Food safety white paper sept 2015 final

Food safety – Managing risk
and restoring confidence
A special report from Aon’s UK food and drink practice
September 2015
Aon Risk Solutions
National | Food & Drink Practice
Risk. Reinsurance. Human Resources.

Aon Risk Solutions | National | Food & Drink Practice Food safety – Managing risk and restoring confidence 1
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
• Kary Yates – Team Leader- Product Recall and Contamination-Aon
Chapter 1 – Product safety market review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
• Vince West – Head of Aon Business Resilience Practice
Chapter 2 – Recall expert insights
• Hester Shaw – Product recall consultant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
• Hill+Knowlton Strategies – Crisis management consulting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chapter 3 – The manufacturer’s perspective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
• Thatchers Cider
Chapter 4 – The supplier’s perspective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
• Farmcare
Contributors to the Paper – biographies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Table of contents

Introduction
Kary Yates – Team Leader - Product Recall and
Contamination – Aon
Food and drink manufacturers have found themselves under
greater scrutiny from both regulators and the media in recent
years as the public demands transparency on where food has
been sourced from and who is in the supply chain.
Whatever anyone thinks about the risks and consequences of
contamination events and the fact that the vast majority
of Food Standards Agency (FSA) enforcement notices result
in little or no harm to consumers, a food safety incident can
cause significant financial harm to a business and its brand.
In the worst case scenario it can cause so much interruption
to production that its long-term viability is in question.
Therefore the purpose of this document is to consider the
issues around best practice and how with a properly aligned
product recall and business continuity plan, organisations can
create a robust framework to handle food safety incidents.
We have spoken with a quartet of experts who are ideally
placed to explain their approach to food safety and recall
risk management.
Firstly, Vince West, Head of the Aon Business Resilience Practice
reviews the last 12 months’ incidents and issues, highlighting
the inability of UK government to implement independent
testing. He reminds us that quality control is firmly in the
manufacturer’s court.
Maintaining an enterprise risk management theme, consultant
Hester Shaw, suggests that the food and drink sector has in
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) the most
robust safety controls of any manufacturing industry, but she
warns that companies must begin considering less predictable
food safety threats like fraud.
In the event of a major food safety incident, dealing
with the media is of course one of the greatest challenges.
Tim Luckett of Hill+Knowlton Strategies reveals some
of the more straightforward aspects of building a crisis
communications plan, emphasising how doing and saying the
right thing must be two processes that are perfectly aligned.
We have also received insight from risk managers in the food
and drink manufacturing sector. The recent history of fast
growing drinks brand Thatchers Cider is explained by its
Finance Director Matthew Gazzard. He points out that as its
increasing market dominance and a strong export strategy
require almost constant operational and risk review with supply
chain visibility at the very top of his agenda.
Our final industry perspective brings the issue right back to the
start of the supply chain.
Farmcare’s 50,000 acres have delivered fruit and cereals to
manufacturers and retailers for more than 100 years. We spoke
to its CEO Richard Quinn about the company’s approach to
crop management and Farmcare’s automated traceability
system which enable them to isolate and instigate a recall
protocol within a matter of hours.
We hope that by providing this range of commentary and
insight, you will find this paper of value and look forward to any
feedback you may wish to send our way.

