Business / Shetland Food and Drink under new management
THE ORGANISATION which promotes Shetland produce has made three appointments as it looks to extend its reach beyond the isles.
Shetland Food and Drink has recruited to the freelance roles of manager, assistant manager and finance officer after receiving funding of over £60,000 from the local LEADER scheme and Shetland Islands Council.
BBC producer Claire White has been taken on as manager of the organisation’s second funded project, which is expected to last 18 months and will seek to make inroads outside of Shetland.
She has also worked with Promote Shetland as a producer, and is known for performing and composing music.
Joanne Williams returns to the fold as assistant manager after working for the organisation for its first project, which was to launch the group and the Taste of Shetland brand.
She joined Shetland Food and Drink in May last year and has overseen events such as the pop-up shop in Lerwick, while she also accompanied members to the Speciality Food Show in Glasgow.
Mary Andreas has been appointed to the organisation’s new role as finance officer.
She will look to focus on the development and growth of income streams such as sponsorship and grant funding.
Andreas has run a successful bed and breakfast venture in Bigton since 2010 and she has previously worked as operations manager for Preston-based Suresite, where she was responsible for the credit card processing facilities of 50 service stations.
Shetland Food and Drink chairwoman Marian Armitage said: “We are delighted to be building a strong team for the next phase of Shetland Food and Drink’s growth. If we are to achieve the ambitions of this new 18-month project, we need lots of experience on board.
“This mixture of roles means we can not only deliver our current work, but it gives us the scope to look to the future and actively develop new sources of income – from new forms of public funding to private and commercial revenue streams.
“Shetland Food and Drink has achieved a huge amount since we launched in November 2017. We want to work hard to build on that success and use this next 18 months to help secure the organisation for the future. The directors and I are very much looking forward to working with this experienced and talented team.”
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