Protect the planet and join the Veganuary revolution this January as brands, restaurants and retailers embrace the power of plants and a brighter future for our planet. Hear from industry figureheads, inspiring operators and pioneer retailers as they share their experience supporting Veganuary and the opportunities available when taking the vegan pledge. So what are you waiting for? Take the pledge and support Veganuary this January.

As a businessman, Matthew wanted to use his skills to contribute to the animal rights movement and developed the idea for Veganuary to inspire and support others to go vegan for the month of January.

Matthew has successfully built and sold companies in the manufacturing and events sectors. He now focuses primarily on Veg Capital which provides early-stage capital to companies striving to replace the use of animals in the food system.

Louisianna Waring, Insight and Commercial Policy Officer, Vegan Society

Louisianna is the Insight and Commercial Policy Officer at The Vegan Society. Researching the latest trends, consumer insights and market data on veganism, she helps businesses make informed decisions regarding their vegan products. Additionally, she leads on policy issues that affect vegan businesses and Vegan Trademark clients. Most recently, this has involved working on issues around product labelling, including the ‘meaty language’ debate and contributing towards creating a European Vegan Standard for on pack vegan claims.

Steven Mangleshot, Global Executive Chef and Brand Ambassador, Wagamamas

Steve Mangleshot is the global executive chef at wagamama and has been with the company for 20 years.

With over 30 years experience in the restaurant industry as a fully qualified chef, Steve is the creative director of menu innovation at wagamama and has been doing so for the last 12 years. He is responsible for creating dishes which he takes inspiration from Japan and wider Asia, bringing eastern flavours to the west.

He has a vast amount of media experience and is regularly interviewed for print and TV channels including Fox News, Channel 4 and has assisted the producers of Masterchef.

Scott McCulloch, Co-Founder and CEO of TheVeganKind

I believe a vegan lifestyle is the next big change in our evolution.
- Tesla made their cars vegan.
- Ben & Jerry's make vegan ice cream.
- Lewis Hamilton has gone vegan.
- Bill Gates and Richard Branson have invested in plant based start-ups.

The Vegan Kind is two businesses, rolled into one:
1) www.thevegankind.com - A monthly Subscription Box service providing a box straight to your door, filled with new & exciting, hard to find vegan goodies. We scour the shelves and have our finger on the vegan pulse so you don't have to. People say "it is like having a birthday every month".
2) www.thevegankindsupermarket.com - UK's Leading Online Vegan Supermarket where we ship out vegan cheese, chocolates, burgers, steaks, doughnuts; books, clothing, gift boxes and much, much more to our delighted customers across the UK and beyond. With over 4,500+ products in stock, free delivery available, a reward scheme where you earn as you shop, and free gifts being added to your order, what is not to love!?

Rik Roberts, General Manager, Plant Heads/CRACKD

Rik has over 25 years commercial experience at organisations with leading brands including Red Bull, PepsiCo, Danone and Coty; in addition, he launched his own cidre brand into Tesco and selected on-trade customers in 2017. He is currently the GM for “CRACKD The No-Egg Egg” the UKs 1st plant-based liquid egg replacement which is being embraced by the vegan community as the next “game-changer”.

Host: Keterina Albanese, Content Director, Montgomery Group

Keterina is the Content Director for Montgomery Events, organisers of leading trade events for the food, drink and hospitality industries. Events include the Hotel, Restaurant & Catering Show (HRC), the Independent Hotel Show and many more.

Keterina is responsible for curating cutting-edge content programmes which are truly relevant and educational for the industry, both in terms of being representative of the current issues facing the sector and looking at future trends which are exciting and/or disrupting it.

Combining her knowledge of events and passion for the industry, she brings together thought-leaders, innovators and pioneers to deliver programmes designed to educate, engage and inspire.

The Rise of Veganuary - it's time to get involved