Programme 2021

With over 28 years’ experience in a variety of senior roles and currently Head of Global FSQA Management-  External Manufacturing & Supply Chain at The Kraft Heinz Company, we are once again really honoured to have Mr. Rachid Hassairi as our Chairman.
Rachid brings his strong commitment to excellence through improving organisations, teams and people at the highest level. Kraft Heinz have eight $1 billion+ brands, one of the world’s largest food companies. To deliver on their trusted brand status, Kraft Heinz has implemented consistent, comprehensive Global Food Safety & Quality Management and Improvement Processes across their supply chain.

Kraft Heinz’s vision is: Sustainably grow by delighting more consumers globally! Rachid is accountable for External Manufacturing & Supply Chain and with a senior professional team distributed across the globe to mitigate Food Safety & Quality risks, lead various improvement initiatives, govern various global processes, manage change and trouble shoot where required cross functionally and creates real long-lasting partnership wherever he goes.

As some of you may already know, Rachid is very skilled at making events he chairs interactive while working closely with the audience to stimulate conversation and enhance learnings.
We look forward to having Rachid back with us. Get ready for some exciting conference days!

With over 28 years’ experience in a variety of senior roles and currently Head of Global FSQA Management-  External Manufacturing & Supply Chain at The Kraft Heinz Company, we are once again really honoured to have Mr. Rachid Hassairi as our Chairman.
Rachid brings his strong commitment to excellence through improving organisations, teams and people at the highest level. Kraft Heinz have eight $1 billion+ brands, one of the world’s largest food companies. To deliver on their trusted brand status, Kraft Heinz has implemented consistent, comprehensive Global Food Safety & Quality Management and Improvement Processes across their supply chain.

Kraft Heinz’s vision is: Sustainably grow by delighting more consumers globally! Rachid is accountable for External Manufacturing & Supply Chain and with a senior professional team distributed across the globe to mitigate Food Safety & Quality risks, lead various improvement initiatives, govern various global processes, manage change and trouble shoot where required cross functionally and creates real long-lasting partnership wherever he goes.

As some of you may already know, Rachid is very skilled at making events he chairs interactive while working closely with the audience to stimulate conversation and enhance learnings.
We look forward to having Rachid back with us. Get ready for some exciting conference days!

Shabeek Thayyil is with Agthia P.J.S.C - UAE since Dec 2009 and currently holds the position of Director- Quality & Food Safety (Water & Beverages). His educational background in in Food Science, Operation’s Management, Catering Management and TQM. He has over 16 years of experience in the area of Quality, Food Safety & HSE for the Airline Catering Industry and FMCG. Prior to his association with Agthia PJSC, he held management and middle management positions in different companies – GFI (an Al Batha Group Company -UAE), Etihad Airline Catering -UAE, Qatar Aircraft Catering Company (QACC)- Qatar and Abu Dhabi International Airport Catering Company (AIAC)- UAE. Shabeek has participated in several Food Safety, Quality, HSE & Halal conferences across the globe. His area of expertise include- Quality & Food Safety strategy development and management, TQM tools, Allergens & Sanitation Management, HALAL , GLP , IMS System Development, Six Sigma, Change Management, setting EFQM & SKEA models, Quality bench-marking and Quality Culture Development, accessing the FSMS, QMS, HALAL and HSE management system.

Over 30 years experience at the highest levels in blue chip companies , regulators, universities and NGOs

leading on food and consumer safety from program, policy and product design to verification of system effectiveness and enterprise risk management

leader of the mondelez food safety team that was recognized in 2021 with the iafp black pearl award

Currently co-chair of the global food safety initiative   and dedicated to developing thinking on the future of food safety management and helping organizations effectively manage their food safety risk

FMCG experience in Sales and marketing with Vita Coco, Siberri and Jealous Sweets. Private Wealth Management with Barclays private wealth.. Endurance athlete, Swimming cycling and running. Campaigner for the Tribe Freedom Foundation.