Chapter 1
Product safety incident review 2015
Vince West – Head of Aon’s Business Resilience Practice
The past year has been mercifully devoid of the kind of
catastrophic contamination and product recall events
witnessed during the Horsegate scandal, nevertheless
2015 has experienced its fair share of significant recalls.
The gluten-free, metals in foods and nuts-for-spices incidents
during the first half of 2015 were arguably the three most
noteworthy with their consequences spreading across multiple
retailers and prompting some serious supply chain reviews.
At the time of writing they appeared to have been brought
under control, and it is to the credit of the retailers and
the suppliers involved that any escalation of the story was
contained. Nevertheless, they served as a reminder of the
interconnected nature of manufacturing and the problems
that can be caused if a contamination aggregates beyond a
single outlet.
Very often when our practice is engaged with a manufacturer,
we look to understand their testing regime and supply chain
track and trace processes. It’s clear to see that during the past
twelve months there has been considerably more pressure on
food and drink companies to take this responsibility on board.
The Elliott Review into the integrity and assurance of food
supply networks is now just over a year old and despite its
recommendations, there appears to be little sign that the UK
government will invest in any independent testing facilities.
Testing, testing…
Setting aside the benefits or otherwise of such a regime,
it certainly means that the cost for sampling, testing and
ensuring quality control down the supply chain is firmly in
the manufacturer’s court. Some have suggested this may act
as a demotivating tactic, but I would disagree. If there will
not be an enforced testing regime, you should therefore be
able to design and implement much more appropriate tests
incorporating sensible tolerances that mitigate safety and
contamination risks unique to your business.
One of the greatest challenges in promoting best practice is to
actually find examples of good work available for publishing.
By their nature, recalls and contamination incidents tend to
stay under the radar, but in view of the do-it-yourself testing
scenario outlined above, there is one which resonates some six
years after the fact.
In 2009, Nestle USA was considering whether to buy
ingredients from a supplier and twice sent its own
inspectors to check out the company1
. On both occasions,
they rejected it after finding a potential for microbial
contamination. Nestle was one of several major customers
of the supplier, but crucially one of the only ones to carry
out their own testing. Others employed the ‘industry
standard’; a leading food inspection firm and unfortunately
suffered as a result of the contamination potential Nestle’s
own people had predicted.
Significant UK incidents in 2015
June – major supermarkets recall products
advertised as ‘Gluten-free’
May – Swancote Foods revealed as supplier at
heart of metals-in-food recall
February – Nuts-for-spices identified in ten food
products recalled in UK. Dozens more across EU
1
Source: Washington Post – Friday 20th March 2009

Chapter 2
Recall expert insights
Hester Shaw – Product recall consultant
The food and drink manufacturing industry has in many ways led the field on
traceability techniques says Hester Shaw, but it is up to individual companies
to find the best approach to fit their needs.
A risk management consultant to various industries, Hester Shaw says she has
seen general attitudes to food safety and contamination change in recent
years, with a relentless focus on trying to make things better. “However, as
we all know the last few years have forced some companies to recognise that
existing processes have failed,” she says.
“Horsegate caught consumers completely by surprise; suddenly they were
finding out that some of the meat they’re eating has come via several eastern
European countries, then into Ireland before reaching the UK and it wasn’t a
good surprise.”
Since Horsegate and the subsequent Elliott Review into the integrity and
assurance of food supply networks2
, there has been considerable debate
about whether new industry standards could help. Hester points out
that ironically, food manufacturing has had in place some of the most
comprehensive supply chain traceability control standards in the form of
HACCP3
since the 1960s.
“This was developed by the space industry when they analysed
products used by astronauts and had to be absolutely sure they were
free from contaminants. They walked through each stage of the
manufacturing process and identified potential contaminants and put
control measures in place to identify every step in the process and
pinpoint where anything may have occurred.”
Hester adds that today HACCP has created a global framework with a
consistent language. “If you are marketing a food product and you need a
third party to manufacture it, they will be sourcing materials from multiple
parties and all of these manufacturing sites should utilise the same approach
and the same language.”
There is a downside however as HACCP is very good at identifying
“known contaminants” that could affect your supply chain. “It’s not so
good at thinking about the unknown or the things you’re not expecting.
Situations like horse meat, or melamine in the milk powder where there were
issues around fraud; these are not the normal contaminations that you’d
expect but you still need to be able to anticipate them. The industry now
needs to learn how to evolve this system and others like it.”
Best Practice
When companies are reviewing their product
recall plans, Hester points to four key elements
that can help prevent or minimize the impact of
a recall.
1. Understand the risk environment:
Build strong risk assessment and identification
systems and allow them to evolve as the
landscape changes.
2. Risk avoidance (contractual):
Strengthen your supplier contracts with
key clauses on communication obligations
around critical control points and a
responsibility to share information.
Also include audit-specific responsibilities.
3. Risk minimisation:
Recognise early warning signals and capture
products before they leave your control.
Have good systems in place for monitoring
the quality and safety of products.
Decentralise decision making, for example
giving shift managers the ability to stop
production if problems occur.
4. Crisis management:
People often say that recalls only ever happen
on Friday afternoons, leaving no time to react.
You may be in a situation where 100% of the
information isn’t available so be prepared
to improvise.
2
https://gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/350726/elliot-review-final-report-july2014.pdf
3
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points http://food.gov.uk/business-industry/caterers/haccp

