2022 SPEAKERS

 

Lauren Abda is the Founder and CEO of Branchfood, the largest community of food entrepreneurs and startups in the US, and Co-founder at Branch Venture Group, an angel network for investment in early-stage food startups. Prior to Branchfood, Lauren consulted for foodtech businesses in Boston and San Francisco, worked as an analyst for Salt Venture Partners LLC, a venture capital firm, focused on food startups, targeting content, commerce, and technology, and wrote reports on international food safety development initiatives on behalf of the Agriculture and Commodities division at the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. She has a Masters in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Vermont.

TINA ADOLFSSON
Head of Communications, Simera

JENNIFER BARTASHUS
Sr Equity Research Analyst Bloomberg Intelligence

After obtaining a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry at Purdue University, Nicole accepted a position at Kellogg’s. There her work focused on developing innovative strategies for sugar reduction in core brands and evaluating the phytochemical profiles and potential health benefits of functional ingredients in emerging brands. In 2019, she transitioned to Kalsec where her role focuses on leading Technology Scouting, Open Innovation, and Sustainable Innovation programs as well as leading relationship management for Innovation Ecosystems.

NICOLE BURKE
Project Manager/Technology Scout, Kalsec

Karen Ellis Carr is a Partner at ArentFox Schiff LLP. She counsels, advocates, and litigates on behalf of food and agriculture companies and industry groups, with a focus on agricultural technology, biotechnology, pesticides and other chemical substances, food, and environmental law. Karen co-leads ArentFox Schiff’s AgTech Industry Group.

Karen has experience in litigation and regulatory counseling, strategy, and advocacy, with a primary focus on products regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She advises on pathways to commercialization for new products and technologies, advertising and labeling, testing and reporting, data use and compensation disputes, and litigation relating to product approvals. Karen has specific expertise with the Plant Protection Act, the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, the National Organic Program, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), and the Administrative Procedure Act.

In addition to her work with individual companies, Karen represents industry associations and coalitions as outside general counsel, advising on regulatory strategy and policy and federal and state legislative issues, and in litigation matters as parties or amici. 

Elizabeth Crawford is deputy editor for FoodNavigator-USA, a daily publication that covers the food and beverage industry.  She is also the host of FoodNavigator-USA's Soup-To-Nuts podcast, which covers everything from emerging trends to regulatory pressures to marketing strategies in the food and beverage space. Her reporting focuses on innovation, health and wellness, marketing, finance, and regulatory updates from FDA, USDA, and other key stakeholders.

Tim Cunniff is the Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Sales at Little Leaf Farms, a local hydroponic lettuce company. Tim started out in the produce business 34 years ago selling pineapples for Dole into the New York City market. He was an original staffer for the Produce for Better Health Foundation launching the National 5 A Day campaign and was the Director of Marketing for North America for Del Monte Fresh Produce.

 From 2002-2006, Tim managed sales and multiple commodities for the Oppenheimer Group.  While in this position, he sold imported fruit and greenhouse vegetables primarily to Eastern Canada out of Newark, Delaware.  He also managed the Ocean Spray fresh cranberry business from 2003-2006.

 Tim became EVP of Sales of Backyard Farms in 2006 and was one of the original founders of the company with Paul Sellew. They both went on to start Little Leaf Farms in 2015, growing, packing, and selling crisp, fresh lettuce year-round in New England.

TIM CUNNIFF
Co-Founder & EVP Sales, Little Leaf Farms

Laurie drives the vision, strategy and operations for The Hartman Group, a consultancy focused on identifying demand-side trends in the food and beverage industry. Laurie oversees client projects focused on issues of portfolio management, brand renovation, consumer insights and innovation. A nationally recognized authority on consumer behavior and culture, Laurie received her MBA from the University of Washington and her BA from Cornell University.