Ian leads Mondelēz R&D’s central productivity, global analytical and strategic research agendas.
Prior to joining Mondelez, Ian led the Global Emerging Snacks Technology group for PepsiCo R&D, joining PepsiCo in 2007 from Unilever he was latterly the Global Food Service Beverages R&D Director. He has enjoyed an international career working in many countries.

Ian is committed to strengthening the technical agenda enabling our Food System to deliver the greater productivity, growth and sustainability required from this vital sector. He is an active member of external advisory boards including currently Future Food Beacon at Nottingham University and ISCF-MADE SMARTER, chairs the UK Food Sector KTN and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Marcel has more than 20 years of experience with implementing enterprise applications in the Food & Beverage industry and is guiding the digital transformation of food & beverage manufacturers. Important drivers are the reduction of food waste and other resources, compliance to regulations, food safety and quality, operational excellence, supply chain transparency and fast introduction of new products.

Maarten is Solution Director for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). He has more than 15 years of PLM experience. He is responsible for PLM success in the Process, Discrete & Fashion Industries.

Dr Morgaine Gaye is a Food Futurologist and creator of bellwether: Food Trends, the first food trend research compendium. She has her own health-food product range of functional food blends Edible Love, which are sold globally on-line.

Morgaine looks at food and eating from a social, cultural, economic, trend, branding and geo-political perspective. Her work involves running ideation sessions, consulting to food companies, developing new products and ideas; writing articles/ trend reports for PR and ad agencies; giving public, university and corporate lectures on specific food trends, developing new ideas for food-related TV and radio programmes and doing research on all elements of the eating experience from mouth-feel and texture to olfactory perception. She consults to leading blue chip food companies and manufacturers, delivering bespoke trend briefings and NPD ideation.

30 years of experience in RD&Q as Manager, Director and Chief Officer in Italy and International environment in FMCG companies. Degree in Agricultural Science (110/110 cum laude), Member of the Academy of Georgofili, Florence (the oldest Scientific Academy in Italy)

Major Areas of Competencies are:

• Innovation, Product Innovation, Phase & Gate process, New Trends, Research
• Projects, Product, Design and New Product Development Management, Food safety
• Management, Quality Improvement, Global Team Building, Co-Manufacturer
• Management, Consumer Feedback Management, Employee Development, Career
• Planning and Mentoring

Heidi (M.Sc.) is an experienced customer insight and brand strategist on a mission to live the change. She has worked with retail and FMCG brands for over 15 years and the past years she has been a part of the team transforming the K retail brands towards more customer centric and purposeful paths. In her work she focuses on the emerging customer needs and possibilities of the future combined with design thinking and observational research.

Mr. Roland Feldmeier has spent 30 years in the technology sector, including roles in Product Management, Sales, Marketing, and Alliances. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science coupled with his experience in product development, marketing, and sales, Mt. Feldmeier has a keen ability to communicate how technologies align with business requirements. Maintaining close ties to the U.S. Food Industry for over 20 years, Mr. Feldmeier brings an added layer of knowledge relevant to helping food industry stakeholders understand how certain technologies impact their bottom line.

Richard Werran's food career began as a food technologist and spans 40+ years working in international food ingredient and food manufacturing sectors.

Richard is BSI’s EMEA Regional Director for Food and Retail Supply Chain, an acknowledged expert on genetic modification and a Fellow of the IFST and the Society of Food Hygiene & Technology.

Marcel has more than 20 years of experience with implementing enterprise applications in the Food & Beverage industry and is guiding the digital transformation of food & beverage manufacturers. Important drivers are the reduction of food waste and other resources, compliance to regulations, food safety and quality, operational excellence, supply chain transparency and fast introduction of new products.

Maarten is Solution Director for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). He has more than 15 years of PLM experience. He is responsible for PLM success in the Process, Discrete & Fashion Industries.

Before heading up the marketing department at Mr Lee's Pure Foods, Kasia worked in multiple digital agencies focusing on SEO, content strategy and user testing. Some of the clients she worked on include some household names: Marshall Amps, Beales, Deep Heat, Ramsay Health Care, G Plan, Jane Norman to name a few.

