Meet Stacey our Food and Drink Network Coordinator.
With over 20 years of experience in both B2C and B2B environments, Stacey holds a marketing degree and a knack for creating compelling campaigns and memorable events.
Her background in Account Management adds a unique blend of sales and marketing expertise, allowing her to generate vibrant business growth strategies and insightful marketing plans for our membership.
Beyond work, Stacey enjoys a creatively charged home life and dedicates her time to various community projects.
Bringing an impressive 27 years of communications experience, Lesley Wilkinson of Stirling PR is a formidable asset to the Food and Drink Network. Her extensive expertise encompasses a wide spectrum of storytelling skills – from captivating web content to creative filmmaking.
With a Master’s in Public Relations, a robust network of media contacts and the ability to identify a great story, Lesley helps us to shine a spotlight on Forth Valley’s rich local larder in both local and national media.
Renowned for her established relationships across Stirling’s cultural, voluntary, educational and tourism sectors, Lesley has proven herself to be an ideal communications lead for the network; enhancing our campaign work and fostering cross sector partnerships.
Carolyn’s expertise lies in business development, notably within tourism and the food and drink sectors. She’s passionate about promoting social value and recognising the vital role micro-businesses play in local and rural economies.
Having recently completed an MSc in Gastronomy at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Carolyn now focuses on understanding challenges in local food systems and security. Her goal is to foster meaningful connections between businesses and the third sector to address these issues.
Fascinated by the broad impact of food culturally, socially, economically, and environmentally, Carolyn feels privileged to contribute to nurturing a vibrant food culture in Forth Valley. Her commitment to uniting sectors, paired with her business acumen and academic background, positions her as a valuable catalyst for collaborations within the region’s food and drink landscape.
Anne-Michelle played a pivotal role in kickstarting our network through the EU-funded LEADER programme.
Her current dual roles as manager of Forth Valley and Lomond Community Led Local Development Programme and Rural Economic Development Manager for Stirling Council, ensure seamless integration between our network and the region’s broader rural development activities.
Anne-Michelle is the linchpin connecting local organisations who are passionate about fostering the region’s thriving food and drink sector.
When she’s not immersed in rural development, you’ll find Anne-Michelle trekking the hills!
As a business owner in the Forth Valley since 1983, Douglas has witnessed numerous changes and evolutions in the region.
With over 26 years’ experience as a drink producer, he is thrilled that Forth Valley Food and Drink is shining a well-deserved spotlight on the area.
Recognising the potential of the digital age and the vast reach of social media, Douglas sees the network as a platform to showcase the region’s treasures to the world. With the website acting as a virtual ‘shop window’, displaying the region’s rich local larder and top quality dining and retail outlets.
Douglas also believes the network plays an important role in fostering new collaborations between members and in boosting the prosperity of all local businesses by positioning Forth Valley as a leading Food and Drink destination.
Stephanie brings her extensive experience in coordinating The Stirling Food Partnership and Falkirk Food and Growing to our network.
During her time at environmental charity FEL Scotland, she has also played a key role in establishing a local online food market in Stirling.
Stephanie finds direct interaction with local producers deeply rewarding, allowing her to witness first hand their unwavering passion for their products, production processes, and exceptional customer service.
Having previously owned a small catering business, her affinity for local produce remains steadfast, and her tenure as head chef for an independent Swedish bar chain has instilled a profound love for food and drink.
Shona, a dedicated sheep and cattle farmer, grew up on a rural Stirlingshire farm and is now carrying on that tradition with her own family.
With a deep-rooted love for the outdoors and animals, Shona relishes her role in sustainable farming, prioritising a reduced carbon footprint while ensuring high-quality, welfare-centric protein from their lush, natural grasslands in Drymen.
As a mother of four, three of whom aspire to contribute to their thriving family farming legacy, Shona has been championing the direct selling of their produce to consumers since 2019.
Passionate about promoting locally produced food, Shona ardently believes in the significance of sourcing food locally and seasonally, aligning with national net-zero targets.
Mark is a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years’ experience in finance, having worked with some of Scotland’s largest and most recognisable organisations.
He has spent more than 13 years working in the food and drink sector and understands that overseeing finances is about more than simply ensuring the numbers add up.
Mark has held senior finance roles across both commercial and not-for-profit sectors, including A.G. Barr plc, Smart Metering Systems and Stagecoach Group Limited.
His third-sector experience includes working with organisations such as The Arches (Glasgow), Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise and Start-up Stirling.
Mark brings strategic insight and strong governance experience to Forth Valley Food and Drink, helping to ensure the network remains financially robust and sustainable.
If you are interested in joining our board, we would love to hear from you. Please send us a brief summary highlighting your skills and reasons for wanting to be involved: hello@forthvalleyfoodanddrink.org