A celebrated veteran in brand strategy, design and advertising— Paul led the teams behind the creative development of craft beverage brands such as Humm Kombucha, 21st Amendment, Deschutes Brewery, Odell Brewing and Crux Fermentation Project—which he co-founded, served as President and CMO. Paul co-founded Riff along with veterans from Stumptown and LinkedIn, launching product in market in late 2018. In mid 2020, Paul discovered a massive sustainability issue in the coffee industry which led to the development of Riff's Energy+ line of sparkling beverages made from upcycled cascara, a needlessly wasted nutrient-rich byproduct of the coffee harvest. Riff Energy+ launched in late spring 2021, and acquired carbon neutral certification and upcycled certification in early 2022.

PAUL EVERS
Co-Founder & CEO, Riff

Years before she became a world-renowned CEO, Lizanne Falsetto began her entrepreneurial journey at her kitchen table, inspired both by a family recipe and desire to solve a personal problem. On that table, the original thinkThin® bar was created: a revolutionary bar that would become one of the most sought-after health foods on the market. 

Lizanne is a prescient food pioneer and protein expert who understood the benefits of a high-protein, low-sugar lifestyle 20 years before the widespread adoption of the ketogenic diet. As thinkThin® scaled to reach a global audience, Lizanne became the first in the industry to stamp “gluten-free” on product packaging, ultimately paving the way for an entirely new retail category on store shelves: the nutrition bar. Lizanne’s original instinct for a clear market opportunity in health food evolved into a 20-year tenure as CEO of one of the fastest-growing health food brands in history. thinkThin® was acquired by Glanbia in late 2015.

For the next 5 years, Lizanne kept a finger on the pulse of food innovation. In 2020, as the pandemic disrupted life the world over, she was intrigued by the influx of food scientists creating cleaner, alternative proteins without the direct use of animals. These discoveries rekindled her entrepreneurial verve and led her to establish betterland foods™, a new venture committed to creating craveable, delicious foods that are better for people – and better for the planet.


Lizanne founded betterland foods™ on the vision of a kinder, more sustainable food system. She and her team are committed to innovating in several categories (woo™ bars and betterland™ cow-free milk) to deliver the next evolution of accessible, clean, and protein-rich products that deliver superior taste and health while treading gently on our planet, creating a better food future for all.

LIZANNE FALSETTO
Founder, CEO & Chairman, betterland foods™

STEPHANIE FERRARI
Co-founder & President, Fresh Communications

KATE FLYNN
Co-Founder & CEO, Sun & Swell

Ryan spent 10 years in packaging sales before jumping into industry reporting in 2020 with Bloomberg's Green Markets. He has since focused on forming relationships with box producers and building supply-and-demand models to better understand what moves the market. Ryan's love of data led to a variety of opportunities in the corrugated industry, beginning in 2010 at a small AICC member plant in North Carolina. He was recruited to an integrated company in late 2014.

RYAN FOX
Corrugated Packaging Mkt Analyst, Green Markets

Sam Garwin leads GreenWave's Market Innovation Program, working alongside ocean farmers to ensure predictable, scalable demand for seaweed products. Through targeted research, pilots, and value chain coordination, this program identifies and overcomes market barriers and opens new sales channels for farmers across the United States. Sam was previously the CEO of Fleishers, a pioneer of pasture-raised whole animal retail butchery, and an early employee of Maya Mountain Cacao, a direct trade organic cocoa social enterprise that is now part of the Uncommon Cacao Group.


SAMANTHA GARWIN
Market Innovation Strategist, GreenWave

Elise Godinez Kern has spent her career in the Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods industries, primarily focused on understanding sales trends and consumer behavior in the retail environment. She currently serves as SVP of Data and Insights at Aromyx, a biotechnology and data company focused on the human perception of taste and smell. In this role, she leads engagement with retailers and manufacturers leveraging Aromyx’s data to change how they design products, target demographics, forecast trends, and solve global issues around health and sustainability. Prior to joining Aromyx, Elise worked at IRI, a worldwide market research and retail data insights service provider, where she led their engagement with Ahold Delhaize grocery store brand Hannaford Supermarkets. She also has previously worked for Kraft Foods in Sales and Finance roles and Walgreens in Finance and Loyalty Insights roles. Elise spent much of her childhood abroad, living in Venezuela, France, Belgium, and Brazil. She holds a BS from Northwestern University and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. She currently resides in Portland, Maine with her family.

