Katie Birrell in

Katie Birrell

Observer · DISC type ci
Managing Director at Food & Drink Exporters Association (FDEA)
📍 Newton Mearns, Scotland, United Kingdom

Katie Birrell is the Managing Director of the Food & Drink Exporters Association (FDEA) and Future of Food. With over 25 years of experience in international sales and export markets, she focuses on helping UK food and drink innovators and exporters connect, learn, and grow. She is a graduate of the University of Strathclyde with a degree in Marketing.

After nearly 16 years of building the international business for Nairns, she transitioned to lead the FDEA.

Read the full overview →
Experience
15 Years
Current Role
Managing Director
Job Level
Mid-senior
Location
Newton Mearns, Scotland, United Kingdom
Personality Overview

How Katie shows up

Curious
Assertive
Example Seeker

They ask a lot of questions and rely heavily on information and collaterals. They can sound friendly and charming but can quickly change gears to become inquisitive and probing. They are generally good communicators and can be hard to convince.

Priorities

Topics Katie cares about

UK Food Exports
As Managing Director of the FDEA, her primary role is to create platforms and opportunities that help UK food and drink businesses grow with confidence in export markets.
Supporting Innovators
Through her work with Future of Food, she is passionate about bringing together innovators, from start-ups to scale-ups, with the insight and opportunities they need to progress.
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Career

Work history

1-2026
Managing Director
Food & Drink Exporters Association (FDEA)
4-2024 - 1-2026
Board Member
Food & Drink Exporters Association (FDEA)
1-2026
Managing Director
Future of Food Competition
2-2024 - 1-2026
Board Member
Scottish North American Business Council (SNABC)
11-2022 - 1-2026
Export Champion
Department for International Trade (DIT)
In the press

Media appearances

No media yetWe could not find public media appearances for this person.
Education
1997 - 2000
Marketing
University of Strathclyde
Education details unavailable
Craigholme School
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

c

Calculativeness (C)

Calculativeness (C) reflects the degree to which a person is likely to be cautious, systematic and analytical. Those scoring high tend to emphasise quality and accuracy.

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