NI Food & Drink Conference 2023

Dr Clive Black is Co-Founder, Director and Vice Chairman for Shore Capital Markets, a leading entrepreneurial investment bank in the UK, with particular responsibility for the consumer sectors.

Following his Ph D., research thesis on ‘Corporate Strategy in the Animal Feed, Beef and Dairy Sectors in Northern Ireland’ at The Queen’s University of Belfast (‘QUB’), Clive joined the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) in Knightsbridge, becoming Head of Food Policy where he advised & coordinated the organisation’s first food policy.

From the NFU he joined Northern Foods plc in Kingston-Upon-Hull, where he held several positions working for Group Executive Neil Davidson, including participation in the establishment of the Northern Milk Partnership, strategic planning for Eden Vale Food Ingredients & Coldstream/NFT distribution along with advisory work for Group Chairman Lord Haskins of Skidsby on food and agriculture policy.

He joined leading UK mid-cap stockbroker Charterhouse Tilney in 1995, based in Liverpool, where he became a Director, originally focusing upon equity research into UK food retailers followed by consumer goods and general retailers; Charterhouse floated several UK retailers including Iceland, JJB, Kwik Save and Ted Baker, and was banker to Wm. Morrison Supermarkets plus broker to T&S Stores (which was sold to Tesco).

In 2003 he joined Shore Capital Markets as a founding Director and Head of Research, opening the Liverpool office with co-director Eamonn Flanagan. Since establishing Shore Capital Markets, it has been highly active in the consumer arena in the UK & Ireland serving as a corporate adviser and broker to a wide range of companies.

Between 2011 to 2013 he was one of three advisors to the Food Standards Agency’s External Advisory Group on the Review of the Regulation of Food Hygiene in the UK, he was also Treasurer of the Caroline Walker Trust, which sought to improve the lives of Britons through nutrition following which he became a Non-Executive Director of The Community Shop a charitable venture based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire that seeks to help impoverished communities through entrepreneurship and food, which was acquired by Biffa in 2021.

In 2017 he was one of the keynote speakers at the Oxford Farming Conference alongside Rt. Hon Michael Gove MP where the competence of the UK Government was severely criticised. In 2022 he was appointed a Special Advisor by Sir Peter Kendall to his February Review of the Northern Ireland food system for the regional government, a report that was accepted.

He is a senior advisor to Coriolis Consulting, Edward Billington Group, Newton Europe and VeeTee and Non-Executive Chairman of Mash Direct and Morelli Ice Cream.