One year on, Eilidh Wynd reflects on the award that opened doors

Eilidh Wynd, commercial executive at Simon Howie Foods, has spent the last year proving exactly why she was named Scotland Food & Drink Young Talent winner in 2024.

The self-described “happy-go-lucky haggis seller” has cemented her place as an influential young leader, both in her day job and across the wider industry.

She’s constantly championing Scottish food and drink as a vibrant place to work and openly shares her professional journey with honesty through her popular “Diary of a CE-UhOh” posts on LinkedIn.

Eilidh Wynd on the night, centre, with host Simon Rimmer and FDF Scotland’s Moira Stalker

That award night feeling

Recalling the Excellence Awards night, Eilidh admits the whole experience was a bit of a blur.

“It was a bit overwhelming and I almost couldn’t enjoy it until my award was over,” she said.

“From the announcement to being back at the table, I couldn’t tell you what happened. I know I cried at one point, and I do remember being asked all these deep questions in front of a camera.”

What she also remembers clearly is the incredible response from her peers.

“Everyone was coming over and chatting which was so nice as it made it such a lovely community vibe,” she said.

The judges had praised her for demonstrating a strong personality, an undeniable passion for the industry and an awareness of how to inspire others to view Scottish food and drink differently.

A year on, the most tangible way the award has helped her achieve this goal is simply through recognition and visibility.

Recognition opens doors

“A lot of people now seem to know me, which feels quite odd,” she said.

Being recognised at industry events and even during routine store visits has acted as a powerful icebreaker. This visibility has opened doors, starting conversations about her job and the wider sector and effectively giving her an “in” to promote the industry she loves.

The award has led to several exclusive invitations that would otherwise have been inaccessible, allowing her to meet celebrity figures and speak on high-profile panels.

“The most unbelievable start to June came when I was invited down to Dumfries House and I met the one and only Raymond Blanc OBE,” she said.

The invitation was from The King’s Foundation to speak on a panel about being a young person in the food industry. Eilidh admits it was slightly surreal.

“I grew up watching Raymond Blanc on Saturday Kitchen - usually making some sort of fish dish in a French village having a great time - so it felt quite overwhelming to suddenly be at the same event as him.”

However, the legendary chef quickly put her at ease.

“He was the most down-to-earth person and had so much time for people. Hearing him tell his story, with such passion and energy really inspired me to push just as hard as he does,” she said.

Another major highlight came in February taking part in a panel discussion when Glasgow hosted the 2025 Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland awards ceremony. This industry event celebrated the emerging talent driving Scotland’s future and gave Eilidh a platform to share her perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing young professionals.

She sums up the experience simply: “I just wouldn’t have ever got to go to those things without the award.”

Finding your voice at work

Eilidh is grateful for the chance to contribute to these events, whether she’s speaking to school children about “squiggly careers” in food or discussing the importance of young professionals in the sector.

She says the support from her employer is fundamental to making it all work.

“My boss Steven Lynn is amazing and has been super supportive of it all. He’s the best boss I’ve ever had,” she said.

“My employer has also made it clear that they don’t want me going anywhere, but I’ve no reason to move. They have made it easy to stay - and we have Highland cows outside. Like, what more could you want?”

Reflecting on the life skills she’s gained since graduating from university, Eilidh singles out being bolder as the most important.

“It’s something you don’t learn until you’re working. You have to be much more vocal about wanting to get something done. You’re fighting against other brands to get your spot and hey, the worst thing they can say is no.”

She also pinpoints resilience as a key skill she’s built up, recalling one high-stakes moment.

“One year, there was a massive red weather warning on 23 January and we had to get our last delivery of haggis into supermarkets before Burns Night,” she said.

“At some point, you have to recognise are some things you just can’t control and you need to think around them.”

In tougher moments, she says she takes a step back and accepts that sometimes “it’s just haggis”.

The power of online honesty

A key part of Eilidh’s public profile is her popular LinkedIn post series, Diary of a CE-UhOh. The series documents “a 20-something trying to advance her career, live her life to the fullest and make some mistakes to learn from on the way”.

Winning the award has helped the series gain a significant following, with engagement and insights increasing dramatically.

“Before, I’d get two or three likes and it could feel a bit like I was this ‘daft lassie’ commenting, but now the interactions have gone up a lot. I’m taking it a bit more seriously,” she said.

Despite the increased visibility, she has continued to use the platform to share the less glamorous reality, as seen in her widely shared post about the struggle of seeing friends getting promoted, engaged, changing roles or booking one way flights, and trying not to compare herself.

Her honesty clearly resonates with young professionals.

“People messaged me, saying ‘oh I totally know how you feel’,” she said. She believes it confirms the value of reminding people that not everything on social media is a success story.

Focus on retention

When asked about the single most important trend the food and drink industry needs to focus on right now, Eilidh’s perspective as a young leader is clear: employee retention.

“We need to be encouraging businesses to become employers of choice and focus on retention, especially in young people,” she said.

With young professionals often moving on after a short time, she argues that employers need to focus on investing in their young talent to stop the “chopping and changing”, which is ultimately a waste of money spent on training.

Looking ahead to her own future, Eilidh says her next big goal is simply to continue developing her role at Simon Howie Foods.

“At the moment, I’m capitalising on new investments in data to improve my pitches. I would like to take on a bit more, but that comes with promotion. So if I do a good job over Christmas and Burns, I might get there.”

While she remained tight-lipped about next year’s BBQ trends, she did reveal that Simon Howie’s chocolate haggis is making a welcome return in January.

It’s this combination of positivity, transparency about her professional life and her new-found boldness that makes Eilidh Wynd such an effective and popular Young Talent winner.

“I’m not going to stop trying to be vocal or trying to inspire people to join the industry,” she said.

And to the next Young Talent winner, she offers this advice: “Say yes to everything and try to do as much as you can. Give it the best you’ve got and be unapologetically you.”