Meet the Team
Lisa Gawthorne
Since graduating from Sir John Moores University with a 1st Class Honors Degree in Business Studies, Lisa has enjoyed a variety of FMCG Marketing roles at major blue chip companies. Lisa has worked at Leaf UK on the Chewits and Malaco brands, Nichols Foods working with the Vimto, Sunkist & Rani brands, Burtons Foods on their sugar confectionery and branded export biscuits portfolio (Cadburys, Maryland, Wagon Wheels, Jammie Dodgers, Lyons Biscuits) and Cedar Health on their range of natural healthcare products such as Bio Strath, Gluco Tabs and of course Panda Liquorice.
After working in the Cedar Health division of the BBI Group for 5 years and becoming Head of Marketing, Lisa moved to work directly for OY Panda AB in Finland coordinating all marketing activities across the UK, US and Canada. In addition to the FMCG experience gained throughout these roles, Lisa has also been awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Food and Grocery Industry Management run by the IGD. Lisa is also currently on the Goldman Sachs 10,000 small businesses program. Outside of work, she competes as a competitive runner and became World and European Duathlon AG Champion in 2023 and has since followed up with numerous England vests and multiple international medals.
Lisa is also author of “Gone in 60 minutes” - the health and fitness saviour book that can be read in just 1 hour and she is a regular contributor to the fitness and vegan press as well as being author of “The Vegan Deck” – a deck of 67 colourful and informative cards covering everything you need to know about the vegan lifestyle. A committed Vegan and fitness fanatic, Lisa is always on the lookout for the latest healthy vegan products.
Karl Morris
After serving 6 years in the Royal Navy as a maintainer of onboard electronic weapon systems Karl went on to graduate with a 2:1 from the University of Glamorgan where he studied for a BSc degree in Surveying. Karl then embarked on an accelerated sales career and held a number of successful roles in Key Accounts & Sales Management in his own Recruitment business, at Lyreco – Europe’s leading contract stationer and at Flexicare Medical. In addition to a wealth of knowledge and experience in these roles and an unrivalled record of continued sales growth, Karl has also been awarded a Diploma with the Institute of Sales and Marketing (ISM).
After four years as Global Sales Manager at BBI looking after products such as Hypobox, GlucoGel, GlucoTabs and GlucoJuice, Karl became Sales Director when the Cedar Health business joined with BBI and headed up sales on the Panda brand. A strategic business thinker, he is target driven and is committed to achieving challenging goals.
Outside of work you will find him in his Kayak, on a motorbike, on a Jet Ski or running up fells and mountains for fun! One for adventure, Karl is always pushing the boundaries and he always looking for the next exciting product to shape the retail environment.
Gemma Powell
Gemma holds the role of Business Operations Manager in the business and as part of that role she looks after the demand planning function. This involves being the first point of contact to all of the Bravura Foods suppliers; ensuring products are produced in a timely manner and to a high standard in order to satisfy the needs of all customers. Gemma liaises with the suppliers on product specific enquiries to ensure the business has all answers needed to resolve any issue that may arise. Gemma also looks after all of the legislative aspects for our brands to ensure we are up to date with the latest requirements.
Gemma boasts a successful sixteen year manufacturing background, she enjoys using her planning knowledge to ensure goods are produced and delivered to the highest standard for our customers.
A busy mother of two, Gemma enjoys a good challenge and in particular spending quality time with her family and friends.
Naomi James
Naomi joined Bravura Foods in 2018 and oversees the Customer Relations side of the business, where she has gained valuable experience within the FMCG sector. As a business, when exhibiting at trade shows, Naomi undertakes the planning of the event, ensuring everything runs smoothly. She takes her knowledge of event planning from her Events Management degree that she studied at university.
Outside of work, Naomi has a strong interest in health and fitness which sees her running multiple times a week as well as attending Reformer Pilates classes, and walking at any given opportunity. Being outside is important to her.
Naomi loves to travel, exploring new destinations and immersing herself in different cultures wherever possible. And as an avid Formula 1 fan, if there’s a race on, you can bet she’s watching!
Kate Jones
Kate has been part of the Bravura Foods team since August 2019, supporting both Sales and Marketing teams. Kate enjoys working in the FMCG industry at Bravura Foods as the role is constantly changing and there are often exciting new product development projects to get involved with and design tasks to complete where Kate puts her university degree in design to use. Kate says the Bravura team is a supporting and inspiring small team to be a part of.
Outside of work Kate enjoys an active lifestyle – she regularly attends reformer pilates classes with her twin sister and loves heading out for seaside runs throughout the week and countryside walks at the weekends. When she’s not exercising, you’ll often find her spending time with her family, looking for new places to explore, planning her next travel adventure or sipping a matcha in her favourite coffee shops while catching up with friends.
Sharon Kocker
Sharon joined the team in 2020, her role initially was in Finance but has now developed into a varied role to cover both Finance and Sales. Sharon was new to FMCG when starting with Bravura Foods but over the past 5 years she has gained so much knowledge which enabled her to widen her role into Sales. As her role has changed and developed she has been able to learn all aspects of the business from having the initial engagement with customers in Sales to then closing the circle by ending with the Finance side. She welcomes all new challenges as a chance to gain more insights in the industry.
Apart from being a valued member of the Bravura Team she is a mother of two and enjoys having family time, which is so special to her. She is always up for a challenge and enjoys walking her two dogs.
