Register of Interests for Science Council

Expert Register of Interests FSA Science Council

(June 2022)

In line with FSA policy and established good practice for accessing external expertise, Scientific Advisory Committee members are required to declare any personal or non-personal interests which represent a real or potential conflict in respect of general or specific aspects of work undertaken. Interests will be managed in accordance with the FSA’s policy and guidance.

If members have interests not specified in these notes, but which they believe could be regarded as influencing their advice or other work for FSA, they should declare them. However, members are not under any obligation to search out interests of which they might reasonably not be aware. For example, either through being unaware of all the interests of family members, or of not being aware of links between one company and another.  

Professor John O’Brien - Chair

Updated: December 2024

Current Interests

Personal:

• Direct employment : The Food Observatory, Founder and Director (2018-)
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: Scientific Advisory Board, Danone Food Safety Centre, Utrecht, Netherlands (2018-present; Elsevier Ltd, Editor, Trends in Food Science & Technology (2021-present). Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd - Consultancy on probiotic products (Oct 2024-Oct 2026).
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: Member, External Affairs Advisory Committee, IFST (UK); Chair, External Advisory Board, Nutrition Innovation Centre for Diet and Health (NICHE), University of Ulster
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: Royal Society of Chemistry, FRSC, Institute of Food Science and Technology (UK), FIFST; Society of Toxicology; Institute of Food Technologists; Society for Risk Analysis; Society of Chemical Industry; Association of Official Analytical Chemists; International Association for Food Protection. Advisory Council Member, Campden BRI
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: Strategic Advisory Committee, Need For Nutrition Education/Innovation Programme (NNEDPRO), Cambridge, UK

Historic Interests

Personal: 

• Direct employment : Nestlé SA, Head of Food Safety & Integrity Research Programme (until 2018)
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: Book Reviewer.  Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA (2019); ThermoFisher Scientific Inc. USA (2018-2022); Crème Global, Dublin, Ireland, Consultancy project on food factory risk management (2019). Arthur D. Little, Consultancy on Food Quality Management (2021)
• Shareholdings: Nestle SA
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None
• Other personal interests: Spouse worked for Johnson & Johnson Inc. until 2020

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: Board Member, Campden BRI (2015-2023); Trustee: Institute of Food Science & Technology, UK (2020-2023). Member, International Scientific Advisory Board, Queens University Belfast (2013); Executive Advisory Board, Institute for Food Safety & Health, Chicago (2015-2017); Chair, ILSI Europe Branch (2013-2017); Trustee, ILSI, Washington (2014-2018); Trustee, Feeding Tomorrow, IFT, Chicago (2014-2017).
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Professor Peter Borriello CB

Updated: December 2024

Current Interests

Personal:

• Direct employment : None
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation- consultancy on improving veterinary medicines regulation in SSA (8/6/22-present). Chair of RUMA Independent Scientific Panel (1/9/23-present).  
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: Microbiology Society. Applied Microbiology International (Honorary Member). Member of Advisory Board of BactiVac. Member of Hong Kong Expert Committee on AMR
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: University College London
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: Safe Medicines for Animals (SMArt).
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Historic Interests

Personal:

• Direct employment: CEO of Veterinary Medicines agency (retired 2021).
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: Review of Irish Medicines Agency (August 2023-May 2024). World Bank (September 2023-June 2024) on AMR. World Organisation on Animal Health (March 2024-July 2024) on AMR
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: British Infection Society
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Professor Emily Burton

Updated December 2024

Current Interests

Personal:

• Direct Employment: Nottingham Trent University
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: July 2022: Consultancy for Avara Foods Ltd – conducted through my current employer (NTU): Independent review of their trial data
• Shareholdings: Shareholdings in Si Active Ltd  - Company number 06932163
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: Director: Egg and Poultry Industry Conference Ltd; World's Poultry Science Association (WPSA); European Working Group on Poultry Nutrition, UK representative; WPSA UK branch member
• Other personal interests: Husband is lay member of FSA Advisory Committee on Toxicology

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: Travel costs paid to speak at conferences for the following organisations: Animal Nutrition Association of Canada; European Federation of the World’s Poultry Science Association; South African Feed Manufacturers’ Association
• Trusteeships: Bleasby Boost Fund (primary school fund-raising charity); Trustee: Gordon Memorial Trust; Trustee: British Poultry Science Trust
• Land and property: None 
• Other public appointments: FSA Advisory Committee on Animal Feedstuffs, Member
• Other non-personal interests: The commissioning of research or other work by, or advice from, staff who work in a unit for which a member is responsible: research commissioned for Avara Foods Ltd, 2 Sisters Food Group, ForFarmers, ABAgri, Kemin, Danisco, Alltech, Arden Biotech, Premier Nutrition, Deepbranch Biotech; Green Plains, Clonbiotech

Historic Interests

Personal:

• Direct Employment: MARS UK, University of Nottingham
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: None
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: Councillor for British Society for Animal Science
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: None 
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Professor Peter Gregory

Updated: December 2024

Current Interests

Personal:

