A major focus of the 2025 UK Food & Drink Shows will be shining a spotlight on the women shaping the industry.
Taking place at the NEC Birmingham from Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 April, the event brings together businesses from across the food and drink industry. Visitors will have the chance to see the latest innovations, network and gain invaluable insights from a packed program of speakers and presentations. (For details see the end of this article.)
This year, part of the program will be a series of panels featuring female leaders in the hospitality, convenience, manufacturing and grocery sectors.
The hospitality panel, called ‘Women in hospitality: The female leaders shaping the future’, takes place on Monday 7 April at 11.45pm on the show’s Restaurant Stage. It will include:
Lorraine Copes, CEO and founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality; Jo Fleet, managing director of Caravan Restaurants; and Sandra Kelly, skills director at UKHospitality.
Ahead of next month’s event, we asked the panellists to tell us a little about themselves, and what they see as some of the key issues around women in the hospitality sector:
Lorraine Copes, CEO & Founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality
Lorraine spent 18 years of her career working in procurement and supply chain, and progressed to procurement director for brands such as Gordon Ramsay, Shake Shack and The Wolseley Hospitality Group. In 2020, she took voluntary redundancy and started my own business, Be inclusive hospitality.
What has been your career highlight? Starting my own business.
What is the most positive change you have seen in the hospitality industry since you joined it? More women occupying CEO and managing director roles across all sectors in the industry.
What still needs to change in the industry? The increase in female leadership needs to include Black and ethnic minority women.
What is the biggest challenge faced by women in the industry in 2025? There isn’t a barrier to entry into hospitality, but there is a barrier to progress.
What is the biggest challenge faced by the industry as a whole in 2025? Cost pressures probably remain one of the biggest issues across the industry, and unfortunately, they are only going in one direction, which seems to be up.
What makes you feel positive about the future of the hospitality industry? The brilliant people who are advocates of the industry, while working towards making sure that the industry realises its true potential of being a place for all people from all backgrounds to thrive.
What advice would you give to a young woman considering a career in hospitality? There is a wide range of roles to suit all abilities and backgrounds. Most importantly, people are the heart of the industry, and there are so many great individuals here.
What is the best piece of professional advice you have been given? Work smart not hard! Focus on doing the things that create an impact.
Who is your business icon? Oprah Winfrey. Having faced huge adversity throughout her early life, and gone on to be a fountain of knowledge, an inspiration and a billionaire. She also seems like a nice person.
Who is your personal icon? My dad. He has been the greatest role model on character, he is talented, yet humble. He is funny, kind, caring and super reliable.
What is your favourite restaurant? Can I have two please - Akoko and Chishuru.
What is your favourite dish? Curried mutton and rice & peas. It brings back childhood memories, and represents my wonderful culture – my parentage is Jamaican.
What couldn’t you live without? Tomatoes. It’s a bit random, but I love them!
Jo Fleet, Managing director, Caravan Restaurants
What has been the positive change in the hospitality industry since you joined it? The industry’s increasing focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing has been a significant positive change. So many people are committed to reducing their environmental impact and supporting local shops and communities, where sourcing is done with so much care, that this now is such a big part of the industry. This really aligns with our values at Caravan.
What still needs to change in the industry? More exposure to get people into hospitality and the acceptance of it to be one of the best most rewarding careers.
What is the biggest challenge faced by women in the industry in 2025? There is definitely more acceptance of having a career and children, but it remains a significant challenge. There is still the question of whether women can (really) manage both their professional and personal responsibilities, and some of this insecurity comes from ourselves!
What is the biggest challenge faced by the industry as a whole in 2025? To make sure you never stand still. Stay flexible, stay creative, and never stop evolving. We must always continue to innovate.
What makes you feel positive about the future of the hospitality industry? The people! This industry is packed with the very best, passionate (crazy) and lovely humans who have demonstrated huge resilience, creativity and innovation - especially over the last few years - and we all keep popping back up time and time again with solutions.
What advice would you give to a young woman considering a career in hospitality? Go for it, but don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. Challenge yourself to improve, learn and push yourself out of your comfort zone and always ask for help or advice. We all learn from others in everything we do.
What is the best piece of professional advice you have been given? “Stay curious and keep learning.” The best people in the business never stop evolving.
Who is your business icon? My first boss, who was creative, challenging, honest and open. I loved the way he respected my opinion even if I was totally wrong, he encouraged me to work incredibly hard and to always have a go.
Who is your personal icon? My mum. She had a hugely successful career while balancing being a great mum and teaching me some essential life skills, cooking, sewing (believe it or not I’m a great seamstress) and to massively value your friends.