So should the industry face up to greater legislation?
Hester admits that in some instances, the law has to step in.
“The electronics industry is a perfect example of a legislative
regime that has forced its hand to improve traceability.
Manufacturers now have to chase down their supply chain
because of laws governing conflict metals. Similarly, the
REACH4
chemicals legislation governs safety assessments of
chemicals across the supply chain.”
Have manufacturers become better at
handling recalls?
Advising manufacturers on various aspects of their product
recall and business continuity planning, Hester declares that
the industry is “very experienced at handling small product-
related incidents but can be caught out by larger
or unexpected events”.
“There are several different levels of course, from the hundreds
of minor batch recalls instigated internally by the organisation
that no one hears about, to those which escalate into a more
significant problem,” she adds. “No manufacturer is the same
as another and it’s difficult to find a straightforward ‘map’
of how recalls can be handled, but the Australian and New
Zealand FSA has produced a straightforward flow chart that
helps to explain things clearly” (see fig 1).
While the chart goes some way to describing the steps
companies should take during a recall scenario, Hester explains
that her most vital work will be in preparing companies for
those where events can cascade and cause potential business
continuity issues.
4
Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH). 1st June 2007 replaced a number of
European Directives and Regulations with a single system.
Issue identified
with food
Is this issue a public health
and safety risk? e.g.
• microbial contamination
• chemical or other
contaminant
• undeclared allergen
Consult with home
state and/or seek
expert advice
Recall initiated in
accordance with
this Protocol
Has the affected product
reached the marketplace
and/or is in the posession
of consumers
Consumer
level recall
Withdrawal
initiated in
consultation
with home
state, where
required
Trade level
recall
Other
appropriate
action taken
Does the food need
to be removed from
sale as a precautionary
measure? e.g.
• waiting
confirmation of
a presumptive
positive for a
pathogen
• labelling issue
• quality or
suitability issue
NO
UNSURE
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
Figure 1 Australia/NZ Food Standards Agency – A helpful
illustration of recall protocol

Recall expert insights
(continued)
Hill+Knowlton Strategies – Crisis management consulting
“The food and drink manufacturing industry has
increased its focus on crisis communications strategy,
planning and training”, says Tim Luckett at Hill+Knowlton
Strategies.
As an issues and crisis team, Hill+Knowlton Strategies advises on
the reputation management angle of product recalls. “This means
anything from stakeholders and how the company communicates,
to customers on the street, politicians, you name it,” says Tim.
“We provide advice to customers to reassure them and keep them
up to date on how the product recall process is going.”
To many outside the frenetic world of communications, the
practical elements of PR and crisis communications are completely
alien concepts. How the words of a spokesperson end up in the
media are still considered amongst the ‘dark arts’ of business.
And yet, companies like Hill+Knowlton Strategies are increasingly
appointed to advise companies as part of their product recall
insurance programmes. “Every situation is different, but we advise
on immediate statements to the media, statements to employees,
book advertising space if the recall needs to go public; develop
the advertisement itself and build core messages which will need
to be used,” says Tim.
H+K is also on the end of the phone line when a customer needs immediate
support. “Of course the vast majority of product recalls go completely
unnoticed, but when an escalation occurs, communication tends to be
the first and most pressing issue,” he says. “No one situation is the same as
another, but typically we would first become involved in a potential crisis
scenario by drafting and issuing a ‘holding statement’ which is designed
to reassure stakeholders while operational teams begin the process of
identifying the cause of a contamination or other concern and put the
logistics of the recall itself into motion.”
Crisis communications – the checklist
It’s critically important that a manufacturer knows
what’s expected of them in a crisis.
Retailers expect to be furnished with every piece
of information they need to be able to reassure
their customers and communicate with them;
while you won’t necessarily be communicating
directly with the public, the retailer will take the
brunt of the work on and they’ll expect.
• Draft statements
• Comprehensive Q&As
• Option for a 24/7 customer phone line
“If the retailer feels the manufacturer isn’t doing
enough or responding too slowly with the wrong
information, this can damage their brand and
they may think twice about working with certain
companies if their reputation is not protected
during the course of a recall,” adds Tim Luckett.

