MEET OUR JUDGES

I’m an entrepreneur, presenter, and micro-investor passionate about empowering women-led ventures. As a Director of Heriots Patisserie, I built the brand into a multi-million turnover business spanning e-commerce, retail, and production. Alongside my business ventures, I’ve invested in and mentored women led start-ups with a focus on sustainability, innovation, and social impact. My work bridges food, culture, and community, and I continue to champion representation and inclusion across the food and drink sector.

Dr. Lilla Bessenyei graduated in Pharmacy in 2016 and has since specialised in Holistic Health, Superfoods, and Nootropics. With extensive experience in Sports Recovery and functional nutrition, she has spent the past four years focusing on the food and drinks industry. Collaborating with Brand Relations and now Branding Innovations, she works closely with emerging and established brands in the functional and wellness sectors, including SpaceGoods, VitClear, and Carouse. Passionate about evidence-based innovation, Dr. Lilla also serves as a judge for the Quality Food Awards, recognising excellence and progress in the industry for the past three years.

"With over 30 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, I have built a career specialising in flavour and flavour ingredients across a wide range of market sectors including savoury (food coatings and marinades), snack seasonings, beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), confectionery, and dairy. My extensive background in New Product Development (NPD) has equipped me with a diverse and adaptable skill set, allowing me to thrive in dynamic environments where no two days are the same—whether collaborating on customer projects, creating presentations, exploring emerging trends and keeping up to date with changing food guidelines, providing solutions to customer projects and becoming a trusted advisor.

Seeing a product that I have worked on appear on a supermarket shelf is a moment of pride and fulfilment—knowing I played a part in its journey. My passion for food and drink extends beyond the workplace; I enjoy discovering new product launches, reading food magazines, and indulging in culinary shows like MasterChef and The Great British Bake Off.

A highlight of my career is my role as a judge for the Quality Food Awards for the past four years. This role has allowed me to engage with cutting-edge innovation, evaluate products on taste, texture, and other criteria, and connect with inspiring peers across the industry.

As a woman in food, I’m proud to have raised two children—half of that time as a single mum—while maintaining a fulfilling career. I strive to be a role model to them and am incredibly proud of the young adults they are becoming. Balancing work and family life has helped me develop strong organisational and interpersonal skills that continue to serve me well. Eating and drinking for a living what more is there to love?"

Karen Green is a UK grocery and food sales expert, who works with food and drink companies to enable them to launch into the UK market. She is a former grocery buyer for industry giants Tesco and Boots, and for last 10 years has been enabling companies to achieve profitable sales growth through consultancy, coaching and key note speaking. Karen is the author of two best selling books, Recipe for Success and Buyerology. She is currently back at school studying a Masters in World Food in Italy alongside her client work.

Mex Ibrahim is a passionate advocate for gender equality and co-founded Women in the Food Industry in 2019, now a non-profit, championing inclusion, leadership, and empowerment across the sector. With expertise in sustainability, entrepreneurship, and ethical eating, Mex is a trustee of the charity School Food Matters, a member of The Guild of Food Writers, and serves on the advisory board of New Food Magazine. She also runs a successful digital strategy business and was named Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Champion at the 2025 Speciality & Fine Food Fair Awards.

I am an Award Winning Irish Food Blogger and self taught Photographer, Food stylist and content creator. I started sharing my passion for food through my recipes back in 2017 on my blog, Soulful And Healthy and it gained quite a following from people who enjoyed trying my recipes and new dish ideas.

I was born and raised in Bangalore, Southern India, I moved to Dublin in 2012 after my marriage. Being the foodie that I have always been from my childhood, I created my blog to share simple, easy recipes after I became a Mum, as I wanted to do something for myself. As my blog gained popularity, it went on to win The Best Irish Blog Award in the UK in 2018.

As my creations gained attention, I decided to become a Food Photographer and Food Stylist, and I have worked with many Irish food brands and Irish producers. Now my recipes are published in many leading publications like The Irish Times, The Taste, The Journal and many such magazines and newspapers both local and International. I had the opportunity to become the Brand Ambassador for Kenwood World, where I shared my recipes and photos along with many top famous chefs. I have been interviewed by RSVP magazine and The Independent where I had the opportunity to share my journey. I have also worked with some of the most popular restaurants in Dublin as a Photographer and Stylist. Since my family expanded we moved to Wexford, a beautiful seaside town and I still continue to share my passion for food through videos and I still enjoy photo shoots with local food trucks.

Elit Rowland is the founder of Women in Wholesale and was recognised by The Grocer as one of the Most Influential Women in Wholesale. With more than a decade at JJ Foodservice, she’s passionate about food, inclusion, and helping women thrive across the supply chain.

AJ Sharp is a food commentator, broadcaster, and entrepreneur. She founded award-winning agency SHARP Relations, a communications consultancy specialising in food and drink. She's passionate about helping good people grow great food brands, and has built her career championing innovation, authenticity, and positive change across the sector.

She’s also the host of the Food Rebels the podcast and radio show with 130,000 weekly listeners, where she interviews inspiring changemakers who are redefining what the future of food should look like. A regular media contributor and fierce advocate for women in business, AJ is known for her warmth, insightful input and commitment to celebrating the people behind every great food story.

Denise has worked in the food & drink industry for over 25 years. and currently develops and food styles all the recipes and videos for the AHDB Domestic and Export Marketing projects and campaigns. Her extensive experience ranges from working in food & drink PR,TV and media, at the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu Cookery School, as a Senior Home Economist for Nestlé and Food Advisor at the Sea Fish Industry Authority and Food Advisor at the Sea Fish Industry Authority as part of the marketing team, where Denise worked across all sectors of the seafood industry to promote good quality, sustainable British seafood. She has a Masters in Culinary Arts from the University of Brighton and is a member of The Guild of Food Writers.