Sophie Lawrence speaking at Conservative and Labour party conferences

Greenbank’s stewardship and engagement lead, Sophie Lawrence is speaking on the topic of health at two party conference events this year organised by Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency for social good. Nesta has a programme called A Healthy Life with a mission for more people to live a healthier life for longer.

2 October 2023

A Healthy Life aims to halve the number of people with obesity in the UK over the ten years to 2030. Nesta is working with partners across the public, private and non-profit sector to design, test and scale innovative solutions to reducing obesity.

Sophie is speaking on behalf of The Investor Coalition on Food Policy, which exists to harness the power of the investment community to engage with the Government on food system related issues. The scope of the Coalition is the regulation required to support the creation of a healthy, sustainable and affordable food system.

On Tuesday 3rd October, Sophie is in Manchester for the Conservative party conference. Her fellow panellists include:

— Chair: Aveek Bhattacharya, Interim Director, Social Market Foundation
— Hugo Harper, Director of Healthy Life Mission, Nesta
— Karen Betts, Chief Executive Officer, Food and Drink Federation
— Richard Sloggett, Founder and Programme Director, Future Health 
— Jo Gideon, Member of Parliament, Conservative Party

On Monday 9th October, Sophie is in Liverpool for the Labour party conference. Her fellow panellists include:

— Chair: Hugo Harper, Director of Healthy Life Mission, Nesta
— Parita Doshi, Deputy Director of Healthy Life Mission, Nesta
— Kris Comerford, Chief Commercial Officer, Asda
— Preet Gill, Shadow Secretary of State for Primary Care and Public Health
— Hermione Dace, Policy Advisor, Tony Blair Institute

Health is a cross-party issue that impacts all people in the UK, and both events will explore the role for government and industry to work together to drive towards a healthier and more prosperous future.

Some key questions for the panel include:

1. What is the impact of preventable illness on the economy and NHS? And what solutions could be the most impactful?

2. What is the right solution for tackling diet-related illness between treatment or prevention?

3. What policies and incentives can government provide to encourage healthier practices within the food sector?

4. How can the food industry play a pivotal role in improving the nation's health and boosting the economy?

5. What action would industry like to see from a future government to help the food sector prioritise health?