30 minute deadline
“Always have a good crisis communication plan in place and best practice
dictates some kind of response should be available within 30 minutes of
a problem becoming public knowledge,” Tim warns. “If you don’t have
a means of mapping out which stakeholders are involved and what you
want to say to them, you’ll be at a considerable disadvantage. In this age
of social media, speed is of the utmost importance and while not every
food manufacturer has a social media presence, they’ll still have to respond
indirectly. After all, the retailers generally do have a strong social media
profile and will likely return to manufacturers with questions as activity
online builds up.”
Investment and preparation
In previous editions of Aon’s food and drink newsletter Inperspective,
our sector experts have identified an increasing interest in crisis consulting
from food and drink manufacturers5
. In our Spring 2015 edition, Aon’s
Product Recall and Contamination team leader Kary Yates, said: “Crisis
consultancy is becoming a key aspect of the product recall armoury and
with a 5% standard bursary (of net premium) available for clients to spend
with their insurer’s crisis consultant, clients can take some comfort by having
that expertise available to assist them in the review of their supply chain
management, business continuity and recall management plans.”
It’s certainly a trend that Hill+Knowlton Strategies have experienced.
“We’ve definitely noticed an upswing in demand from manufacturers to
conduct preparatory work and ensure that they are well positioned to
handle recall communications,” Tim confirms. “There is also more interest
in how to position themselves with regards social and digital media,
particularly those with brands that require protection. If you say the wrong
thing on social media and provoke a strong consumer reaction; that will be
tomorrow’s headline.”
5
Aon Inperspective Food and Drink | April 2015
aon.com/unitedkingdom/attachments/newsletters/food-and-drink-issue-3.pdf

Chapter 3
The manufacturer’s perspective
Thatchers Cider
Thatchers Cider has its roots firmly secured in
heritage, the demand for its authentic Somerset ciders
growing over 500% during the last six years.
Finance Director Matthew Gazzard has been with the
company since 2013 and tells the story of a company
that is in the process of almost constant review of its
risk register and insurance programme.
As a family-owned business whose generations pervade every
aspect of the organisation, Thatchers Cider is handling its rapid
growth with the sensibilities of a lean, modern corporate firm
but with its eye still firmly on its USP – its 111 year history.
Its 140 staff includes the full range of skills, from those who
tend its 420 acres of orchards, to production, sales, marketing,
administration and management and Matthew says there is
considerable pride in its ability to control its supply chain and
product quality from the tree through to the finished product.
“We continue to grow year on year outperforming the overall
cider market. Our strategy is quite simple in fact, that within
the UK we want to establish ourselves as the prominent
heritage cider brand within the market. We are currently
number two in the on trade nationally, and if you compare six
years ago the market leader was 11 times our size, last year this
had been reduced to three. There remains a lot of market to go
for but we are certainly gaining momentum.”
Increasing exports
Thatchers has established a strong market in Australia and
Europe, particularly in the Nordics, while the brand is also
pushing into tourist destinations, such as Spain and Portugal,
says Matthew. “The net result is about 25 different countries
across the world and most recently we started to distribute our
cider in North America where the cider market is more than
doubling year on year. We are hoping to take a significant share
of that market over the course of time, but it is early days and
we’re just settling in at the moment.”
With all of this growth, Matthew’s risk register has continually
evolved. “We have an increased number of suppliers, our
customer base is growing, we’re increasing our staff numbers
and meanwhile the level of infrastructure, plant and machinery
we are using is also increasing. As a result, all aspects of our
insurance program are very much under review continuously
not just at the renewal or an annual event. Certainly, with the
help of the Aon team we get together on a quarterly basis and
really assess any changes.”
He describes the review tongue in cheek as, ‘a bit of confession
session’, “confessing on things we’ve been doing lately in terms
of machinery, territories and products. From that perspective
all areas are at risk and it’s critical that we keep on top of it,”
says Matthew.
“All aspects of our insurance program are
very much under review continuously
not just at the renewal or an annual
event. Certainly, with the help of the
Aon team on a quarterly basis we get
together and really assess any changes.”