What is your favourite restaurant? I don’t have a favourite. I love eating out, new places and old restaurants I’ve visited many, many times to always have the same dish.
What is your favourite dish? A perfectly roasted chicken. Simply comforting and delicious.
What couldn’t you live without? Know me well and you know.
Sandra Kelly, Skills director, UKHospitality
Sandra’s first role in hospitality was washing up in a Beefeater after graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a business management degree in French and German. Two years later, aged 23, she was named Whitbread manager of the year. Sandra was Whitbread Group’s head of education for eight years before becoming UK skills and policy director at People 1st International for hospitality, retail, travel and aviation. She has been in her current role for three years.
What has been your career highlight? Full-time work and full time mum to two boys. Volunteer FA-qualified football coach for 13 years and volunteer football development officer for a further three years.
What is the most positive change you have seen in the hospitality industry since you joined it? People P&Ls for management and leadership roles – promoting the people-profit chain.
What still needs to change in the industry? Building systematic sustainable talent pipelines enabled by DfE and DWP.
What is the biggest challenge faced by women in the industry in 2025? Job descriptions: if a woman doesn’t have more than 50% of the knowledge, skills or experience for a more senior role, she will not apply. A man wouldn’t think twice.
What is the biggest challenge faced by the industry as a whole in 2025? The rising cost of being in business. Ninety-five per cent of hospitality businesses are SMEs and facing tough cost increases, the other 5% are large businesses in cost-cutting restructures. Brexit, covid, the cost-of-living crisis and now the cost-of-being-in-business crisis has created deeply unstable and difficult times.
What makes you feel positive about the future of the hospitality industry? We’re creating places where people want to live, work and invest. We’re top of the Social Productivity Index as the largest employer of under-24s, we’re top for social accessibility (no barriers to entry) and social mobility (no barriers for progression – with the right mindset and right skills, knowledge and behaviours)
What advice would you give to a young woman considering a career in hospitality? Know what you want from a job or a career, know and play to your strengths, learn and develop continuously, never doubt yourself if you know your stuff, and always look after the people around you that deserve your attention.
What is the best piece of professional advice you have been given? Always create the conditions for people to flourish. Thank you Whitbread!
Who is your business icon? Dyson. The global HR director said if you have a sticky question you can’t solve, send a message to your team before you go to bed. Someone in the world will have just started their day and have had eight hours to respond - so you wake up to fresh, diverse, new thinking and you’ve created working in a shared, inclusive community. Not everyone has this luxury obviously, but the principles are effective for anyone to use.
Who is your personal icon? My dog, Charlie. I tend to overthink most stuff, and he doesn’t. Food, shelter, love.
What is your favourite restaurant? The Hermitage in Hitchin, which is one of Anglian Country Inn’s flagship sites. I love it because it’s local and I have many lovely memories of good food and service with friends and family.
What is your favourite dish? Fresh fish.
What couldn’t you live without? A can-do, will-do attitude. I focus my energy and strengths on the matters important to me.
UK Food & Drink Shows
Taking place at the NEC Birmingham from Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 April, the 2025 UK Food & Drink Shows comprises four shows that each target a sector of the food and drink industry.
• Food & Drink Expo provides buyers from hospitality, retail, wholesale, foodservice and manufacturing with information and product sourcing opportunities. To reflect the growth in the UK eating out market and continued blurring of the lines in the food and drink sectors, The Restaurant Show is this year integrated into Food & Drink Expo.
• Farm Shop & Deli Show brings together hundreds of suppliers to showcase the best of local and speciality produce to retailers and buyers.
• National Convenience Show provides a platform for the convenience retailing sector to come together, from suppliers and wholesalers through to retailers.
• Foodex Manufacturing Solutions is the UK’s leading trade event for the food and drink processing, packaging and logistics industries.
Once again, UK Food & Drink Shows will feature a packed programme of expert speakers, insightful panels and inspiring demonstrations on topics and trends that are driving the industry.
New themed areas are being introduced including the Coffee Zone, the Packaging Zone, the Future Food Zone and the Business Advice Hub, which will provide access to free business advice and services.
Also new for 2025 is The Cocktail Stage, at Food & Drink Expo. From expertly crafted cocktails to creative mocktails, brands will use this space to present their drinks and serve samples. Don't miss your chance to sip, sample, and discover.
Visitors will be able to follow those drinks with an exciting dish or snack from one of the two dedicated street food areas being rolled out at this year's show.
To ensure attendees make the most of their visit to the shows, an online digital event companion will offer a comprehensive event guide, interactive floorplan, seamless indoor navigation and real-time notifications.
To find out more and register for free tickets visit the UK Food & Drink Shows website.