The Outstanding Industry Champion Award is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the fine food & drink industry. They are recognised for passion, drive, and commitment to the sector and their community. The winner for this category was chosen by our Awards Judges and Speciality & Fine Food Fair Ambassadors at the Fair in September.

See the 2024 winner below.

Vhari Russell is the founder of The Food Marketing Experts a full-service agency specializing in food and drink. She has over 20 years of experience in marketing, PR, and social media. She has worked for companies such as Winterbotham Darby developing products for the multiples, through to sales and account management for smaller more artisan brands, looking after accounts such as Harrods, Liberty, Waitrose, and Boots.

Since setting up The Food Marketing Experts over 10 years ago she and her team have worked to grow brands such as Warner's gin and Seggiano. Vhari has a wealth of experience in developing brands and fully understands what needs to be done to support sales and continued growth. 

She is also the Founder of Grub Club Events a multi-award-winning networking group for the food and drink industry. It is a must for anyone in the industry and offers a great platform to come together over great food and drink. 

Vhari is also the founder of one of our charity partners Creating Natures Corridors, who are on a mission to help replant the UK with trees and hedging. 

Since launching Cotswold Fayre almost 20 years ago, Paul Hargreaves has grown the business to be one of the UK’s most respected and trusted speciality wholesalers, and the launch of Flourish Foodhall two years ago saw him put his money where his mouth is when it came to running an independent retail business with people and planet at its core.  

When the B Corp certification launched in the UK in 2015, Cotswold Fayre was one of the first businesses to achieve the accolade and it now works with almost 60 suppliers who are also B Corps. He has inspired countless others to join him on this journey towards a more sustainable future and he understands that the heart of any business is its people. He has dedicated himself to nurturing a workplace culture that values diversity, inclusivity, and personal growth.