• Direct employment : None
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: Chair, Recommended List Board, AHDB
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: Referee/external advisor BBSRC and Defra. Director, Crops For The Future CIC
• Other personal interests: Honorary Fellow NIAB. Deputy Chair, Science Advisory Board. ZALF, Germany. Member, GIN Science Advisory Committee, Defra

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Historic Interests

Personal: 

• Direct employment : University of Reading
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: None
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Mrs. Jacqueline Healing

Updated December 2024

Current Interests

Personal:

• Direct Employment: None
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: I am a freelance Food Safety consultant
• Shareholdings: J Sainsbury plc and Coles Australia
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: Board director SOFHT (Society of Food
  Hygiene and Technology) Fellow of IFST
• Other personal interests: Volunteer at the IMB, application
  underway to be a Magistrate, Volunteer at citizens advice

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: FIFST
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships:  None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Historic Interests

Personal:

• Direct Employment: Global Director of consulting and technical services at NSF from August 2016- July 2023 
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: None
• Shareholdings: J Sainsbury plc and Coles Australia
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: Board director SOFHT (Society of Food
  Hygiene and Technology) Fellow of IFST
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: FIFST
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships:  None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Ms. Claire Nicholson

Updated: December 2024

Current Interests

Personal:

• Direct employment : None
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: Lay/consumer member the British Pharmacopoeia
• Shareholdings: My husband, Robert Toms is partner at Smedvig Ventures a small private equity company with direct investments in early stage tech companies primarily in Northern Europe, and indirect investments via buy-out funds globally. Smedvig Ventures has a portfolio of direct investments mainly in technology/software businesses.  The full list can be viewed at https://smedvig.vc/portfolio/. 
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None 
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: Trustee of The Reading Foundation, a small educational charity associated with Reading School
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: My son Kieran Toms is a Medical Doctor, (formerly at Barts NHS healthcare trust) currently undertaking a PhD at Insitut Pasteur in Paris. His research is about the host and bacterial factors involved in Listeria monocytogenes invasion of the central nervous

Historic Interests

Personal: 

• Direct employment : Independent Director for consumer interests at Red Tractor Farm Assurance (2014- January 2020)
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: Previously Lay/consumer member of ACNFP (2013-2020)
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Professor Tom Oliver

Updated: December 2024

Current Interests

Personal:

• Direct Employment: University of Reading, Professor of Applied Ecology
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: None
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None
• Other personal interests:  Author of popular science book with publisher W&N The Self Delusion: The Surprising Science of Our Connection to Each Other and the Natural World

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: Wild About Wallingford charity, Trustee
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: Office for Environmental Protection expert college member
• Other non-personal interests: None

Historic Interests

Personal:

• Direct Employment: None
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: None
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None
• Other personal interests:  None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Professor Simon Pearson

Updated: December 2024

Current Interests

Personal:

• Direct employment :Head of School, Agri-Food Technology and Manufacturing.  The University of Lincoln. Director Freiston Associates Ltd.  Director Fruitcast.AI Ltd.  Director Agaricus Robotics Ltd
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: None
• Shareholdings: Fruitcast.AI. Frieston Associates Ltd 
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None
• Other personal interests: My wife is Director of CERES Agri-Tech at the University of Cambridge and Board Member of Horticulture Crop Protection Ltd

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: HonFRASE, FIAgrE, FRSB
• Indirect support: BBSRC, EPSRC, IUK, Research England, NERC, STFC, H2020
• Trusteeships: Douglas Bomford Trust
• Land and property: House in Lincolnshire
• Other public appointments: Advisory Group Chair IUK Bridge AI
• Other non-personal interests: None

Historic Interests

Personal:

• Direct employment: None
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: Xihelm Ltd, Cibus Investments
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Professor Richard Smith

Updated December 2024

Current Interests

Personal:

• Direct Employment: Professor of Public Health Economics and Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the University of Exeter.
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: None
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: Non-Executive Director, South West Academic Health Science Network.
  Non-Executive Director, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board
• Other non-personal interests: None

Historic Interests

Personal:

• Direct Employment: None
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: Small consultancies for FSA (prior to appointment on Science Council) and the World Bank
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: Non-Executive Director, Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, Truro, Jan 2019-May 2022
• Other non-personal interests: None

Professor Michael Tildesley

Updated: December 2024

Current Interests

Personal:

• Direct employment : University of Warwick
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: None
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Historic Interests

Personal:

• Direct employment : None
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: Consultancy for DEFRA on highly pathogenic avian influenza spread (2022/23).
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Professor Jonathan Wastling

Updated: December 2024

Current Interests

Personal:

• Direct employment : Brunel University, London
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: None
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: Family farms; 400 acres mixed arable/
  livestock in Cheshire and Shropshire
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None

Historic Interests

Personal: 

• Direct employment : None
• Consultancies and other fee-paid work: None
• Shareholdings: None
• Clubs, other organisations and advocacy groups: None
• Other personal interests: None

Non-personal:

• Fellowships: None
• Indirect support: None
• Trusteeships: None
• Land and property: None
• Other public appointments: None
• Other non-personal interests: None