The Institute of Food Science and Technology is delighted to announce the election of Ben Dodridge to the board as Vice President for Membership and Community Engagement. This is a new role on the IFST board of trustees, and reflects IFST’s ambition to increase member engagement and inclusivity in its membership and activities. Voting took place between mid-February and mid-March 2023, and results were announced at the 59th AGM on 30 March.
IFST would like to extend special thanks to all the shortlisted candidates for putting together strong and meaningful campaigns: Alex Guest, Sofia Hardiker, Sandeep Jagtap, and Peter Littleton. This year, we were delighted to have candidates from a range of backgrounds, whom we really feel represented the breadth, depth of talent and passion we are fortunate to have within the IFST membership.
Ben Dodridge will serve as VP Membership and Community Engagement for the next three years until 2026. He is a fellow of IFST and an active member of the Food Safety SIG, with over 18 years’ experience across roles at Bakkavor, and more recently as Head of Technical for Tesco Central Europe, covering businesses in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.
Ben’s term as Vice President will cover several key milestones in the lifetime of IFST, most notably the celebrations of the IFST diamond jubilee in 2024.
Speaking about Ben's election to Vice President, new IFST President Sterling Crew said “I am absolutely delighted to have someone of Ben’s experience in such a crucial role. Having been an active IFST member for 5 years, I understand the great value of the IFST community and its engagement. I’m really looking forward to working with Ben to make the most of our fantastic members, and improve the engagement within our vibrant community.”
Ben is passionate about creating a strong community of food science and technology professionals, and is dedicated to making sure that members can access the resources they need to continue their professional development. He is also committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity within the IFST membership and the food industry as a whole, believing that through working together, IFST can take substantial steps towards achieving this goal.
“It’s truly a great honour to have been elected as Vice President for Membership and Community Engagement of IFST,” said Ben Dodridge. “I look forward to working closely with our members and the IFST team to further develop on existing successes and introduce new and innovative strategies, all with the goal of enhancing community engagement while promoting success in the food industry. I have two key areas which I look forward to focussing on: firstly, engaging younger members to encourage the development of the next generation of food science leaders, and secondly, on diversity and inclusion to ensure that the IFST becomes even more welcoming to all. There is always more that we can do to improve our commitment on diversity and inclusivity, and I look forward to working together to achieve this.”
We congratulate Ben on his election as Vice President for Membership and Community Engagement and look forward to seeing the impact he will make in this new role.