ELISE GODINEZ KERN
SVP Data & Insights, Aromyx

Samantha (she/her) works at the food waste nonprofit ReFED as a Policy Fellow. During the fellowship, she collaborated with the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic to revamp the ReFED Policy Finder, leveraging her quantitative and analytical political science skills to make the Policy Finder more accessible. Having grown up on a small organic farm, she is passionate about the environmental questions facing the farming and food industries and intends on pursuing her passion this fall at Harvard Law School. Outside of work, Samantha volunteers with a food rescue organization in Philadelphia.

SAMANTHA GOERGER
Policy Fellow, ReFED

Stephanie Goodwin joined the Public and Government Affairs team at Danone North America in 2019. She has been with Danone for 7 years, first on the science team for the division of medical foods, and then on the regulatory affairs team. Prior to joining Danone, Stephanie worked within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines. 

Stephanie is a Registered Dietitian and earned a Master of Public Health in Health Education, as well as her Doctorate in Human Nutrition and Public Policy from Virginia Tech. She completed her Post-Doctoral Fellowship in metabolic science at the National Institutes of Health with the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Disease. Stephanie is also a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences. 

Stephanie is an outdoor enthusiast and spends most of her free time with her family, including her husband and two little boys playing outside. 


STEPHANIE GOODWIN
Sr. Manager, Gov. & Industry Affairs, Danone

Henry Gordon-Smith is a sustainability strategist focused on urban agriculture, water issues, and emerging technologies. Henry earned his BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, coursework in Food Security and Urban Agriculture from Ryerson University in Toronto, and an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University. In 2014, Henry responded to a global need for technology-agnostic guidance on urban agriculture by launching the advisory firm Agritecture Consulting which has now consulted on over 150 urban agriculture projects in over 35 countries. Henry is a globally recognized expert in urban agriculture and has spoken on the topic in 5 continents and to media outlets including FT, WSJ, NYT, The Guardian, and many more.


Kymberly Graham is VP, Head of Diversity Initiative at NielsenIQ where she implements and commercializes strategies to achieve business goals and ensures offerings are relevant to a rapidly diversifying audience. A key member of the leadership team, Kymberly leads insights-driven solutions and engagement plans while exhibiting a solid understanding of the diverse consumer and US macro trends. She is passionate about diversity as a driver of business growth and values an inclusive culture, particularly in the CPG industry where she has 12+ years of experience. As a Georgia native, Kymberly attended the University of Georgia for undergrad and Mercer University for her MBA.

KYMBERLY GRAHAM
VP, Head of Diversity Initiative, NielsenIQ

Marcia Hooper currently serves as a Partner of Branch Venture Group, LLC, an angel investing group focused on food startups, targeting food products, food technology, business services for food-related companies, ag-tech, and sustainability. She has over 29 years of venture investing experience having been a partner at Advent International and Ampersand Ventures. She also serves as a Senior Advisor to Bowside Capital, a private equity firm focusing in the small capitalization market. Marcia has served as a Director of over 30 private and publicly listed companies and began her career at IBM in marketing. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and mathematics from Brown University. She also earned a Master of Arts degree in chemistry from Columbia University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.

SAM HSENG-HUNG HSU
Executive VP Strategic Planning, Ecolab

RAVI JHALA
Global Head of Commercial, Perfect Day

Dr.  Ellen Jorgensen is cofounder and Chief Science Officer at Aanika Biosciences, a biotech startup that safeguards supply chains and promotes sustainable practices by using edible microbes to track and trace food  products.  In 2017, Fast Company magazine named her one of their Most Creative Leaders in Business. She holds a Ph.D. in Cell & Molecular Biology from New York University, spent over 30 years in the biotechnology industry, and is passionate about science literacy. Her TED talks, “Biohacking: You Can Do It Too” and “What You Need To Know About CRISPR” have each had over a million views.

