QSR Media UK Redcat Conference & Awards 2026

Shannon is a senior insight analyst at IGD, specialising in our away from home and food-to-go research. Her expertise covers macro trends and consumer research. She leads on our food-to-go market forecasts and our occasions research, exploring the drivers and changes in occasions taking place in and out of the home.

Khalil Rehman is Co-Founder of Caprinos Pizza, one of the UK’s fastest-growing franchised pizza brands. Since launching the business with Gul Nawaz in 2014, he has helped transform Caprinos from a single store in Didcot, Oxfordshire, into a brand with more than 100 branches across the UK, Ireland and Pakistan. Drawing on management experience at KFC UK & Ireland and Welcome Break, where he became one of KFC’s top-performing managers, Khalil has helped shape Caprinos’ growth, franchise model and commitment to high-quality ingredients, innovative flavour combinations and affordable, community-focused pizza.

Aoife Dannatt is a hospitality leader and HR executive with more than a decade of experience building teams and talent systems across multi-site restaurant operations. She currently serves as Managing Director, Chipotle Europe, and has spent 10+ years at Chipotle, including leading the People Experience functions across the U.K. and Europe.

Before joining Chipotle in 2015, Aoife held a series of HR and capability-building roles in the U.K. hospitality sector, including Head of HR at ETM Group. She also brings direct operational experience from her time as a Restaurant Manager with The Jamie Oliver Group, grounding her leadership approach in the realities of front-line restaurant execution.

Aoife is known for her focus on developing “future-ready” leaders emphasizing adaptability, innovation, and reskilling as core to business growth. She is a chartered member of CIPD and holds a Level 7 in Senior People Leadership. Aoife is originally from Dublin, Ireland and completed a B.A. in Italian and Classics from Trinity College Dublin. 

GM EMEA with extensive experience across QSR and restaurant brands, specialising in franchise growth, market entry, and operational excellence. Proven track record of scaling concepts and delivering sustainable performance across diverse international markets.

Jon Lake is Managing Director of the UK’s leading Chinese Inspired QSR brand Chopstix and has been at the helm of the company since 2018.

Working closely with co-founders, Sam Elia and Menashe Sadik, Jon has overseen the rapid growth of the group, which comprises Chopstix Noodle Bar, the UK’s largest Asian QSR brand, Yangtze and Chozen Noodle, following an acquisition in 2023. In 2024, Jon was instrumental in securing a strategic investment in the brand from leading QSR platform QSRP, who have taken a majority share in Chopstix. This partnership has accelerated growth in the UK and across Europe, with the brands first restaurant in Paris opening earlier this year.

Yoav Baumgarten is a London based entrepreneur who began his business journey at just 12 years old (!). Guided by a lifelong passion for people, quality, and hospitality, he has grown B Bagel into a fast-rising brand with a bold mission: to make proper bagels accessible to all. Blending entrepreneurial drive with a relentless focus on excellence, Yoav is building more than a business - he’s creating a brand rooted in craftsmanship, energy, and genuine connection.

Huw Wardrope is a London-based entrepreneur and the Co-Founder and CEO of Urban Baristas. He has a background in Banking and Finance and is a former professional basketball player, bringing a strong foundation in both strategic business development and high-performance leadership.

Huw began his entrepreneurial journey in the health and fitness sector, launching a chain of three 24-hour gym franchises in London, all of which continue to operate successfully today.

Building on this experience, he founded Urban Baristas in 2016, combining his passion for coffee with the vibrant Australian brunch culture. What started as a single kiosk at Bounds Green Tube Station has since developed into a rapidly expanding specialty coffee brand with over 20 locations across London, including a dedicated roastery in Bethnal Green.

In 2024, Urban Baristas entered the franchising market and has since sold over 45 franchise territories, marking a significant phase of national expansion. The brand continues to grow its presence across the UK, making specialty coffee more accessible to local communities.

Sohail Ali is Co-Founder of Chaiiwala, the UK’s leading Indian street food and café brand. He co-founded the business in Leicester in 2015 with Muhummed Ibrahim and Mustafa Ismail, after the trio identified a gap for high-quality Karak chaii and traditional Indian flavours that could be enjoyed on the go. Today, he focuses on brand building, consumer engagement, expansion into new towns and cities, driving advocacy, and building community as Chaiiwala targets 500 global locations over the next decade

David leads brand and marketing for Franco Manca, overseeing campaigns across 68 pizzerias nationwide. With over a decade in hospitality - from start-ups to FTSE 100 companies - he’s passionate about brand, menu innovation and customer experience.
 