Product safety priority
On top of the list is the product recall aspects of Thatchers’
programme. “We put considerable time and effort into this.
It’s not just from purely a cider product perspective. For six to
seven weeks during the summer each year we are also the main
North European pressing facility for Ribena’s blackcurrants.
We are pressing 10,000+ tons of blackcurrants over this period.
As a result, the product contamination and recall perspective
is very much key factor for us both as a producer and also as a
supplier ourselves.”
Matthew adds that Thatchers’ operations are constantly under
review with risk assessments in play to ensure every element
of the company’s risk profile is kept to minimum. “We have a
detailed risk management scheme where we are recording and
monitoring all areas of quality and health and safety. We make
sure at a board level that everybody throughout the company
is well communicated with and understands what we expect
and what this register is showing us. I’m very happy to say that
we are able to keep all those risks at a minimum level. We feel
we are always on top of it and it’s definitely a major focus for
our operational team.”
As alluded to earlier with its export strategy expanding,
Thatchers has made some adjustments this year. “We are now
operating within North America and we’ve increased our
coverage from a product and public liability perspective to
mitigate the financial risk that may bring. From a product recall
perspective we are making sure that all of our annual returns
are very carefully completed so we get the relevant level of
cover in place from all aspects and we don’t end up exposed.”
Business continuity
For all manufacturers, particularly those in regulated sectors,
the proof of how robust their product recall planning is can be
explained by how they avoid a recall from becoming a business
continuity incident.
“Our products are constantly assessed and stress tested,”
says Matthew. “We go through dry runs to make sure that
all aspects of our plan are in place and working. The product
recall plan is a major part of our business interruption plan
but in a similar way as well, we make sure that we stress test
and understand our production facilities. These are constantly
evolving, in terms of keeping up with the latest improvements
in product quality and also demand from the market. We want
to make sure that we’ve got continuity in our manufacture and
supply to our customer.”
Thatchers wants above all to minimise financial exposure,
adds Matthew. “We never want a scenario for business
continuity issues to raise its head. Therefore we want to ensure
that we have a product recall plan in place to make sure that we
operate effectively and coordinate with our relevant customer
at that point. We make sure that we’ve got all relevant records
and information to hand and know precisely if there was a
problem with a particular batch of cider, we know exactly
where it’s gone and we are in charge of it.
“Similarly, we also have plans in place to make sure that if it
did happen we know for sure how to quarantine the product
and the issue so that it’s restrained and doesn’t come out of
proportion in terms of the incident.”
Negotiating cover
Matthew takes a direct role in the programme and purchasing
side of Thatchers’ insurance programme and says that as a
financial director he would be expected to “go out and get
the best price.
“But I think that’s more to do with the best value for money
in terms of the overall cover and what would that premium
provide us with. So it doesn’t only need a competitive price
but also has to have a level of quality in its cover. We are
making sure that we aren’t cutting any corners and leaving
any exposure.”
Previous chapters of this report have identified how
manufacturers are taking a keener interest in extensions on
offer from insurers, such as dedicated crisis consultancy.
Matthew confirms that Thatchers is amongst those who have
taken up this offer. “We do like to make use of extensions like
this because crisis consulting is very helpful in terms of testing
our plans, imagining scenarios and creating a debate around
the table.”
Matthew even admits to accepting the challenge of a mock
media grilling. “Actually having a journalist interview you
quite aggressively and preparing for the worst is really helpful.
We do see that as an add on to our product recall program to
make sure we have got an opportunity to constantly test the
system and be the best we can be.”
“For all manufacturers, particularly
those in regulated sectors, the proof
of how robust their product recall
strategy is, can be explained by how
they avoid a recall from becoming
a business continuity incident.”
“Actually having a journalist interview
you aggressively and preparing
for the worst is really helpful.”