After joining Mr Lee’s in 2016 as one of the first employees, Kasia was involved in delivering omnichannel marketing strategies on 3 continents, building the brand presence online and offline, launching multiple product ranges into the retailers and airlines, promoting Mr Lee’s Noodle Kiosks - vending machines and focusing on ecommerce on Mr Lee’s website and on Amazon. These activities contributed to over 50 awards and accolades won by the brand worldwide over the past 5 years.

Kasia herself has been a finalist of the Venus Awards 2018 (coined by Chanel 4 as the “Working women’s Oscars”) in the “Marketing Excellence” category. She writes articles about her experiences with working in a food startup to help solopreneurs and small brands with growing their presence on a shoestring.

Carina Krastel works at EIT InnoEnergy, a European public-private partnership, as the Commercial Director of the European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Center (EGHAC), an initiative supported by Breakthrough Energy.

The EGHAC will focus on supporting and accelerating large scale industrial green hydrogen projects which with massive CO2 reduction impact in hard to abate industrial value chains like steel making, fertilizer production, synthetic fuel production, shipping etc.

Carina Krastel is a sustainable energy engineer with experience in engineering, business and innovation. Since 2009, she has worked in the construction and the industrial gas industry on sustainable energy, air quality and innovation topics. Prior to joining InnoEnergy, Carina has worked as the Director for New Offers for the Energy Transition for the Large Industry Business of Air Liquide, a French industrial gas company, focusing on offers for green hydrogen and carbon capture solutions.

Frederik Aldelhof is Business Development Manager FMCG at Verhaert. Having a background in management consulting and consumer electronics, Frederik supports Food and Beverage companies to define and manage complex innovation challenges. 

Verhaert Masters in Innovation is a pioneering innovation group helping companies and entrepreneurs to innovate, creating new products, businesses and services.

Dan has been working in the food industry for over 25 years, starting in the trenches at Starbucks where he developed his deep love of good coffee and strong desire to work regular hours.

He then managed (in his words) to annoy his way into an internship at Mattson, the nation’s premier food product development firm, where they kept him and let him make things for over 11 years. While at Mattson he was featured in the 2005 Malcom Gladwell New Yorker article “The Bakeoff”.

He was lured away from Mattson by Windsor Foods in Hayward to lead part of the product development team for frozen Asian meals and appetizers. He then joined La Terra Fina, a fast growing, premium brand currently placed in the deli category with dips and quiche leading their portfolio.

Dan recently joined Hormel Foods where he is now heading up R&D for Columbus Craft Meats.

Siet Sijtsema works at Wageningen University and Research and holds a PhD about Consumers’ perception of Health in the perspective of consumer oriented product development and an Msc in Sociology and Bsc in Food technology. She has 20 years of experience in conducting consumer research in the food and sustainability domain. She participated in national and international projects on consumers perceptions about fruit and vegetables, bio-based products and packaging, food waste, food safety, confidence and circular economy. She has experience with quantitative and especially qualitative consumer research methods such as focus groups discussions in which projective techniques are applied. Based on her research last decades, she developed Circular Food Design model which represents a multidisciplinary and users oriented approach.

As a Research Analyst within the Food and Nutrition vertical in London, Giuseppe is responsible for management and execution of research projects that focus on Packaged Food, Health and Wellness, Fresh Food, and Pet Care. Since joining Euromonitor International in 2019, Giuseppe has developed his expertise in the food industry. His primary area of research was in Italian and Spanish markets and has now expanded into the UK, Greek, Netherlands and Portugal markets. Giuseppe holds a 1st Class BA (Hons) in International Business with Language from the University of Greenwich.

