Experts from the BakeTran, Gail’s, and Made Smarter will be revealing how latest tech developments are enhancing operations across the bakery sector as part of a free webinar hosted by British Baker.
The webinar, supported by Aiperia and TraceGains, is titled ‘How are AI and technology changing the baking industry?’ and will take place at midday on Tuesday 30 September.
Bakery businesses have been rapidly ramping up their use of artificial intelligence (AI), using it for all manner of things from monitoring production lines to providing retail shop support, and even the creation of new flavour combinations. As technology becomes more advanced, this is likely just the start.
The panellists will explore how bakery firms are using AI in 2025, how accessible it is for enterprises of different sizes, and how things are set to change in the future. They will also discuss what the tech solutions mean for skills and employment, and what can be learned from other food manufacturers in the UK and beyond.
Following presentations from each speaker, there will be a live Q&A session in which the audience can submit questions to be answered. These can be submitted during the webinar or as part of the sign-up process.
Meet the speakers
Dan Riley, deputy editor, British Baker (moderator)
Dan supports all aspects of British Baker’s editorial coverage, from breaking online news to composing in-depth features and analyses. His graphic design and video editing skills have helped uplift visuals of the publication too, contributing to a rise in readership and engagement across various channels during the past two years since he joined. Dan has more than 15 years of professional writing experience, including as editor-in-chief of a technology consumer magazine, and he maintains a keen interest in AI and other latest advancements benefitting the baking industry. His previous reports include ‘Baking smart: how AI is powering up operational improvements in 2025’.
Stanley Cauvain, director, BakeTran
Stanley is the director of international consultancy firm BakeTran, which provides technical guidance to bakers, millers, and their suppliers. By combining his commercial production experience with his many years in research, he supports clients in the implementation of new processes. He has also written several technical books focussed on the baking and flour milling industries and has also been involved in the development of computer programmes benefitting bakery manufacturing. In 2010, Stanley became the first British recipient of the prestigious Eberhard Paech Prize.
Kevin Smith, lead technology adoption specialist, Made Smarter
Kevin is the lead technology adviser for the Made Smarter North West Adoption Programme, helping SME manufacturers adopt and implement emerging technologies. With over 20 years of experience leading digital transformation projects across the digital and creative sectors, he specialises in translating complex tech into practical, results-driven solutions. His work continues to drive innovation and digital growth across the manufacturing industry.
Darren Wilkinson, chief technology officer, Bread Holdings
Darren is responsible for building technology solutions to enable craft at scale, and carries expertise in technology, strategy, corporate finance, business transformation, quantitative analytics, and applied AI. Prior to his appointment at Bread Holdings – the parent company of The Bread Factory and Gail’s – he was founder and managing partner at Algospark, an applied AI consultancy delivering solutions to multiple sectors including hospitality, manufacturing, airlines, and government. Projects spanned forecasting, pricing, inventory, production, customer understanding, document summarisation, computer vision, and automated compliance checking.
Melissa Shaw, product development controller, Mademoiselle Desserts
Melissa has built a 25-year career spanning both retail and manufacturing, holding positions across technical and NPD functions. She currently leads all product development at the Maidenhead site of sweet bakery supplier Mademoiselle Desserts, which also operates facilities in Taunton and Corby. A range of high-quality sweet treats are produced by the manufacturer including cheesecakes, brownies, and cakes for foodservice and casual dining customers, with the factory in Maidenhead specialises in handmade cakes baked from scratch.
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