Need a bit of lunchtime motivation? Our Lunch With… events offer a great way to help you learn from others in and out of the social enterprise sector.

Come and hear one account from René Meijer, CEO of Food Works Sheffield. Hear his experience of growing a successful social enterprise, and enjoy some delicious food made from quality surplus and locally grown ingredients.

René moved to the UK in 2004 from the Netherlands. He held various senior management roles in education starting at Aylesbury College as information systems manager, then moving to the University of Derby as the head of their e-Learning Development Unit and finally designing and managing learning spaces for the University of Sheffield, where he worked on major flagship projects such as ‘The Information Commons’ and ‘The Diamond’.

When The Real Junk Food Project Sheffield was setup in 2015 by Jo Hercberg, René joined as a non-executive director. After an initial year of fast growth he developed the business plan that gave the organisation its first investment and four members of staff, including René. For the following three years he worked as finance and operations director on building the organisation into a financially sustainable social enterprise that did not have to rely on grant funding for its core operations. In 2019, when the organisation renamed as Food Works, René stepped up to become CEO, the role he currently still holds.

Food Works Sheffield is on a mission to create a world where food is produced and used sustainably. Do come along, sample their food, and be inspired by René’s story.

Delivered by Sheffield Social Enterprise Network, in partnership with Social Enterprise Exchange.