Our people

Find out about the people involved in work at the Global Food and Environment Institute (GFEI). 

Executive team

Our executive team set the strategic direction for the GFEI:

Support team

 The GFEI support team manage the Institute’s operations:

  • Dr Sarah Dennis, Institute Manager
  • Victoria Hoyle, Communications Officer
  • Penny Andrews, Administrator and PA to Professor Stephen Whitfield
  • Jane Zhang, Administrator
  • Dr Siân Evans, Research and Innovation Development Manager 
  • Dr Gesa Reiss, Smart Agri-Systems Senior Innovation Fellow

External Advisory Board 

  • Sue Davies, Strategic Policy Advisor, Which?
  • Dan Crossley, Executive Director, Food Ethics Council
  • James Hopwood, Director – Agriculture, Grower Relations, McCain Foods
  • Jemma Hynes, CEO & Technical Director, FoodSync 
  • Sithembile "Thembi" Mwamakamba, Director of Policy Research and Analysis, Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) 
  • Polly Cook, Chief Officer – Sustainable Energy and Air Quality, Leeds City Council
  • Dhanush Dinesh, Founder, Clim-Eat

Contact us

For more information about the GFEI, please email the Global Food and Environment Institute via globalfood@leeds.ac.uk.