Dr Tahmina Ajmal is senior Lecturer in Engineering at University of Bedfordshire with background in electronics, sensors, and data analytics. She has more than two decades of experience in designing and using optical sensors. She has developed sensors and related systems for a varied range of applications, but her focus has been on sustainability. Her recent projects include using sensors in food environment to reduce the food wastage and/improve productivity of the systems. The impact of her research can be seen through her interdisciplinary outputs including research publications in high quality journals and research collaborations across the world.  She is now passionately applying her skills on topics of sustainable digital transformation for society and businesses. Some of her recent projects are in precision aquaculture and reducing food waste in supply chain. You can read more about her here.

Dan has been working in the food industry for over 25 years, starting in the trenches at Starbucks where he developed his deep love of good coffee and strong desire to work regular hours.

He then managed (in his words) to annoy his way into an internship at Mattson, the nation’s premier food product development firm, where they kept him and let him make things for over 11 years. While at Mattson he was featured in the 2005 Malcom Gladwell New Yorker article “The Bakeoff”.

He was lured away from Mattson by Windsor Foods in Hayward to lead part of the product development team for frozen Asian meals and appetizers. He then joined La Terra Fina, a fast growing, premium brand currently placed in the deli category with dips and quiche leading their portfolio.

Dan recently joined Hormel Foods where he is now heading up R&D for Columbus Craft Meats.

A native of Northern Germany, Jörn Gutowski spent most of his young adulthood abroad. After studying marketing at Emerson College in Boston and a one year stint at a PR agency, he worked for an international non-profit organization. While travelling the world, he was exposed to many new cultural and culinary experiences. His passion and appreciation for food was so deeply affected that in 2013, he decided to put his 10+ years background in marketing and business into his new venture TRY FOODS. Following the slogan „feed your curiosity“, TRY FOODS has been helping people to expand their knowledge of and their palate for high-quality food products. In 2018, he co-founded another food startup, called Zeevi Kichererbsen GmbH. Zeevi is the first European company producing and selling a chickpea tofu, called Kofu.

An experienced, international business leader, Liliana has been leading transformational growth across brands and portfolios to drive step changes in business results for over 20 years. She is a leading expert on innovation, communication and business strategy within the FMCG and luxury industries, working with top blue-chip companies: Unilever, Tata, on world-class brands and portfolios. Her sector experience covers Consumer Goods, Personal Care, Home Care, Foods, Refreshments and Luxury, as well as driving disruptive innovations projects. She holds a Master’s in Marketing & Communications and an Executive MBA. With extensive marketing and leadership experience gained across multi-category, multi-brand, and multi-cultures, Liliana has a track record of shaping and unlocking opportunities, accelerating and leading incredible business growth with her trademark energy, drive and possibility mind-set. She is passionate about inspiring possibility: growth for people and business. Liliana is Professor of Practice at Hult International Business School, teaching on Trends and Innovations and Brand Management subjects. She has also lectured as a keynote speaker around the world on Marketing, Omnichannel and Digital customer experience, Change Management and Disruptive Innovation topics.

Before heading up the marketing department at Mr Lee's Pure Foods, Kasia worked in multiple digital agencies focusing on SEO, content strategy and user testing. Some of the clients she worked on include some household names: Marshall Amps, Beales, Deep Heat, Ramsay Health Care, G Plan, Jane Norman to name a few.

After joining Mr Lee’s in 2016 as one of the first employees, Kasia was involved in delivering omnichannel marketing strategies on 3 continents, building the brand presence online and offline, launching multiple product ranges into the retailers and airlines, promoting Mr Lee’s Noodle Kiosks - vending machines and focusing on ecommerce on Mr Lee’s website and on Amazon. These activities contributed to over 50 awards and accolades won by the brand worldwide over the past 5 years.

Kasia herself has been a finalist of the Venus Awards 2018 (coined by Chanel 4 as the “Working women’s Oscars”) in the “Marketing Excellence” category. She writes articles about her experiences with working in a food startup to help solopreneurs and small brands with growing their presence on a shoestring.

