Jessica Sansom

Jessica Sansom is the Sustainability Director at Huel, who integrates sustainability into core business practices and inspires change through her engaging and empowering speeches.

Jessica Sansom is a leading voice in sustainability, with over 20 years of experience driving meaningful change across the food and drink industry. Her work has consistently focused on embedding sustainability into the core of business strategy—ensuring that environmental and social responsibility are not afterthoughts, but central to how organisations operate and grow. She has held senior roles at major consumer brands including Huel, Innocent Drinks, and McDonald’s, where she worked at both strategic and operational levels to influence supply chains, product development, and policy engagement.

At Huel, as Sustainability Director, she led the company’s efforts to align health, nutrition, and environmental impact—helping to ensure that the brand’s rapid growth was matched with a thoughtful approach to long-term sustainability. Prior to this, at Innocent Drinks, she played a key role in shaping the company’s approach to responsible sourcing, packaging, and stakeholder engagement. Her earlier work at McDonald’s focused on transforming complex supply chains and influencing industry standards at scale, particularly in areas such as sustainable agriculture, animal welfare, and environmental impact.

Jessica is now Chief Impact Officer at EIT Food, Europe’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community. In this role, she leads the organisation’s mission to transform the food system—supporting a healthier, more sustainable future through investment in innovation, entrepreneurship, education, and public engagement. Her work brings together stakeholders from across the food value chain, uniting academic institutions, start-ups, corporates, and policy-makers around a shared goal of delivering more sustainable food for everyone.

Throughout her career, Jessica has remained committed to challenging the status quo and turning sustainability ambitions into tangible results. She is a passionate advocate for systems-level change and believes in the power of cross-sector collaboration to tackle the complex challenges facing the food industry and the planet. A recognised thought leader and keynote speaker, Jessica regularly speaks on topics such as sustainable leadership, the future of food, and how businesses can drive positive impact while maintaining commercial success.

Her work has earned widespread recognition, including awards such as the Guardian Sustainable Business Award, the Community Big Tick Award, and the Rainforest Alliance Frog Award. She has also been acknowledged by Forbes and Ethical Corporation for her leadership in sustainable business. Jessica continues to influence the conversation on how businesses can act as a force for good—supporting organisations and individuals in creating a food system that nourishes both people and the planet.