
Whilst not a food scientist himself, Jon’s role involves him in most aspects of the food sector. Jon’s background is in organisational and leadership development having run his own consultancy for more than ten years before joining IFST. Jon also Chairs SALSA, the supplier assurance scheme for small and micro food businesses. He has written and published three books on leadership and coaching.
SC: What were your first impressions of IFST Jon?
JP: I was initially aware of IFST through my interactions over a joint publication of event listings between IFST and the Society of Chemical Industry called ‘Yellow Pages’ – some of our longer-term members will remember this! At the time I was Deputy Chief Executive of SCI and I must admit I saw IFST as a much smaller organisation than SCI. When I look back at my research to apply for the Chief Executive role, I thought food, as a topic, was going to be a much narrower focus than chemistry – little did I realise how vast and impactful the topic of food science and technology actually is.
SC: What are the biggest changes you have seen at IFST in your tenure?
JP: An initial goal was to turn around the falling membership numbers. I have been so pleased to have seen us double membership from 1750 to around 3400 members during this time. This, in itself, has resulted in a more energised and active membership. But the changes aren’t just about membership numbers. We are now a far more externally-facing organisation - meeting regularly with key Government departments as well as being known and respected by a wider group of stakeholders. We’ve seen the launch of the Food Safety Register, the growth of new Group Schemes, and the launch of our Food Science Fact Sheets aimed at the consumer and Degree course accreditation. We now have six well-established Special Interest Groups and, of course, deliver very many more online activities and webinars. In 2010 we were just contemplating how to support students – this is now a reality with some fantastic events to support and encourage our next generation of food professionals.
SC: What for you have been the greatest highlights?
JP: All of the above are, for me, highlights. Each was another step forward for the Institute. Personally, though, I was thrilled when we hosted the House of Lords reception to launch our Register of Food Safety Professionals during our Golden Jubilee year.
SC ... and challenges?
JP: One of the biggest challenges has been having to say ‘no’ to new opportunities – the executive team will say I’m not good at this! There’s always so much more we could be doing and it’s sometimes frustrating not being able to do everything. Of course, in the last few years, we’ve had the challenges of the pandemic and having to adapt (as have all other businesses) to a new way of working. In reality, this has forced us into a very effective way of working. Committee meetings (whilst less sociable) are far easier to organise and attend online, rather than having to force people to travel halfway across the country to join. And, of course, we have been able to host so many excellent webinars – far more than we could have put on as face-to-face meetings.
SC: How have we been improving our membership offer?
JP: When I started, I received a lot of feedback that our membership benefits were too well-hidden. We have worked hard to enhance our benefits and, at the same time make them clearer. Our webinars – often free to members - are an excellent way for people to enhance their professional knowledge. The launch of our IFST Community a couple of years ago now means members can freely talk to each other – sharing their ideas and knowledge.
SC: How have we improved our engagement with key stakeholders?
JP: I have been very pleased to see the way the Institute now engages with a very wide range of stakeholders. A lot of this has been made possible through the appointment of a new Scientific Policy Director role. Working with our External Affairs Committee and key Scientific Committee members, we now hold regular discussion meetings with Government departments including the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland and Defra.
SC: What are the big initiatives you will be handing over to our new CEO Tim?
JP: Tim is going to be joining at a really busy time. The Board has approved several key projects, which are designed to move IFST to a whole new level of activity and engagement. We are just starting Project Inspire, aimed at redeveloping our Love Food Love Science website to become a single portal for food careers resources. In addition, we’re about to pilot a new ‘Approved Training Provider’ scheme. We will also be delivering a whole new customer relationship management system which will hopefully significantly enhance the way members can interact with the Institute.
SC: How do you think we can connect with the public on the issues of food science and technology?
JP: We are sadly living in a new ‘post-truth’ age where many consumers are, inevitably, confused by the many conflicting messages about the food they eat. I believe IFST has a really important role to play in providing sensible, understandable and, most of all, reliable information. A few years ago, we started developing our ‘Food Science Fact Sheets’ – these are two-page information sheets aimed specifically at the general public. What we now need to do is spread the word and encourage consumers to rely on us for our independent advice and guidance.
SC: What are the biggest challenges and opportunities ahead for IFST?
JP: I see two main challenges – firstly, the immediacy of the looming economic crisis. The next few months are going to be tough for everyone, but the wider challenges facing the food sector have to be opportunities for the Institute. The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has created some big challenges in terms of ensuring the continuity of the food supply chain – this is already on top of disruptions caused by Brexit and COVID. At the same time, we need to look at how we deliver food in sustainable ways and with minimal impact on the environment. And let’s not forget the growing pressures of poor nutrition and accessibility to affordable food. These are all massive challenges and absolutely where IFST should be working to support food professionals in finding and disseminating solutions.