As a Research Analyst within the Food and Nutrition vertical in London, Giuseppe is responsible for management and execution of research projects that focus on Packaged Food, Health and Wellness, Fresh Food, and Pet Care. Since joining Euromonitor International in 2019, Giuseppe has developed his expertise in the food industry. His primary area of research was in Italian and Spanish markets and has now expanded into the UK, Greek, Netherlands and Portugal markets. Giuseppe holds a 1st Class BA (Hons) in International Business with Language from the University of Greenwich.

With over 28 years’ experience in a variety of senior roles and currently Head of Global FSQA Management-  External Manufacturing & Supply Chain at The Kraft Heinz Company, we are once again really honoured to have Mr. Rachid Hassairi as our Chairman.
Rachid brings his strong commitment to excellence through improving organisations, teams and people at the highest level. Kraft Heinz have eight $1 billion+ brands, one of the world’s largest food companies. To deliver on their trusted brand status, Kraft Heinz has implemented consistent, comprehensive Global Food Safety & Quality Management and Improvement Processes across their supply chain.

Kraft Heinz’s vision is: Sustainably grow by delighting more consumers globally! Rachid is accountable for External Manufacturing & Supply Chain and with a senior professional team distributed across the globe to mitigate Food Safety & Quality risks, lead various improvement initiatives, govern various global processes, manage change and trouble shoot where required cross functionally and creates real long-lasting partnership wherever he goes.

As some of you may already know, Rachid is very skilled at making events he chairs interactive while working closely with the audience to stimulate conversation and enhance learnings.
We look forward to having Rachid back with us. Get ready for some exciting conference days!

With over 28 years’ experience in a variety of senior roles and currently Head of Global FSQA Management-  External Manufacturing & Supply Chain at The Kraft Heinz Company, we are once again really honoured to have Mr. Rachid Hassairi as our Chairman.
Rachid brings his strong commitment to excellence through improving organisations, teams and people at the highest level. Kraft Heinz have eight $1 billion+ brands, one of the world’s largest food companies. To deliver on their trusted brand status, Kraft Heinz has implemented consistent, comprehensive Global Food Safety & Quality Management and Improvement Processes across their supply chain.

Kraft Heinz’s vision is: Sustainably grow by delighting more consumers globally! Rachid is accountable for External Manufacturing & Supply Chain and with a senior professional team distributed across the globe to mitigate Food Safety & Quality risks, lead various improvement initiatives, govern various global processes, manage change and trouble shoot where required cross functionally and creates real long-lasting partnership wherever he goes.

As some of you may already know, Rachid is very skilled at making events he chairs interactive while working closely with the audience to stimulate conversation and enhance learnings.
We look forward to having Rachid back with us. Get ready for some exciting conference days!

Tom Æ Hollands is the Innovation and Technical Director at Raynor Foods, he is an accomplished Food Scientist who has worked in both government (Food Standards Agency) and the private sector.  Tom is a true innovator at heart and has won a number of national and international accolades in recognition of this.  Tom’s innovations are focused around sustainability and has interests in meta food systems, their emerging technologies and the complex links that connect them.

Shabeek Thayyil is with Agthia P.J.S.C - UAE since Dec 2009 and currently holds the position of Director- Quality & Food Safety (Water & Beverages). His educational background in in Food Science, Operation’s Management, Catering Management and TQM. He has over 16 years of experience in the area of Quality, Food Safety & HSE for the Airline Catering Industry and FMCG. Prior to his association with Agthia PJSC, he held management and middle management positions in different companies – GFI (an Al Batha Group Company -UAE), Etihad Airline Catering -UAE, Qatar Aircraft Catering Company (QACC)- Qatar and Abu Dhabi International Airport Catering Company (AIAC)- UAE. Shabeek has participated in several Food Safety, Quality, HSE & Halal conferences across the globe. His area of expertise include- Quality & Food Safety strategy development and management, TQM tools, Allergens & Sanitation Management, HALAL , GLP , IMS System Development, Six Sigma, Change Management, setting EFQM & SKEA models, Quality bench-marking and Quality Culture Development, accessing the FSMS, QMS, HALAL and HSE management system.