EMILY JOSEPHSON
Marketing/Brand Mgt - noosa, Sovos Brands

JUSTIN KING
Chief Evangelist, Salsify

Derek is the Executive Vice President of Strategic Development & New Ventures and is responsible to explore entry into high-growth markets and identify new business models that advance Kerry’s strategic growth initiatives. Derek joined Kerry through our Graduate Program in 2002 and has since worked in a number of business roles across North America, as well as spending three years in Mexico with LATAM. He previously served as Dairy & Culinary President for North America, a role in which he was instrumental in building an expansive portfolio of solutions for our global customers. He continues to serve as a member of the North America Executive Leadership Team. Derek holds a bachelor's in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin River Falls and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin.

DEREK KLAEHN
EVP of Strategy & New Ventures, Kerry

LUDA KOPEIKINA
Investment Director, DSM Venturing

Tara Levine is a global business leader and board member with a 25-year track record of successfully leading businesses through inflection points, overseeing global and North American brands from $2B to $200M. She is currently the President of Mayfield Advisory, working with CPG businesses to create the strategies and go-to-market plans to scale their brands. She previously was the Chief Growth Officer for Inari, an agricultural tech firm, and also served as GM, North America & Vice President at Converse/Nike, held multiple leadership roles at Ocean Spray including Managing Director, Europe, Middle East, Africa based in London, and VP, Corporate Strategy and M&A, and led businesses at Gillette and P&G. She was the founding Director of Research and Advisory Services at Catalyst, a think tank advancing women in business, creating their consulting business, and writing the book, “Creating Women’s Networks.” She serves as a board member for Repsly, Grapery and the Massachusetts Women’s Forum, and holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Brown University. She lives in Boston with her husband and two sons.

TARA LEVINE
Senior Advisor, Branchfood

LANCE LIVELY
VP Strategy & Business Operations, EVERY™

Trey started brewing homemade kombucha for his sister when she was diagnosed with cancer, calling upon its time-tested healing qualities. Since her successful recovery, they have kept up the brew– striving to make kombucha as delicious as it is nutritious by joining forces with experts, including a chef, a microbiologist, and a chemist.

TREY LOCKERBIE
Co-Founder & CEO, Better Booch

Nick McCoy is a Co-Founder and Managing Director with Whipstitch Capital, the largest independent investment bank in the U.S solely focused on the better-for-you consumer sector. Nick has over 20 years of transaction experience in investment banking and on the buy side with large corporations in venture investing and M&A.  Nick has worked with Whipstitch co-founder Mike Burgmaier since 2008 at a previous investment bank that Nick also co-founded.

Nick is passionate about advancing health and wellness by supporting innovation in the natural products industry and also about accelerating permanent positive change in sustainability for the planet and JEDI in society.  He is a data junkie who leverages and shares his knowledge and insights by speaking frequently on trends and topics relevant to advance these goals.  Nick is an active member of the World Economic Forum and has been admitted to its Expert Network as an expert in three areas: Food and Agriculture, Future of Food and Future of Economic Progress.  Nick’s forum engagement centers around identifying and building awareness of economically viable investments exist that accelerate permanent positive change in health, sustainability and JEDI globally.  

Personally, Nick is an avid road cyclist, runner, thinks it’s ok to cross country ski in below-zero temperatures, and has recently taken up the sport of kite skiing. He’s a health-focused foodie, cooks frequently and has an extensive knowledge of wine and whiskey (just ask him).

Nick is a Chartered Financial Analyst and has an MBA from Wake Forest University and an undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire. 

Since 2004, the Whipstitch Capital Team has completed over 100 transactions in the healthy living sector with companies such as PepsiCo, CORE Nutrition, Spindrift, VMG Partners, Flying Embers, GoodBelly, General Mills, Vita Coco, Purple Carrot, LesserEvil, Country Archer, Uncle Matt’s Organics, KeVita, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Sunrise Strategic Partners, Peeled Snacks, Blake’s All Natural , ConAgra Brands, Yasso, KarpReilly, Saffron Road, Emil Capital, Sunsweet, TSG Consumers Partners, Monogram Capital, PowerPlant Ventures, and more. 

