Alan Thorpe, a senior industry executive with over 30 years of experience across the UK and Middle East, has been appointed as the new director of ONE Food & Drink.
This appointment comes at a pivotal time for Opportunity North East (ONE), which is accelerating the growth and innovation of the region's nationally-significant food, drink, agriculture, and seafood sector.
Alan is leading the commissioning and launch of the new ONE SeedPod industry innovation hub as the home of entrepreneurship and innovation in north east Scotland’s £2.4 billion food and drink manufacturing and production industry. He will play a vital role in further developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem, providing business founders and leaders with the knowledge, skills, and tools to scale innovation-driven enterprises, and work with partners to secure resources to drive growth.
Alan will work with ONE Food, Drink & Agriculture chair Stanley Morrice MBE, ONE SeedPod chair David Kilshaw OBE, and Opportunity North East CEO Jennifer Craw MBE to establish a world-leading food and drink economy in the region, focusing on company growth, innovation, and internationalisation.
With his deep industry experience and expertise, Alan will also lead the food and drink sector team at ONE and further develop the ONE SeedPod delivery team, working to ensure the food and drink sector’s continued success in the region.
“Alan joins ONE at a key point in our action and investment to put high-value food and drink manufacturing at the heart of the region’s economic diversification and growth," said Stanley Morrice. "He will lead the development and delivery of activities to strengthen industry partnerships and offer practical support to scaling businesses. His initial focus will be leading the operational start-up phase of ONE SeedPod, establishing customer relationships and ensuring it becomes a vibrant hub for the sector’s growth ambition, entrepreneurs and business leaders.”
Alan, who has extensive experience in the food industry across various categories, has a proven track record in driving growth and business improvement. He has previously held senior roles in commercial and operational management, including group integration project director at The Compleat Food Group, managing director of SK Chilled Foods Ltd, and sales and marketing director at Marmum Dairy.
“I am excited to join ONE at such an important time for north east Scotland’s food and drink sector,” said Alan. “ONE is building a unique entrepreneurial ecosystem to support the founders and leaders of ambitious businesses to innovate, enter new markets and increase production. ONE SeedPod will be transformational, providing a unique combination of support, commercial facilities, and manufacturing space for businesses to scale.”