Our People
The IMTA Secretariat run the association. The association answers members' queries, meets with government officials and politicians, and keeps members informed of industry and political developments.
Katie holds a Diploma in World Customs Compliance and Regulations with The Chartered Institute of Export (CIoE) for which she received a distinction. She also received the Strong & Herd award for highest overall mark for the course as well as the award for Outstanding Achievement across all courses at the CIoE graduation in 2019. Katie has expertise in international trade, tariffs and tariff rate quotas, customs regulations and compliance, SPS regimes, free trade agreements and market access. Katie is a graduate of BA International History from The London School of Economics where she also studied outside units of politics and Spanish.
Katie won the 2023 Women in Meat award in the Trade Organisation category. In 2023 Katie was recognised in the top 100 most influential women in the inaugural Trade Association Forum 'Women in Trade Associations Power list'. In 2024 Katie won the Meat Management 'Excellence Award'.
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Policy Director
Rosana Verza became IMTA’s Policy Director in November 2022. She oversees the development and communication of IMTA's policy positions while supporting the CEO in influencing and responding to government consultations. Rosana leads in areas such as trade with Northern Ireland, Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), the UK Single Trade Window (STW) and digitisation in international trade. She also deputises for the CEO, assists in strategy development and engages in critical industry-government forums.
Rosana has worked for over 28 years in the international business environment, particularly within the agri-food sector. She worked previously as an International Trade Specialist - Agrifood and SPS and a Customs Consultant at the Trader Support Service (TSS), while employed by the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT), from which she remains a full member (MCIEx). Prior to that, she worked for 22 years at the Embassy of Brazil in London, promoting Brazilian agri-food and drinks exports into the UK. She became passionate about agribusiness and developed extensive knowledge of EU/UK policy and regulatory environment, SPS measures, also sustainability in agroforestry. In recognition of her exceptional contributions as a Trade and Investment Officer, she was awarded the Honour of the Order of Rio Branco.
Academically, she holds an MA in Marketing Management and a BSc in Business Administration, specializing in International Trade. Born in Brazil and of Italian origin, she speaks Portuguese and has a good understanding of Italian and Spanish. Rosana has lived in the UK for over 27 years, bringing a rich cultural and professional perspective to her impactful work at IMTA.
Katrina Walsh has been working in interest representation for the meat sector since 2014, in both Brussels and London. She has completed an MSc in Food Regulatory Affairs, building on her academic background in European politics. Katrina has a particular interest in international trade and speaks French, Spanish and Danish. In 2022 she took a career break, spent travelling in South and Central America. The culture, nature, landscape and cuisine of this region have left a lasting impression.
Will Allen is Policy Manager at IMTA, and leads on export market access and sustainability. Will has an MA in International Relations from the University of Warwick, and recently completed an online course on evidence in policymaking with the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. Will has always been passionate about rural affairs and agriculture having grown up in the countryside, and prior to joining IMTA, he worked as an intern at the International Farm Comparison Network in Germany and subsequently contributed to several research projects looking at sustainability and the future of the dairy sector.
Mej has recently completed her Masters Degree in Global Public Health Nutrition in the University of Westminster. She is registered with the Association for Nutritionist (AFN). During her masters, she developed an interest in diets which generally include higher intakes of animal protein. Before joining IMTA, Mej was working as a trade events planner in the UAE and an operations-manager in The Philippines.
Matthew graduated from the University of Bristol in 2021 with a BSc in Geography. During his degree he developed his interests in sustainability, international affairs, and government. He went on to do an MSc in International Relations of the Americas at UCL with a strong focus on South American politics. He graduated in 2022 having completed a thesis on changing political trends in Santiago, Chile. Matthew is interested in the role of global trade networks and the use of diplomacy in government and business to achieve sustainable relations. He enjoys playing hockey at the weekend, going to the gym, discovering new music and travelling to new places off the beaten track.
New to the trade sector, Matthew has keenly engaged in work on SPS issues, BTOM, Free Trade Agreements, labelling consultations, and customs requirements. In November 2024, he was awarded the British Chambers of Commerce Foundation Award in International Trade.
Lamyah has recently completed her MA in Anthropology of Global Futures and Sustainability at SOAS University of London following a BA in Environmental Geography at the University of Toronto. She carries special interest in maintaining food sovereignty and developing sustainable food systems under climate change. Lamyah wrote her dissertation about the impact of urban agriculture on community resilience, and hypothesised how this might fluctuate during the climate crisis. She is excited to continue learning about global food systems by witnessing and assisting with the functions of meat trade at IMTA.
Margaret has been Chairman of IMTA since 2015 and had been an active board member for many years before that. Having spent an exciting and varied career of over 40 years in the meat sector, Margaret provides invaluable insight to IMTA on the practicalities of the trade. Though her involvement in UECBV she has met European Commissioners, as well as Ministers and Ambassadors from across the world, building bridges between the UK meat trade sector and our international partners. As well as her role at IMTA, Margaret was Master of the Worshipful Company of Butchers in 2021-22 and has served on the Board of UECBV. Margaret values good communication and often reminds policy makers to remember the person at the coalface when making decisions and striking deals that will affect the meat sector.
In 2020 Margaret was awarded the Women In Meat Industry Award in the Trade Body Category as well as the overall Meat Business Woman of the Year Award. In 2023 Margaret was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science by Harper Adams University in recognition of her commitment to the meat sector and to education.