Over 30 years experience at the highest levels in blue chip companies , regulators, universities and NGOs

leading on food and consumer safety from program, policy and product design to verification of system effectiveness and enterprise risk management

leader of the mondelez food safety team that was recognized in 2021 with the iafp black pearl award

Currently co-chair of the global food safety initiative   and dedicated to developing thinking on the future of food safety management and helping organizations effectively manage their food safety risk

Born and raised in Rotterdam, Holland, I started my career in marketing at Unilever. After 10 years at Unilever, I spend 2 years at Danone, and have been at Bacardi for the past 5 years. My career has brought me living and working across multiple countries, in different marketing roles, from global to regional to local, including all aspects from marketing. I’ve had the joy working on a range of global leading brands, like Knorr, Activia, Bacardi, Bombay Sapphire, Lipton IceTea and Wall's Ice cream.

Head of Food Innovation at ICA in Sweden. 14 years in FMCG mostly within marketing. Very engaged in health and sustainability och to network with people who wants to make a difference.

A native of Northern Germany, Jörn Gutowski spent most of his young adulthood abroad. After studying marketing at Emerson College in Boston and a one year stint at a PR agency, he worked for an international non-profit organization. While travelling the world, he was exposed to many new cultural and culinary experiences. His passion and appreciation for food was so deeply affected that in 2013, he decided to put his 10+ years background in marketing and business into his new venture TRY FOODS. Following the slogan „feed your curiosity“, TRY FOODS has been helping people to expand their knowledge of and their palate for high-quality food products. In 2018, he co-founded another food startup, called Zeevi Kichererbsen GmbH. Zeevi is the first European company producing and selling a chickpea tofu, called Kofu.

An experienced, international business leader, Liliana has been leading transformational growth across brands and portfolios to drive step changes in business results for over 20 years. She is a leading expert on innovation, communication and business strategy within the FMCG and luxury industries, working with top blue-chip companies: Unilever, Tata, on world-class brands and portfolios. Her sector experience covers Consumer Goods, Personal Care, Home Care, Foods, Refreshments and Luxury, as well as driving disruptive innovations projects. She holds a Master’s in Marketing & Communications and an Executive MBA. With extensive marketing and leadership experience gained across multi-category, multi-brand, and multi-cultures, Liliana has a track record of shaping and unlocking opportunities, accelerating and leading incredible business growth with her trademark energy, drive and possibility mind-set. She is passionate about inspiring possibility: growth for people and business. Liliana is Professor of Practice at Hult International Business School, teaching on Trends and Innovations and Brand Management subjects. She has also lectured as a keynote speaker around the world on Marketing, Omnichannel and Digital customer experience, Change Management and Disruptive Innovation topics.

Daniel is a Professor of Practice at Hult, London Undergraduate campus. He is a leading consultant and remains research active with interests in Strategy and Innovation. His corporate experience with companies like TNT, FedEx and DHL provide the complex link between corporate strategy, innovation and the academic world. Current areas of interest include- Innovation in uncertain times;  Reframing and Future Proofing growth opportunities for business and how to drive high engagement for customers.  Daniel also lectures at the graduate level at the University of Chester where he works with students to co-create alongside corporate firms on prevailing challenges.

Luis Carlos Chacón leads the BusinessCase team, global boutique consultancy that works with multinational FMCGs identifying emerging and future business opportunities. Also, has been a columnist for Forbes Latin America for several years (being nowadays top-rated) and currently finishing a postgraduate degree in Global Business at the University of Oxford (where previously graduated in Strategy and Innovation), his educational background includes studies in Design Thinking at Stanford, and Futures at The University of Manchester, and Houston. In business, he has worked for more than nineteen years for the operations of Fortune 500 Companies such as Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, LVMH, Diageo, Kellogg’s, Unilever, Dannon, AbInbev, among many others. Behavioral economics enthusiast (understanding the cross between needs and contexts) and believer in connecting the distant (linking the disconnected but inseparable) under the influence of socio-cultural changes in industries and consumption.