NICK MCCOY
Managing Dir. & Co-Founder, Whisptitch Capital

Ian serves as Chief Development Officer at Pairwise, where he oversees business and corporate development.  In his over 20 years of experience in life sciences, Ian has remained keenly interested in bringing together people and technologies to help people lead healthier lives. Prior to Pairwise, Ian was Chief Business officer at Epic Sciences. He holds a JD from Duke University and a BS in biochemistry and cellular biology from University of California, San Diego

IAN MILLER
Chief Development Officer, Pairwise

Dariush Mozaffarian is a cardiologist, Dean, and Jean Mayer Professor at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and Professor of Medicine at Tufts School of Medicine. His work aims to create a food system that is nutritious, equitable, and sustainable. Dr. Mozaffarian has authored more than 450 scientific publications on dietary priorities for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, and on evidence-based policy approaches and innovations to reduce these burdens in the US and globally. He has served in numerous advisory roles, and his work has been featured in a wide array of media outlets. Thomson Reuters has named him as one of the World's Most Influential Scientific Minds.

Duong Thuy Nguyen, PhD, is the Associate Director of Research and Process Innovation at Bluu Seafood. She heads the bioprocess and scaling development to streamline the cell production and tissue engineering processes for various fish products. Bluu Seafood (previously Bluu Biosciences) is the first company in Europe to specialize in the development and commercial production of cultivated fish. As a pioneer at the interface of biotechnology and food technology, Bluu Biosciences is stepping up to produce high-quality, sustainable fish products from cell cultures, that feature high nutritional value and a premium flavour profile. The aim is to produce fish sustainably and cost efficiently, thus making a significant contribution to securing the future supply of animal protein for humanity. The company, based in Berlin and Lübeck, was founded in 2020 by Dr Sebastian Rakers and Simon Fabich with an expert team of marine biologists, cell biologists, tissue engineers, and food technologists. In R&D, Bluu Biosciences closely cooperates with the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Marine Biotechnology and Cell Engineering (EMB) in Lübeck and leverages state-of-the-art R&D installations. For more information, please visit www.bluu.bio

DUONG T NGUYEN
Research and Process Innovation, Bluu Seafood

Gastón Paladini was born in Rosario, Santa Fe Province in Argentina in 1981. Has an MBA from IAE Business School and a Bachelor of Advertising from the University of Palermo. He is married and has 2 children. 

For the last 10 years, Gastón has been a Board Member for Paladini Group -his family’s company and one of the largest meat producers in Latin America- where he has committed to promoting innovation as a fundamental company value. 

Fully aware of the current challenges the planet is facing and based on his knowledge and experience in the traditional meat industry, he began to explore the ecosystem of alternative proteins. 

He co-founded Moolec Science to lead a top-notch scientific team into food where he is currently CEO. Moolec is a science-based ingredients company producing real animal proteins in plants through Molecular Farming, a disruptive technology in the alternative protein landscape.

GASTON PALADINI
Co-Founder & CEO, Moolec Science

Troy Pearley is the Executive Vice President and General Manager for Divine Chocolate USA. After driving growth for Ghirardelli and Godiva, Troy has dedicated the last decade to building the Divine brand in the US, expanding from distribution in a small number of natural channel stores to national distribution at retailers like Whole Foods, Walgreens, and Amazon. Troy is a board member of the National Confectioners Association and Fairtrade America; and is a 2022 National Confectionery Sales Association Candy Hall of Fame inductee.

TROY PEARLEY
EVP, GM, North America, Divine Chocolate

James Petrie, CEO of Nourish Ingredients, is an experienced crop metabolic engineer. James spent 13 years working at CSIRO as a research scientist as part of the Plant Oils Engineering Group before co-founding Nourish Ingredients. During his time at CSIRO, James was a part of the team who spearheaded the creation of omega 3 canola – the world’s first plant based and sustainable source of omega 3. As CEO of Nourish, James is turning his expertise in synthetic biology to the plant-based meat and dairy space. He’s passionate about making animal-free fats and oils for the next generation of tastier alternative proteins - the foods of the future our planet depends on

Megan Poinski is senior reporter primarily covering food tech and investments at Food Dive. Before getting on the food business beat, Megan worked as an editor and reporter at publications including The Washington Post and local news outlets Washington, D.C., Ohio, Maryland and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from George Washington University and a master’s degree in information management from the University of Maryland’s iSchool.

