Alumnus of the month – December 2015

Nathan Giles
BSc Baking Technology Management, 2012

Baking prodigy and National Bakery School graduate Nathan Giles received The Rising Star Award at the Baking Industry Awards 2015, recognition for his emerging talent and achievements in the industry to date. 

Over 800 industry guests witnessed Nathan’s success at the prestigious awards ceremony held at London’s Park Lane Hilton. The award was presented by television personality and star of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, Claudia Winkleman, and Mike Holling, Executive Director of the award’s sponsor, the Craft Bakers Association: “It was an amazing feeling to have won, especially as the other candidates were such strong contenders,” reflects Nathan.

"I have been asked the question why did I enter The Rising Star Award, and I find this difficult to answer. I believed that it was the right time for me to enter the award and that my success was down to a lot of hard work and determination, but also listening to the advice given by various people throughout the industry. I have always found that people in the bakery industry always want you to do well and want to see people succeed, as this means they know that the industry is in good hands when they hang up their tools." 

Nathan is New Product Development Technologist with the UK’s largest organic baker, Nicholas & Harris. As graduate of the BSc (Hons) in Baking Technology Management, much of his career progression was driven by the skills he developed at LSBU. 

At more than 120 years of age and one of the oldest parts of LSBU, the National Bakery School is still at the cutting edge of baking education: “The knowledge passed down from my tutors gave me the confidence and ability to work in New Product Development. The course offered hands-on experience in fermented goods, pastry and cake decoration, as well as food safety and the overall science behind baking.”

Whilst Nathan plans to cement his reputation as a new product specialist and work his way up to Development Director, he is always looking for ways to help the next generation of bakers: “Those in the bakery industry want people to succeed so it’s left in good. My advice to students would be to attend as many industry conferences as you can and start building relationships now, as these will be your contacts throughout your career. Listen to feedback even if it can be hard to digest and, most importantly, enjoy the work you do!”