Chapter 4
The supplier’s perspective
Farmcare
Traversing the supplier-producer business model,
Farmcare is beginning a new chapter in its long
history after parting company with its Co-Operative
Group owners in 2014. Chief Executive Richard Quinn
explains the company’s risk management priorities.
Farmcare produces top fruit, vegetables and cereals on more
than 50,000 acres, on sites throughout England and Scotland.
It owns six farm estates and two packhouses, and manages a
further six farms. CEO Richard Quinn says the business naturally
counts pest control as its key risk. “While our management of
natural pests doesn’t necessarily prevent us from selling our
product, it can affect the value.”
The first thing Richard emphasises is the fact that nature can
only be fought within certain boundaries. “You can’t do a lot
other than manage the conditions you’re in. Sometimes rainfall
will cause problems with our crops and that would impact
production quite significantly, but from a risk perspective you
have to tolerate and treat it as there are some things you can’t
do a lot about without some form of divine intervention.”
Going to market
Issues around product safety and contamination are dealt
with on a highly sophisticated level at Farmcare. Richard
says this manifests itself in the company’s approach to crop
management and its monitoring of growing conditions.
“If we sell our produce to someone then we have the ability to
tell them exactly how this produce has been grown; whether
chemicals have been applied, what chemicals, how much, on
which dates, the identity of who was doing the spraying and
finally when the produce was harvested.
“With customers ever more interested in the traceability of
their food, we’ve even used software systems to help provide
our potato customers with ‘passports’.”
Richard explains that thanks to Farmcare’s automated
traceability system, they can offer full transparency: each pack
of potatoes comes complete with its own log book, so you’ll
know which field the potatoes were grown in, by which grower
and what chemicals have been applied.
“We want to give people definite assurances that what we say
we are selling aligns with how we actually manage our crops.”
With Farmcare’s produce arriving at a variety of customer
destinations from direct sellers, to flour millers, Richard says
Farmcare has delivered genuine assurances. “If a flour miller
sells our wheat on to a retailer in order to make bread, we hope
that the customers that we deal with realise that Farmcare’s
informed, integrated approach will benefit the whole supply
chain, rather than just our network of farms . We’re committed
to the first mile. Offering full transparency and accountability
around the first mile of our food is really important.”
Our role in a recall
Richard explains that if something does go wrong and an
unpredictable scenario happens, Farmcare’s protocols are
well drilled.
“If the product is already in the supply chain then we
immediately contact our customers and we have a product
withdrawal process. Just like manufacturers, we’re dealing with
raw materials and we have a process of contacting customers
who can either return the contaminated product or destroy it.
“We also insure against this risk, so we take our responsibilities
seriously. Again, some of our direct customers have quite strict
requirements, stipulating how long it should take us to notify
them of a product withdrawal as well as notifying them about
where it is within their supply chain. For wholesalers it may
be in an oven making bread, in retailer terms it could be on
shelves already. Not only have we got a responsibility for the
first stage of the supply chain, we’ve also got a responsibility
through the rest of the supply chain as well.”
Some Farmcare clients stipulate action in a matter of hours,
he adds. “We need complete confidence in our control systems
so we know we can respond and react in these timeframes.”

Crisis consulting influence
Despite its relatively low profile with the public, Farmcare is
far from immune to the demands of modern life in a crisis.
Richard adds that the group has placed a cover for crisis
management support and he points out that the brand’s
strength as a business to business name still needs careful
protection. “Our brand is very important to us and we try to
make sure we have sufficient control systems in place so we’re
comfortable that the likelihood of damage happening is reduced
as much as it can be.
“We’ll insure at the point beyond which we can take control
ourselves and we’re confident we’ve got the right processes to
deal with major challenges when they happen.”

