Alistair Trail

Background

About Alistair Trail

I am a Principal Consultant with over 18 years’ experience working on numerous supply chain, knowledge exchange, innovation, new product development and environmental improvement/net zero projects in a variety of sectors. I am currently working with the food & drink and rural sectors but I also have experience working in the offshore renewable energy, construction and manufacturing sectors. My current role is Principal Food and Enterprise Consultant for SAC Consulting (part of SRUC) where I work with the food and drink industry on supply chain, sustainability, new product development and innovation projects. I am also a part time filmmaker and podcast producer and editor for the Farm Advisory Service I have previously worked for Interface Food & Drink and Offshore Renewables Institute where I developed innovative research projects between industry and academia. This involved identifying opportunities for businesses to work with University researchers, translating academic expertise and industry need into suitable research projects and identifying suitable external funding mechanisms to finance any research. I have also worked as a Senior Consultant for an Environmental Consultancy which specialises in the Circular Economy working on the NISP Project which assisted companies find uses and recycling options for waste materials. My areas of expertise include waste management, sustainability, renewable energy, knowledge exchange and innovation with academia, funding mechanisms, and project/customer management. I have a BEng in Chemical Engineering and an MSc in Sustainable Process Management. I also have experience working abroad where I implemented the first large scale industrial symbiosis project in China. I was responsible for leading a local team which included training all staff, developing long term strategies and passing on technical advice on project identification and implementation.