2026 Speakers

Ash Amirahmadi OBE is one of the most high-profile leaders in the UK food sector.

He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Sofina Foods Europe in August 2023, a large multi-protein food manufacturer operating 27 manufacturing sites across the UK, Ireland, Germany, and France and employing approximately 9,000 people.

Ash started his career at Unilever after graduating from the University of Nottingham with a Mechanical Engineering degree. He held a number of positions in supply chain and commercial functions.

Prior to joining Sofina Foods, Ash held several roles with Arla Foods UK, a cooperative owned by farmers which is the biggest dairy firm in the country and one of Britain’s largest food and beverage companies, over a 20-year period.

He was also the Chair of the boards of both Dairy UK and The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD).

After further success in commercial positions, Ash joined the Arla Leadership Team in 2010, assuming responsibility for the cooperative’s relationships with its farmer owners. In 2012 he oversaw Arla’s transformative merger with Milk Link. He later moved on to briefly hold the position of Marketing Director before becoming Sales Director in 2016, delivering sales growth of £200 million and a 9% uplift in the company’s branded sales.

Ash was Managing Director of Arla for around five years prior to joining Sofina Foods. Under Ash’s leadership, Arla played an important role in helping to meet the challenges of feeding the nation, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ash was appointed to the Government’s Food Resilience Industry Forum, and was part of discussions with Defra, Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, the Department for Transport and others over issues relating to food security and the role of the sector in delivering the UK’s sustainability goals.

With his background encompassing sales and commercial roles as well as managing relationships with a varied number of stakeholders, Ash is passionate about building a future food system that has high environmental and wider standards.

Ash was awarded an OBE for services to the dairy industry in the 2023 New Year’s Honours.

Following that accolade, Ash was awarded the Princess Royal Award by The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) in 2024, recognising his outstanding contribution to the sector.