Tom Æ Hollands is the Innovation and Technical Director at Raynor Foods, he is an accomplished Food Scientist who has worked in both government (Food Standards Agency) and the private sector.  Tom is a true innovator at heart and has won a number of national and international accolades in recognition of this.  Tom’s innovations are focused around sustainability and has interests in meta food systems, their emerging technologies and the complex links that connect them.

Glenn Mathijssen is the co-CEO & Co-Founder of Alberts, leading a Belgium-based team focusing on food robotics and AI. The result is Vending 2.0 solutions for personalized smoothies & soups as well as personalized nudging solutions for food service providers looking for options to offer healthier snacks and meals. Alberts joined EIT Food as a Rising Food Star. Glenn holds a double degree Ph.D. in Electro-Mechincal Engineering with specialty in Robotics from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) and the University of Pisa (Italy). In 2019, Glenn was chosen as Belgium's FITCE Young ICT Personality.

Charlotte works for more than 10 year at GAIN – the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition. GAIN is an international NGO, with the mission to advance nutrition outcomes by improving the consumption of nutritious and safe food for all people, especially the most vulnerable to malnutrition. Charlotte represents GAIN in the Nordic countries. She is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with various stakeholders, including companies, civil society organization, academic institutions, and donors. Her key focus is on supply chain innovations for enhance access to nutritious, safe, and affordable food in sub-Sahara African and in Southeast Asia.

A native Apulian with a passion for spreading the gospel of his native soil, Vito Palumbo is the embodiment of Italy’s blossoming wine region of Puglia: sunny, breezy, sleek and soulful – all words describing the man and the place. With his finger on the pulse of what’s making Italy’s southern coastal gem a burgeoning wine travel destination, Vito is well connected to the art, music, literature and trending cultural vibrancy that is leading Puglia, with Tormaresca at the forefront, to become Italy’s next top wine region. Vito Palumbo is the Brand Manager for Tormaresca, with responsibilities that include directing the sales and marketing strategy of the company. A former KPMG accountant and renewable energy consultant, Vito entered his family business (his father Giuseppe is the CEO of Tormaresca) of the Antinori-owned estate in 2010. In addition to running the wine sales strategy for Europe and North America, Vito oversees production, packaging creative (he implemented the colorful, edgy label design by artist Valeria Patrone on Tormaresca’s popular Calafuria Rosato), and the opening of the winery’s proprietary restaurant Tormaresca Vino e Cucina in Lecce. Vito attended Bocconi in Milan - Italy’s leading business university - where he earned his Bachelor degree and a Master of Science in Economics and Management of Public Administration and International Institutions.

Zak works at the Good Food Institute (GFI), an international nonprofit focused on creating a healthy, just, and sustainable food system through plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cultivated protein innovation. He consults with leading foodservice operators, food manufacturers, and alternative protein supply chain companies to help increase the quality and quantity of their plant-based meat, egg, and dairy offerings and meet the growing consumer demand for alternative protein foods. An active member of the Effective Altruism community, Zak holds a B.A. in business management and joined GFI after several years of experience in sales and working with startups.

He is an innovative and resourceful marketing strategist with over 20 years of creating strong consumer brands, driving retail sales and customer acquisition, and improving performance. Marc is determined to help our communities with local farming using responsible, innovative growing methods that champion the environment. AeroFarms is on a mission to transform agriculture by building and operating environmentally responsible farms throughout the world to enable local production at scale and nourish our communities with safe, nutritious, and delicious food.

As a Research Analyst within the Food and Nutrition vertical in London, Giuseppe is responsible for management and execution of research projects that focus on Packaged Food, Health and Wellness, Fresh Food, and Pet Care. Since joining Euromonitor International in 2019, Giuseppe has developed his expertise in the food industry. His primary area of research was in Italian and Spanish markets and has now expanded into the UK, Greek, Netherlands and Portugal markets. Giuseppe holds a 1st Class BA (Hons) in International Business with Language from the University of Greenwich.