MEGAN POINSKY
Senior Food Dive Reporter, Industry Dive

TRACY RAINES
Chief Innovation Officer, AgBiome

ALISHA REAL
Director, Sustainability & Social Impact, UNFI

TOM RYDEN
Executive Director, MassRobotics

ERIC SCHULZE
VP of Product and Regulation, Upside Foods

Dr. Jyoti Shankar leads a cross-disciplinary team of data scientists, regenerative agriculture specialists, remote sensing scientists, and precision agriculture experts at Indigo. She and her team work on data and science to help Indigo's food brand partners: Anheuser-Busch, Nestle, and Walmart, make progress towards their sustainability goals within their supply chains. Dr. Shankar's work has helped channel Indigo's mission into these partnerships, helping farmers in the brands' supply chains make profitable transitions to regenerative agriculture practices. Dr. Shankar has guided study design and statistical analysis of data from Indigo's commercial observational studies since 2017. Before joining Indigo, she designed and developed high-dimensional statistical models to understand genetic patterns of drug-response in clinical trials at Teva Pharmaceuticals, led investigations into the role of microbiota in pediatric respiratory disease at The J Craig Venter Institute, and studies of gene-environment interactions in breast cancer at The Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Dr. Shankar received her Ph.D. in Epidemiology and Statistical Methodology from the University of Rochester in 2012 and her MD from the University of Delhi in 2004.

JYOTI SHANKAR
Principal Data Scientist, Indigo

RALPH SIMMONS
Regulatory Attorney, Foster Garvey

Mary Shelman is an internationally recognized thought leader, speaker, and advisor on global agribusiness, AgTech, and food system trends. The former Director of Harvard Business School’s Agribusiness Program, she now works with companies, governments, and investors around the world through her consulting and advisory firm, Shelman Group, based in Boston, Massachusetts. Shelman provides unique insights into technology and consumer trends and champions collaboration, industry alignment, and forward-looking strategic planning to achieve system-wide improvements and create pathways for sustainable growth. She serves on The Kroger Company Zero Hunger Zero Waste Foundation advisory board and is a member of Perfect Day’s Sustainability and Health Advisory Council. A native of Kentucky where she still owns a farm, Mary holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

MARY SHELMAN
Founder, Shelman Group

Julianne Stelmaszyk serves as the 2nd Director of Food Strategy for the state of Rhode Island where she is responsible for the implementation of the state’s food strategy, Relish Rhody. In her role she works to accelerate the growth of a regional, equitable and sustainable food economy by convening stakeholders, supporting business development in the food sector and advising on effective state policies and regulations.   

Prior to this role, Julianne spent a decade in the food and agriculture sector working with schools, businesses and institutions to address sustainability issues and increase local food procurement. Prior to her current role, she served as the Regional and Sustainable Food Systems Manager for Boston College where she implemented sustainability and procurement strategies in support of the New England Food Vision. She has worked in various parts of the food sector as a chef, farmer and food educator and is thrilled to serve Rhode Islanders in her current capacity. Julianne holds a BA from Northeastern University and an MBA from the Boston College Carroll School of Management.  

JULIANNE STELMASZYK
Director of Food Strategy, Rhode Island Commerce

Evi is a Cofounder of Ponderosa Ventures, a pre-seed and seed stage impact investment fund backing companies transforming our food, agriculture, and ocean sectors. Evi has a background in regenerative agriculture and sustainable finance. Prior to co-founding Ponderosa, she was an investor with Astanor Ventures, a global food and agriculture technology firm. She began her investment career at Generation Investment Management, an asset manager proving the business case for integrating sustainability metrics into financial analysis.