With thanks
to those who contributed to this paper
Matthew Gazzard
Financial Director, Thatchers Cider
matthew.gazzard@thatcherscider.co.uk
Tim Luckett
Global Crisis Practice Lead, Hill+Knowlton Strategies
tim.luckett@hkstrategies.com
Matthew Gazzard is a Certified Accountant and the company’s Financial
Director. Matthew has held numerous financial and commercial positions in a
variety of companies and industries all based around product manufacturing.
He recently joined Thatchers Cider as a statutory director responsible for
controlling all financial and IT activities across the company.
thatcherscider.co.uk
Tim Luckett is H+K Strategies’ Global Crisis Practice Lead and has 20 years
of media and PR consultancy experience. He is a specialist in crisis and issues
management and brand reputation. He has handled a number of high profile
reputational issues across a range of sectors and is well versed in designing
internal and external communication strategies to help senior management
tackle significant business challenges.
Tim has advised on issues such as product recalls and withdrawals,
deliberate contaminations, brand attacks by NGOs and activist groups,
fraud, sexual discrimination, leaked documents, redundancies, avian flu,
pension fund holes, blackmail, court cases, deaths in service and mergers.
Tim led and co-ordinated a European-wide product recall following Sudan 1.
He also advised and trained WorldCom on its response to corporate fraud.
He has led crisis response programmes for Bernard Matthews (avian flu),
Northern Rock (financial collapse) and the administration of XL airlines on
behalf of Kroll. He has instigated crisis preparedness programmes for
McCormick, Adidas, Phones4u, Federal Mogul , Astra Zeneca, HSBC, Comet
and B&Q.
Tim has extensive experience of running media and presentation training.
In the last year he has run media training programmes for: BSkyB,
Conservative Party MPs, United Biscuits, Intel, HP, RFU, Gillette, Carling,
Jonny Wilkinson and Andy Murray.
Tim’s detailed media knowledge comes from his strong journalistic
background. He was a crime correspondent on the Sunday Mirror and
investigative reporter on the News of the World. He also worked as a
reporter on the Mail on Sunday where he ran the Scottish newsdesk and
covered the 1997 General Election. He also freelanced for The Sun, Today
and the Evening Standard. He began his career as a sports reporter in the
East Midlands.
Tim has a postgraduate diploma in newspaper journalism and a degree in
economics and politics.
hkstrategies.co.uk

Richard Quinn
Chief Executive Officer, Farmcare
richard.quinn@farmcareltd.co.uk
Hester Shaw
Director and Consultant,
Hester Shaw Consulting Limited
hester@hestershaw.co.uk
Richard Quinn has spent a large part of his career in Food Retail, having
also worked in banking and other business environments. Food was always
where his heart lay though, and in February 2013 Richard took the
opportunity to work at the start of the food supply chain as Head of Farms
for The Co-operative Farms (now Farmcare Trading Ltd), which was a
subsidiary of the Co-operative Group until it was sold to Wellcome Trust in
2014. Farmcare is the UK’s leading rural and agricultural business, farming on
50,000 acres of land across England and Scotland. On this land Farmcare
grows high quality cereals, fruits and vegetables, pioneering a mix of
traditional and leading-edge agricultural techniques, ensuring that
Farmcare meets its ‘First Mile’ strategy – showing retailers the entire journey
from seed to product. Richard has an MBA from Leeds University, and his
personal interests include new technology and innovation, films, music and
Alpine Mountaineering
farmcareltd.com
Hester Shaw has over fifteen years of international experience within the
FMCG industry and risk consulting. Hester’s skills include project and
programme management, learning and development, operational risk (in
particular, supply chain risk, business continuity management (BCM) and
product incident planning), exercising, innovation and R&D.
Prior to starting the business, Hester was a senior consultant for the risk
consulting practice of a leading insurance broker, advising clients on
achieving world-class risk management through tailored solutions focusing
on product and supply chain risk.
The initial part of her career was spent in technical and innovation project
management roles at Unilever where she gained a reputation for turning
blue-sky ideas into reality by developing practical solutions, delivering
complex projects and leading teams out of difficult situations.
Hester founded her advisory practice in 2010 to deliver consulting
assignments to global retail, manufacturing and consumer goods
organisations. Primary specialism is supply chain and product risk and
their integration within an operational risk management program.
Hester graduated from Imperial College with a first class degree in chemical
engineering and from BPP School of Law with a post-graduate diploma in
law with distinction. She also holds a PRINCE2 Practitioner project
management qualification.
Specialties: Project & Programme Management; Training & Awareness;
Activity-Based Planning; Programme Adoption; Business Continuity
Management (BCM); Supply Chain Risk; Product Risk; Risk Consulting;
Collaboration and Co-Creation; FMCG Industry; Food & Beverage; Risk
Assessment & Management; Outsourcing; Continuity Planning; Risk
Management Processes.
hestershaw.co.uk

