Chairman and chief executive officer, Apetito

A former president of the British Frozen Food Federation, Freeston became president of the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) on 1 December 2021. He has been chairman and CEO at Apetito UK and North America for over 20 years.

During his tenure, the UK business has delivered consecutive year-on-year sales and profit growth, going from sales of £23m to nearly £200m and from 500 to 1,800 employees. It has won the Queens Award for Enterprise three times.

Passionate about supporting some of the most vulnerable people in society, Freeston helped found the Malnutrition Taskforce. Through his leadership, Apetito became one of the first food manufacturers to commit to Net Zero carbon emissions based on Science-Based Targets. It is a Real Living Wage employer and a market leader in providing meals to hospitals, care homes and home meals delivery services.