With over 15 years AgTech industry experience, Phil currently serves as the Open Innovation Lead for Crop Science R&D at Bayer, based in St. Louis, MO. He plays a central role in fostering strategic relationships around the globe and developing programs to enable novel ways of accelerating innovation to support Bayer’s R&D pipeline and drive external innovation ecosystems.

A strong champion for both external and pre-competitive partnering as a driving force for innovation and change, Phil has held multiple leadership roles at Bayer focused on delivering collaborative approaches to enable R&D and enhance the company’s position as an action leader in open innovation and partnering. He was appointed a Bayer Science Fellow in 2020.

Before joining industry, Phil trained as a Plant Cell Biologist, receiving his Ph.D. from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, U.K., and held post-doctoral positions at The University of Leeds and The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, as well as a British Council Fellowship at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Outside of Bayer, Phil is active in the academic and global innovation communities as a member of multiple advisory boards and professional society committees.

A native of the UK, Phil now lives in St. Charles, Missouri, with his wife Amanda and their four children, Jack (14), Hugh (12), Owen (9) and Meredith (7).

PHIL TAYLOR
Global Open Innovation Lead, Bayer

Chip has helped companies small and large navigate a world being changed by new technologies - both in the US and internationally. Curiosity and a willingness to embrace new challenges has led him on a career trajectory from a PhD in History to management of some of the most sophisticated social media and big data solutions in the world. He is the co-founder and CEO of BlueTrace, a startup company that works with over 200 shellfish companies to help them track and trace their products from the Tideline to the Table.

CHIP TERRY
Founder & CEO, BlueTrace

SHEN TONG
Founder & Managing Partner, FoodFutureCo

Peter Twomey is the co-founder and COO at EcoCart. Peter's professional passion is building software solutions that solve problems he experienced-first hand in his time as an entrepreneur. In his free time, you can find Peter skateboarding around San Francisco and cleaning up the beach with his dog Butters.

PETER TWOMEY
Co-Founder, EcoCart

Gretchen VanEsselstyn is Director of Education at the Specialty Food Association where she creates online and in-person programs to educate entrepreneurs and build a stronger food and beverage industry. She has been immersed in digital education since the dawn of the internet and has served as the editor-in-chief of a culinary magazine, recipe developer, line cook, and research professional. A graduate of NYU, Columbia University, and the Institute of Culinary Education, she is also a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher.

Stephanie von Stein oversees and provides strategic support for GFI's international affiliate organizations across the globe as they work to advance the alternative proteins industry as a key solution for the climate crisis, antimicrobial resistance, and food insecurity. Her portfolio includes leading GFI's work with multilateral agencies and development finance institutions to connect those agencies with promising alternative protein value chain investments that align with their program priorities. She also leads GFI’s strategy for engagement at the annual COP climate negotiations. Prior to GFI, Stephanie focused on building environmental civil society organizations in Asia. She is a multi-year grantee of the National Endowment for Democracy for her work creating a network of environmental advocacy groups across China. She has a broad-based knowledge of China’s Environmental Protection Law and current environmental policy directives, and has collaborated with grassroots development and environmental advocacy groups throughout East and South Asia.

STEPHANIE VON STEIN
Sr. Associate Director, Good Food Institute

An award-winning journalist with more than 20 years’ experience in multimedia business-to-business journalism and events management on both sides of the Atlantic, Elaine has covered a diverse range of topics from edible insects to corporate espionage. Elaine moved from the UK to the US in 2011, and as editor of FoodNavigator-USA.com – a leading online b2b title in the US food and beverage industry – she has helped to establish the site as a pre-eminent source of news and analysis on hot button issues from cultured meat and alternative proteins to CBD and labeling conventions in plant-based foods and beverages.

Luna completed her Bachelors & Masters of Science from the University of Toronto within 4 years. She has co-founded and built 2 profitable software startups. Luna also has 5 years of sales experience working at firms including First Data and Bell Canada.

LUNA YU
Founder & CEO, Genecis

LARISSA ZIMBEROFF
Journalist and Author