IWD 2026: Female Founder Interviews – Pow Food

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Celebrating International Women’s Day 2026 we sat down with female founders, Ali Warbuton & Emily Warburton Adams – Founders of Pow Food. The UK’s first female-owned B Corp catering company, setting new standards for sustainability, transparency and measurable health impact sit down to discuss the female business leaders who inspire them and proving commercial success and ethical values can go hand in hand.

Ali, CEO & Co-founder is a pioneering entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in the food and hospitality industry, working with registered nutritionists and expert chefs, Ali has helped build a business that integrates gut health, mental wellbeing and energy optimisation into both workplace catering and premium at home dining. Emily, Co-founder & Head of Sustainability champions food as infrastructure, embedding ethical sourcing, carbon accountability and social impact into Pow Food’s business model, with every meal contributing to feeding vulnerable communities across London through its partnership with City Harvest.

What was your motivation behind starting your own business?

Food and business have always been part of our lives. Ali has run her own businesses for years, and as a family we’ve always believed that food is one of the most powerful ways you can care for people. When our skills aligned – operational experience on one side and a passion for nutrition and wellbeing on the other, starting Pow Food felt like a natural evolution rather than a sudden decision. 

We could see a gap: workplaces were feeding people every day, yet nutrition and wellbeing were rarely part of the conversation. We wanted to change that – to prove that catering could be both healthy, support the wider food system, and delicious. 

There’s also something very special about building something together. You’re not just creating a company, you’re creating a culture, a team, and a community. We love watching people who join us grow alongside the business. And honestly, if you care deeply about standards and values, sometimes the only way to do it properly is to build it yourself. 

What is the hardest and the most joyous part of your role as a female founder?

Working as a mother-daughter partnership is both the greatest strength and the biggest challenge. We know each other completely and there’s no hierarchy to hide behind, so you have to learn to separate business disagreements from personal relationships. It’s made us better founders and better listeners. 

From a wider perspective, we often find ourselves pitching to rooms that are predominantly male – particularly in corporate and facilities management spaces. Early on that was intimidating, but over time it became empowering. We realised our perspective was actually our advantage. We approach food through wellbeing, people, and experience, not just cost and volume, and companies increasingly value that. 

We’ve also been incredibly supported by female-founder networks such as Buy Women Built. Rather than feeling held back, we’ve found being female founders has opened doors to collaboration, mentorship and a strong community.

Are there any barriers women still face in your industry that doesn’t get enough attention?

Catering, kitchens and facilities are still very male-dominated industries, especially at leadership level. The barrier isn’t always overt, it’s often subtle credibility bias. You sometimes have to prove competence before you’re trusted with operational scale, logistics or commercial decision-making. 

What doesn’t get talked about enough is the physical and operational intensity of catering. It’s early mornings, late finishes, heavy equipment, crisis management and large teams. Historically that has been perceived as “unsuitable” for women, which is simply outdated. The real issue isn’t capability – it’s access and visibility. 

We try to counter that by actively developing women within our team, giving responsibility early and supporting progression into leadership roles. Representation matters, people need to see women not just cooking, but running operations, managing sites and negotiating contracts. 

What is your current favourite brand/company and why?

We really admire fellow female-founded food businesses that lead with purpose. Grape & Fig have built a beautiful brand while staying true to quality. We also love Sweetbee Organics, they’ve created a brand rooted in nature, transparency and education, not just product. 

What advice would you give to women trying to enter the food and catering business?

Start before you feel ready. Catering and food businesses rarely begin perfectly, you learn by doing. Many people imagine they need a restaurant, investment, or a fully formed concept, but some of the best businesses begin with a small client, a home kitchen and consistency. Also, don’t assume your role has to be in the kitchen. The industry needs operations managers, nutritionists, logistics planners, marketers and site managers just as much as chefs. Most importantly, don’t be intimidated. Confidence often comes after action, not before it. 

Do you have any female founders or leaders who have inspired you?

Deborah Meaden has always been a huge inspiration to us. She represents business leadership with integrity, proving that commercial success and ethical values don’t have to conflict. Her advocacy for sustainability, responsible investment and support for female entrepreneurs has made business feel more accessible and purposeful. What we admire most is that she uses influence to uplift others. That’s something we try to emulate within our own business: building a company that supports people, not just profits. 

Uncommon are proud partners of Pow Food ensuring we provide the most delicious and sustainable food in our spaces and events.