SC: You have laid the foundations for IFST Chartership. How is it progressing and what will it deliver for members?
JP: Late last year we held an Extraordinary General Meeting to approve our petition for Chartership and draft Charter. You may be wondering why it’s all gone so quiet. Since this time, we submitted our petition and have been waiting to hear back from the Privy Council. We warned at the time that this was likely to be a long process. We are now hopeful that we will move to the next stage of the process in the next few weeks – the public consultation. I had really hoped to see this through during my time as Chief Executive but hope you will invite me back to celebrate as and when we gain our chartered status!
SC: Any elements of your role you particularly enjoyed?
JP: There’s no doubt that the most enjoyable and rewarding part of the role has been being involved in encouraging our next generation of food professionals. We devised and ran our Student Career LaunchPads initially jointly with Campden BRI and, since then we have also created and run the UK finals of Ecotrophelia, our ‘Dragons Den’-style NPD competition. It gives everyone in the food sector who participates a real buzz!
SC: Any advice for new professionals beginning their careers?
JP: That’s easy because I say this to all the attendees at our LaunchPad events each year. Firstly, open your minds to all the options available to you in the food sector – they are vast! Secondly, get involved in activities which will give you things to talk about on your CV – become a Student Member of IFST and then get involved. Thirdly, grow your network – the people you are studying with today will become your network of the future.
SC: How do you see the nature of professional membership organisations changing?
JP: Going back a few years, professional membership institutes were often seen as old and crusty and rather inaccessible, austere scientific bodies. But this has certainly not been the case for IFST and for other, more forward-thinking Institutes. We have to keep changing – in particular, we have to remain responsive and totally relevant to the needs of those we are there to support (not just members). The next generation of food professionals will need and demand a very different offering to that which we have provided in the past and using channels of communication which are far more immediate. Those organisations which remain responsive and nimble will flourish – those that don’t will sadly not survive.
SC: We have seen Special Interest Groups becoming more popular. Why is this?
JP: It’s been particularly rewarding to see the growth and coherence of our Special Interest Groups. We now have six, very solid and purposeful SIGs, supported by Natasha, our Scientific Affairs Manager. Much of our webinar output has been delivered thanks to the work of our SIGs – I would also like to mention the work of our Branches – we now have eight Branches – a new Wales Branch has just been created.
SC: What are you most proud of in your time at IFST?
JP: This is such a difficult question to answer – I am proud of the way IFST is regarded and, of course, proud of all our achievements over the years. We’ve remained financially sound and we have very strong governance. All of this has been possible thanks to all of those who have worked as part of the IFST team over the years but also because of the incredible energy, passion and commitment of our most active members.
SC: How have you found the challenges of good governance?
JP: To me, good governance is critical to the effective running of an organisation – not just a necessary hurdle to jump. I, therefore, don’t see it as a challenge. During the last twelve years, I have been so very privileged to have worked with some amazing board members and to have worked for exceptional Presidents (six in total!), who have been focused on working within sound governance principles – but at the same time, prepared to push the boundaries in terms of our vision and strategy.
SC: What are your plans for the future Jon?
JP: I’m pleased to say I won’t be leaving the food sector completely as I am still Chair of the SALSA board – an organisation that I remain passionate about. But many will know that, for the past few years, I have been working part-time in my IFST role and for the rest of my time I have been running my organisational and leadership development consultancy. I intend to now focus my time on this and hopefully, this may then lead me back into the food sector in another guise!
SC: We have the IFST Lecture ahead of us. Will we be seeing you there to say farewell or au revoir?
JP: I’m really looking forward to our upcoming Lecture. Over the years, we have had some excellent speakers and this year’s Lecture, with Professor Tim Spector is going to be, I’m sure, no exception. It will be tinged with some sadness, however, as this will be my last day as Chief Executive before handing over to Tim McLachlan. Being a really social event, I’m hoping to use this as an opportunity to say goodbye to many members and colleagues who I have come to regard as real friends over the years.
SC: Thank you for sharing your interesting experiences and insights, Jon. On behalf of the membership may I wish you all the very best for the future and a big thank you for your amazing contribution.
You will have the opportunity to say your farewells to Jon at the Annual lecture, which is by invitation only and will take place in London on 11 October 2022. It will be given by Tim Spector MD FMedSci FRSB, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at Kings College London, who will be speaking about personalised nutrition.