Our Team
We share knowledge, inspire change, learn from others and empower people to make better food choices that will, in turn, have a positive impact on the wider food system and, ultimately, the food on our plate. Our team is drawn from a variety of diverse backgrounds including hospitality, agriculture, communications and sustainability, united by a belief in the powerful role that foodservice can play in shaping a better food system.
OUR ADVISORY BOARD
President
Raymond Blanc OBE has been President of the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) since 2012. Chef patron of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel and founder of Brasserie Blanc restaurants, he has always been a passionate champion and campaigner for sustainability and food ethics. While his restaurant has retained two exalted Michelin stars for 38 years, over 30 of his protégés have gone to achieve Michelin stars themselves. During his term as President, Raymond has helped oversee a significant expansion in the SRA’s membership, and wider increase in interest in sustainability both in the UK and globally, including the whole Belmond hotel group.
Vice President
Dame Prue Leith
Prue Leith began her career in catering with Leith’s Good Food. Her Michelin Starred Leith’s Restaurant shortly followed, as well as Leith’s School of Food and Wine. She has been deeply involved in food education, founding and chairing the charity Focus on Food, which promotes cooking in the curriculum, and the Hoxton Apprentice, a not-for-profit restaurant training disadvantaged long-term unemployed young people. She was the Chair of the School Food Trust, which was largely responsible for the improvement in school food. She is Patron of the Prue Leith Chef’s Academy in her native South Africa.
Director
Inspired by his mother (Restauranteur, teacher, chef), food has played a fundamental part of Giles’ life. This culminated in opening The Good Cook, in 1998, the first ‘social’ restaurant in the uk. This continued alongside his consulting business, Good Business, that worked for some of the world’s largest food businesses in helping them on their sustainability journey. These experiences inspired the thought that we could help all restaurants on their sustainability journey and so the idea of the SRA was born.
Vice President
Iqbal Wahhab OBE has built a reputation for delivering world-class excellence through his highly successful restaurant businesses, Roast and The Cinnamon Club. He has exited both restaurants and is planning new ventures. Iqbal has won a number of major awards and accolades during his career. He was voted one of the Top 10 Restaurateurs in Britain in an Independent on Sunday survey and listed in the Caterer Power 100, GQ 100 Most Connected and The Sunday Times Maserati Top 100 business start-up mentors. He works a lot with ex-offenders and has just been appointed to chair a review on the treatment of black and/or Muslim people in the criminal justice system.
Director
After an early career managing restaurants in London, Simon became involved in offshore and remote location facilities management, deploying accommodation vessels to East Timor for the UN in 1999 and to West Africa for Total and Agip. Simon took responsibility for the increasingly demanding sustainability requirements under these contracts before joining Good Business, Europe’s leading corporate responsibility consultancy, in 2006 to pursue this aspect full time and co-founding the Sustainable Restaurant Association in 2010. Simon is a resident judge for the Mercury awards and lives in Stroud with an unruly menagerie of children and animals.
Director
Hospitality industry veteran, Mark Sainsbury has worked in restaurants and hotels in London for 25 years. He opened the multi award winning Moro restaurant, alongside Sam and Sam Clark in 1997. In 2004 Mark opened his first hotel, the 59-room Zetter Hotel with his partner Michael Benyan. The Group then went on to open Bistrot Bruno Loubet, The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell, Grain Store restaurant and in 2015 The Zetter Townhouse Marylebone. Mark co-founded the Sustainable Restaurant Association and serves as a trustee on his own charitable trust the Mark Leonard Trust, the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy and the Linbury Trusts.
PARTNER FOR GOOD
Want to work with us? Or be a partner? Get in touch and tell us where your sustainability passions lie.
Managing Director
juliane@thesra.org
Favourite #OnePlanetPlate “This One Planet Plate is exactly the kind of food I want to eat all day every day. Seasonal, veggie forward, and bloody delicious”
PR Manager
tom@thesra.org
Favourite #OnePlanetPlate “What other dish can you think of that smells and tastes of where it comes from, acts as its own cutlery and have a minimal impact on the environment? Nothing rivals mussels and Cafe St Honore’s classic recipe with garlic, shallots, cream and tarragon is hard to beat. Yum!”
Finance Manager
Agatha Georgiou
agatha@thesra.org
Favourite #OnePlanetPlate “How can you enjoy a meal that damages the marine environment and captures non-target species?! Let’s all respect the sea and source fish (and seafood) sustainably: Hand dived Isle of Mull scallops”
Senior Project Manager
louisa@thesra.org
Favourite #OnePlanetPlate: “I love the Barley risotto – sustainable when meat free and made with so many healthy vegetables, while also involving all the food groups!”
Project Manager
emily@thesra.org
Senior Project Manager
Isabel Martin
isabel@thesra.org
Favourite #OnePlanetPlate: Peanut butter and purple sprouting broccoli Pad Thai (Meera Sodha)…I love this twist on a classic and never would have thought to use broccoli in a Pad Thai but it works!
Business Development Lead
Emmy van Beek
emmy@thesra.org
Favourite #OnePlanetPlate: When the weather is grey and dreary, I dream of warmer days. This dish is a celebration of British springtime and features one of my favourite English cheeses, Ticklemore.
Content creator
emma@thesra.org
Favourite #OnePlanetPlate: “Having grown up in SE Asia, Thai food is my go-to comfort food because it reminds me of home, so I find this beautiful curry even more comforting knowing that it’s sustainably-made!”.
Junior Climate Analyst
kate@thesra.org
Favourite #OnePlanetPlate: “A daiquiri is close to the perfect drink and bringing in crisp British apples adds to how refreshing this tipple is. Making sure the apples are locally sourced and organic ensures that any guilt you may have over the drink subsides, especially by your second! .”
Sustainability Consultant
cicely@thesra.org
Favourite #OnePlanetPlate: “I love the cauliflower orecchiette from Carluccio’s; it uses vegetables in a very clever way, promotes pasta other than spaghetti, and really, who can say no to pasta and cauliflower cheese?”.