Anna Jakubisiak
Consultant, Issues and Crisis, Hill+Knowlton Strategies
anna.jakubisiak@hkstrategies.com
Vince West
Head of Business Resilience Practice, Aon
vincent.west@aon.co.uk
Anna Jakubisiak is experienced in providing issues and crisis support to
companies across a variety of sectors including oil and gas, retail, healthcare
and financial services.
At H+K Strategies, she supports on media training programmes and issues
and crisis management for clients such as Adidas, Cineworld, Visa Europe
and P&G.
Anna is also a digital media specialist with particular expertise in traditional
and social media monitoring.
Prior to joining H+K, Anna was an Account Executive for a leading crisis
communications agency in London. She acted as one of the main
spokespeople for Ineos during the biggest industrial dispute in Scotland
in 2013.
Anna started her career at a creative marketing agency, working with
companies such as Old Spice, Virgin Media, Ceuta Healthcare and
Papa Johns.
Anna has a degree in Sociology and Media studies from City University,
London. She is also fluent in Polish and speaks basic Russian. Her specialties
include public relations, media training, crisis management, media relations,
corporate communications, social media, event management, press release
writing and project planning.
hkstrategies.co.uk
Vince West joined Aon to head up the practice in 2010 from Marsh Risk
Consulting where he was Managing Consultant, prior to which, he was a
partner in an independent Business Continuity Practice he launched in 1997.
He has also worked as Group Head of Business Continuity for Cable &
Wireless plc operating in over 50 countries worldwide, where he established
a network of 15 consultants within the group’s strategic businesses. He was
also responsible for coordinating the telecommunications aid provided by
Cable & Wireless to NGOs in the relief of Somalia, Bosnia and Rwanda.
His extensive experience of Business Continuity and Crisis Management has
been deployed across sectors including food manufacturing, petrochemicals,
telecommunications, banking, finance and insurance, defence, IT,
publishing, and the public sector.
Vince has been a member of the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) since
1997 and was elected to the BCI Partnership Steering Group in 2010 and
more recently to the BCI’s 20/20 think tank. . He is a regular contributor to
industry groups and forums and appears frequently in the media as a
recognised expert in BCM.
A BSI qualified lead auditor for BS 25999, Vince is also a 5 time winner of
the ‘BCM Excellence in the Insurance Industry’ award from CIR. In 2010,
he was awarded the highly commended prize in the ‘BCM Consultant of
the Year ‘category.

Kary Yates
Team Leader, Product Recall and Contamination, Aon
kary.yates@aon.co.uk
Kary Yates has 29 years’ experience in producing and placing property and
casualty business with emphasis on product recall and contamination since
2002. Kary has 14 years broking experience in the London market, including
Lloyd’s of London and the London company market. Kary has a number of
qualifications in food and drink including a Level 2 and 3 in Food Safety
Supervision for Manufacturing (2012) and a Level 2 award in Principles
of HACCP.

About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE:AON) is a leading global provider of
risk management, insurance brokerage and
reinsurance brokerage, and human resources
solutions and outsourcing services. Through its
more than 69,000 colleagues worldwide, Aon unites
to empower results for clients in over 120 countries
via innovative risk and people solutions. For further
information on our capabilities and to learn how we
empower results for clients, please visit:
http://aon.mediaroom.com
© Aon plc 2015. All rights reserved.
Aon UK Limited is authorised and regulated by
the Financial Conduct Authority
FPNAT.155
The information contained herein and the statements expressed are of
a general nature and are not intended to address the circumstances of
any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide
accurate and timely information and use sources we consider reliable,
there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the
date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future.
No one should act on such information without appropriate profes-
sional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation.
Risk. Reinsurance. Human Resources.

Food safety white paper sept 2015 final

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Food safety white paper sept 2015 final