Erudus User Forum June 2025: Guest speakers revealed

We’re delighted to announce that Philip Shelley, Senior Operations Manager of NHS England, and Equilibrium Market’s Supply Chain Director Ben Peel will be joining us on 12 June at Eastwood Hall in Nottingham.

Philip Shelley - NHS England

Former National Chair of the Hospital Catering Association Philip Shelley will be sharing expertise gleaned from a career dedicated to improving hospital food nationwide.

The winner of a Public Sector Catering Award, the Hospital Catering Association’s Outstanding Service Award, and this year’s Public Sector Alliance Chairs Award, Philip chaired the NHS Food Review commissioned by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care after the 2019 Listeria outbreak.

In addition to leading Soft FM operations at NHS England, driving policy and service improvements across healthcare facilities, he also works in collaboration with the Department of Health & Social Care and serves as an ambassador for Sophie’s Legacy, Love British Food and WRAP’s Guardians of Grub.

Ben Peel - Equilibrium Markets

As Supply Chain Director of celebrated dynamic food procurement and supply chain solutions specialists Equilibrium Markets Ltd, Ben Peel leads the development of SME-inclusive, sustainable food procurement system AgileChain and focuses on bridging technology and operations together to create efficient, transparent food supply chains.

He’ll be pulling from his deep understanding of food systems, logistics, and consumer behaviour, and experience with operations management in food production and hospitality, and providing market insights for major brands to deliver his talk “Helping Wholesalers bring Short Supply Chains and Transparency to the Public Sector”.

This will explore the role of data in tracking provenance and measuring environmental impact - all while maintaining regulatory standards and operating in an efficient and profitable way, as well as outlining practical steps for adopting data-led procurement strategies and showcasing how technology can bridge the gap between local producers and public sector buyers to build a fairer, more sustainable food economy.

And there's more...

Our guest speakers are the latest addition to a jam-packed agenda that will also include light sessions on subjects such as “The Independent Review into Public Sector Food Procurement”, “Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services”, and DEFRA’s 2022 Consultation into “Public sector food and catering policy for England”.

And of course Team Erudus will be on hand to share all the usual platform updates and address the topic of our long-awaited API and more.

Here’s everything else you need to know right now...

When is the Erudus User Forum taking place?

The Erudus User Forum will take place on Thursday 12 June 2025.

Where is it being held?

For the first time we’ll be holding our User Forum at Eastwood Hall in Nottingham. The address is Mansfield Rd, Eastwood, Nottingham NG16 3SS.

Find more information about the location here.

How can I book my place at the Erudus User Forum?

To secure your place, simply visit the event’s page at Eventbrite here and fill out the form.