Marketing Director for Taco Bell UK & Ireland, growing and shaping the brand over the last 8.5 years. Passionate about bold, culturally relevant marketing that drives both awareness and commercial impact. Familiar with the QSR market, previously working at Subway UK & Ireland.  

Olivia is the Head of Marketing of Eatphoria, the pioneering multi-brand hybrid restaurant group. Eatphoria owns and operates several brands, including its flagship brand Wraps & Wings – one of the UK’s fastest-growing premium QSR brands. Olivia joined Eatphoria from Miscusi, Italy’s leading fast casual pasta brand, where she served as Brand Director and oversaw its national marketing strategy and execution. Before this, she spent nearly ten years at Eataly, the world’s largest artisanal Italian food and beverage marketplace.

I’m Georgia Roads, Global Marketing Director at Black Sheep Coffee, with over seven years’ experience in hospitality marketing. My career has spanned agency, in-house, and freelance roles, giving me a well-rounded perspective on building bold, high-impact brands.

I’ve worked with a range of leading names including LEON & Paris Baguette, before joining Black Sheep Coffee, where I now lead global marketing. I’m particularly passionate about partnerships and delivering a 360 approach to brand building that drives both cultural relevance and commercial growth.

She is a CEO and founder of Meaningful Vision, a supplier of a competitor intelligence platform, offering insights into pricing, promotions, locations, and traffic data to the UK foodservice industry. This solution empowers companies to assess their market performance relative to competitors and identify avenues for growth.

She is an executive professional with 25 years of international experience in consultancy, market research, and data analytics for the Retail, Consumer Markets, and Foodservice industries. She has held C-level positions in market research firms, including her role as the Vice President and Head of European Foodservice Practice at The NPD Group. Her passion for data and insights, particularly their practical application, stems from her PhD studies in Knowledge Management.

Sultan Thakur is Director of Operations at IRO Sushi, one of the UK’s fastest growing sushi brands. Having opened his first joint venture location in Purley in 2023, he now operates five IRO Sushi locations across the UK and sits on the Operational Board. In his role, Sultan is responsible for menu innovation and driving up operational best practices amongst franchisees to drive positive customer experiences across its growing portfolio of stores.

Richard is the Chief Operating Officer of Eatphoria, the pioneering multi-brand hybrid restaurant group. Eatphoria owns and operates several brands, including its flagship brand Wraps & Wings – one of the UK’s fastest-growing premium QSR brands. Richard joined the Group in 2025 from Demipower Group, KFC’s leading franchise that operates more than 120 locations across the UK, where he served as Operations Director. Before this, Richard spent more than 25+ years at McDonalds in a variety of consultancy and national roles focused on all areas of operations.

I live in Bucks with my husband, 15 year old twins and 2 large cats. I am an obsessed foodie with a sweet tooth, deep love of cheese and compensatory exercise habit.  I started my career in FMCG, with P&G and Diageo, switching into posh FMCG with Moet Hennessy, then freelanced for a bit when my kids were born. I've been working in hospitality for the last 13 years, with Costa, Compass Group and Domino's - which suits my food obsession very well. Professionally I am most engaged by brands who use deep consumer understanding to stay ahead of the curve, and who refresh and reinvent themselves by updating brand and product based on what made them great in the first place. I love working with teams who want to push themselves further to surprise and delight consumers in unexpected ways.

Rachael McInnis is the F&B Innovation Manager at Ole & Steen, where she has spent the past seven years shaping menu development and driving innovation across 26 UK sites. With over a decade of industry experience, Rachael is a classically trained pastry chef who completed her training at Le Cordon Bleu. She began her career in Canada before moving to the UK, where she combined back-of-house expertise with front-of-house leadership roles in London, progressing from General Manager to food operations. Today, she leads menu innovation and implementation, blending creativity with commercial strategy.

Elio Elia is Commercial Director of the UK’s leading Chinese Inspired QSR brand Chopstix and has been with the company since 2015, having joined straight out of university.

Starting his career in marketing then shifting to supply chain and purchasing, Elio has played a key role in developing the brands bespoke product range. Particularly in grocery, Elio has been in instrumental in building within this market from the ground up, expanding the brands reach nationwide. Earlier this year, the brand celebrated the launch of its Premium Noodle Pot range, with expansion into the ambient category marking a huge milestone as Chopstix continues its mission to become the largest Asian QSR business on the continent.