Meet the judges and find out what they are looking for on 3 April, 2018, Abertay University, Dundee, Scotland
Alastair MacGregor, SSERC
Alastair is the Chief Executive Officer at SSERC (Scottish Schools Education Research Centre) based in Dunfermline Scotland.
SSERC offers a broad portfolio of services, principally in support of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) area of the curriculum, which are not available from any other source and which can be broken down into three main stands of activity:-
- Provision of Career Long Professional Learning (CLPL) for primary and secondary teachers and school and college technicians
- The Advisory Service - which offers non bureaucratic health and safety advice to support practical STEM activity in the classroom.
- Responsibility for STEM Ambassadors in Scotland and wider STEM engagement activity
Formerly a Home Economics teacher, Alastair has written a number of educational textbooks and as well as being a Fellow of IFST, is a member of the IFST Advisory Group.
What I am looking for?
I am looking for a submission that can communicate enthusiasm and passion for food/nutrition and has the potential to lead to a process/product which is innovative and commercially viable.
Patrick Smyth Senior Environmental Health Manager, Food Standards Scotland
I began my working career with Glasgow City Council as a Poultry Meat Inspector. Soon after, I qualified as a Meat Inspector and worked for Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (West Midlands) and later with Kilmarnock and Loudoun D.C.
When the abattoir in Kilmarnock closed at or around the last Scottish Local Government re-organisation, I continued my employment with East Ayrshire Council as a Food Safety Officer.
Whilst working as a Food Safety Officer, I gained an MSc in Environmental Health and my REHIS professional Environmental Health Officer Diploma which allowed me to become a Chartered EHO. I continued to work for East Ayrshire Council in this role until June 2015 when I took up my current post with Food Standards Scotland.
I am also employed on a part time basis, as an associate lecturer, with the University of the West of Scotland where I deliver a food safety module based around meat inspection and the workings of the meat trade. This module is an integral part of the university BSc (hons) degree in Environmental Health and was the principle reason the course gained accreditation by REHIS.
Away from my working life, I continue to be a partner with my wife in our family business (a children’s nursery) which has been successfully trading for over 20 years.
I also enjoy watching football and rugby and playing golf, and I am a proud member of Royal Troon Golf Club.
Mark Watson, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt for Juice & Grains, PepsiCo (Europe & Sub-Saharan Africa)
Mark has 35 years of operations management experience, with the last 10 years specialising in process improvement. He currently works for PepsiCo International which is one of the largest global Food & Beverage companies with brands such as Pepsi, Gatorade, Quaker, Tropicana, Lays and Walkers. His role involves leading productivity projects as well as training process improvement specialists within PepsiCo factories in UK, BENELUX, France, Ukraine and South Africa. He has significant experience in the study and improvement of food processes and recent examples of his work includes:
- removal of soy lecithin as an ingredient in porage oats
- optimisation of moisture (from water, fat and oil) within oats during processing to increase overall production yield
- optimisation of transport packaging for Lays Potato Chips (crisps) to ensure stability during transport
- optimisation of CIP and SIP cycles for Juice processing
Mark is actively working on developing closer links between the Quaker business in Europe and local food science teaching and research establishments. He is a strong advocate of the importance of data collection and analysis for problem solving and process improvements and in his spare time he mixes work with pleasure by using his process improvement skills to continuously strive for perfect beer from his home brewing facility!
SPONSORS
We would like to take this opportunity to thanks the following for sponsoring the Competition
- Abertay University - Venue
- SCI - FREE membership & Sponsors of Finalist Prizes
