Overview
The theme of the 2026 Winter Conference is 'Serving Up Resilience'. Speakers from across the industry will discuss what institutions can do in these challenging times to stay on top.
Full Members attend the conference free of charge (there are payment options available for dinner and overnight accommodation using invoice, credit card or for those of you who have them, Academy credits - please use the correct option when booking.)
Itinerary:
Tuesday 13th January:
Conference from 12:15 at University College Birmingham's Baskerville House location.
With refreshments available from 11:45. The day will be close at 17:00.
Speaker line up:
Headline speaker:
Mark Ormrod MBE
Mark is a former Royal Marines Commando who completed tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He was injured in Afghanistan on Christmas Eve 2007 and became the UK’s first triple amputee from the conflict. Since then he has become a successful author, motivational speaker and Britain’s most successful ever Invictus Games athlete winning 11 medals, four gold, and Spirit of the Games following which he won BBC South-West’s Sports Personality of the Year. Prince Harry dubbed him “Britain’s answer to Superman.”
The Amazon film #NoLimits – the Mark Ormrod documentary tells his story up to 2017. In 2020, he was awarded an MBE for services to the Armed Forces and Veteran Community before winning Pride of Britain’s Fundraiser of the Year in 2021 after completing an ultratriathlon that raised over £600k. He is currently working on his second book and has an open water swimming world record. The father of three is married to Becky and does adaptive CrossFit and Brazilian jiu-jitsu in his spare time.
Peer to peer sessions:
Matthew Mealing and Andrew Flowers from the University of Salford
Matthew Mealing is currently the Associate Director of Campus Experience at the University of Salford, Manchester, and the Northern Regional Chair at TUCO.
At the University of Salford, he is leading on transformative initiatives that enhances student experience across catering, conferencing, residential services, sports, faith centre, nursery, sustainable travel and student events through bold decisions and innovative ways whilst recognising and listening to student’s and other customer’s ever changing expectations and pressures that are faced.
Graham Paterson and Gordon Hodge from the University of Strathclyde
Gordon Hodge, originally from Oban in Scotland's West Highlands, is Head of Conferencing & Events at the university which has been named the UK University of the year 2026 by the Daily Mail and Scottish University of the Year by the Times & Sunday Times.
A Strathclyder since 2013, Gordon brings extensive experience in customer service and event delivery, having worked across major venues and visitor attractions including the CN Tower, Glasgow Science Centre and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. At Strathclyde, he leads the Conferencing & Events Team, which delivers the University's corporate events and graduation ceremonies, runs award winning facilities in the Technology & Innovation Centre, and provides a successful conference management service for academic colleagues.
Known for their warm welcome, and working closely with the Glasgow Convention Bureau, Gordon and his team focus on understanding the needs of a diverse customer base while increasingly looking at the wider impact that conferencing, events and hospitality can create beyond revenue.
Dr Rachel Gibson and the Root To Tip team from Kings College London
Dr Rachel Gibson is a Registered Dietitian and Senior Lecturer in Nutritional Sciences at King's College London. Rachel is the Academic Lead for the King's Food Living Laboratory and lead investigator on the King's One Impact Root to Tip project. External to King's, Rachel is the Chair of the Nutrition Society Workplace Diet and Health Special Interest Group, Research Lead for the British Dietetic Association Work Ready Steering Committee, and Education and Resource Officer for the British Dietetic Association Public Health Specialist Group Committee. Prior to training as a Dietitian, Rachel studied retail marketing and worked in business management roles across various industries, including the food service sector.
Dr Fatima Wang is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at King's Business School. Fatima’s research interests include international business strategy, services, and sustainability. Her collaborative work on MNE's impact on reducing poverty in Brazil, Ghana, and India was reported to the EU Commission's Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for policy-making purposes. Fatima is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She teaches 'International Marketing' and 'Sustainability and Ethics' on the International Marketing MSc, Digital Marketing MSc, and International Management MSc courses. Previously, she taught Omnichannel Retailing and Principles of Marketing.
Georgia Browne is a Research Assistant in Nutritional Sciences and holds an MSc Nutrition from King’s College London. Georgia’s research encompasses nutrition and sustainability, through the ‘Root-to-Tip’ project, and culinary nutrition, including programme evaluation, utilising both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Prior to joining King’s, Georgia was a corporate strategy consultant, working across sectors but primarily within fast moving consumer goods.
Dr Fiona Lavelle is a Lecturer at the Department of Nutritional Sciences, King’s College London, with a background in Sport Science, Preventive Cardiology and Behavioral Nutrition. Her research interests span from person to population, with a particular focus on Culinary Nutrition for vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant individuals, and athletes. Fiona has been conducting cooking and Culinary Nutrition research for over 10 years. She has published >35 scientific articles in this area, 8 publications in the top 10% most cited publications worldwide. Her research has been cited in EU, UK, Irish and New Zealand policy reports and is used globally. In 2021, she won both the British Nutrition Foundation Drummond Early Career Scientist, and the Nutrients International Young Investigator awards for her interdisciplinary research developing guidelines and questionnaires for children cooking.
Dr Balazs Bajka is a Lecturer in Nutrition at King’s College London. As a gut physiologist, his research investigates how dietary components, particularly dietary fibres (DF) can alter nutrient absorption and affect metabolic stasis. Current research investigates how DF reduces lipid diffusion through intestinal mucus, which is likely to slow absorption. He uses biophysical, cell and molecular biology approaches assess effects on digestion and mixing in the gut lumen, the influence of secreted compounds such as bile, the role of the microbiome, on mucosal function, contractility, and endocrine response, particularly in the small intestine. His research aims to increase understanding of the physical and molecular mechanisms by which dietary components interact with each other, the microbiome, and the host, can provide better strategies for the prevention and treatment of conditions such as obesity and type-2 diabetes.
Lewis Linley is the Group Head Chef at King’s College London, where he has been heading up the kitchen with Graeme Collie for the past five years. Lewis’ role goes beyond cooking, working closely with the King’s College London nutrition department on menu development to make sure every dish is not only delicious but also balanced and nourishing. Lewis’ journey in food began when he moved to London at 16 to join the Academy of Culinary Arts. He has been fortunate to cook at some incredible places, including Le Gavroche and Roux Fine Dining. Those experiences shaped his style, which is all about modern British and European cooking, which is fresh, seasonal, and full of flavour.
The conference will be followed by an evening social event at UCB's Summer Row restaurant.
Overnight stay (if required) close by at the Malmaison hotel please select the relevant options in the booking form.
Wednesday 14th January to Friday 16th January: Study Tour with visits to food markets, restaurants, local suppliers and pop up sites. For more information head to the Study Tour page here: Winter Conference 2026 Study Tour: Serving Up Birmingham; Tradition, Innovation and Global Flavours! | TUCO
Full speaker line up to be announced shortly.
Booking now open.
For packages & pricing information click on Book Now.
