Isabelle Decitre

Founder & CEO

ID Capital

Isabelle set up ID Capital in 2012 when moving to Singapore after a 20-year corporate career in the luxury industry, her last position being SVP Marketing & Communications for the Cognac brand Hennessy. After looking at several emerging sectors to invest in she realized the FoodTech & AgriTech sectors were bound for dramatic change. Future Food Asia was born mid 2016 out of the belief that challenges facing agriculture are often region-specific, and thus, the best minds to tackle these problems can be found within local teams. It aims at fostering innovation in food sustainability and multiplying investment opportunities across Asia Pacific. Today Future Food Asia is in its third year and ID Capital is has been appointed as a co-investment partner in agrifoodtech startups by SEEDS Capital, the investment arm of Enterprise Singapore. Along with her team, Isabelle scouts and reviews a few hundred agrifoodtech startups every year.

Dr. Ralph Graichen

Senior Director of Food & Consumer Cluster

Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s (A*STAR) Biomedical Research Council

Dr Ralph Graichen is currently Senior Director, Food & Consumer at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore. He has a co-appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor with Nanyang Technological University, School of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering. In his current position with A*STAR, Ralph is working with strategic partners to administer and develop new initiatives and programmes in the research areas of food, nutrition and consumer care. Ralph is a board member of the Singapore Food Agency as well as a member of the Singapore Food Standard Committee. He also sits on the board of the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), advisory panel of the Food Innovation & Resource Centre, Singapore Polytechnic as well as multiple grant review committees.
Ralph has over 16 years of experience in the local and global biomedical and nutrition industry. He was previously Research Operations Manager for Abbott Nutrition in Asia, establishing the R&D infrastructure and managing the research portfolio for Asia. Prior to joining AN, Ralph was Research Director for ES Cell International, the first organization to provide clinical grade embryonic stem cell lines to the world’s research community (now a subsidiary of Bio Time Inc). Preceding ES Cell Ralph was part of the regional business development team at Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific.
Ralph graduated with a master in Biology from the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany and attained his PhD from the National University Singapore through the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology. Ralph attended the Food System Leadership Institute, a program of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Peter Huang

Global Program Management Director, Global Business Platforms

Corteva Agriscience

Mr. Peter Huang is leading the Greater China operation of the agriculture division since the Dow-Dupont merger. In this position, Peter is responsible for the integration of the heritage Dow AgroSciences, Dupont Crop Protection and Pioneer Seeds businesses and setting up a stand-alone company for Corteva Agriscience in Greater China. Mr. Huang joined DuPont in 2004, as a senior business analyst for fluorine product business unit in its headquarter in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2005, he relocated to Asia and served on a variety of roles in AP including six-sigma black belt, master black-belt, regional marketing manager and China business manager. In 2009, Peter joined DuPont Building Innovations as the director of Greater China and later on was appointed as the director of Asia Pacific. In 2014, Mr. Huang joined DuPont Crop Protection business and started his journey in the agriculture industry. Mr. Huang also serves as the Chairman of Crop Life China, an international federation representing the plant science industry in China. Before joining DuPont, Peter was a management consultant in A.T.Kearney, providing management consultancy, such as business strategy development, corporate governance, market entry plan, organization restructure, for MNCs, SOEs and private companies from various industries. Peter Huang holds bachelor degree from Donghua University, master degree from Fudan University and MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Gerard Jacquin

Former Director of Partnerships, Transfer and Innovation

INRA

Director of Partnerships, Transfer and Innovation at INRA, Europe’s top agricultural research institute and the world’s number two centre for the agricultural sciences. Former President of Technology Transfer subsidiaries at INRA, Former President of Quae Editions, a publishing house specialized in scientific and technological content. A trained engineer, Gérard Jacquin graduated from Ecole Polytechnique in France in 1973. In 1978 he became Engineer General of Water and Forestry Engineering (ENGREF Institute), under the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture. Between 1982 and 1992 he held various operational positions in the domain of biotechnologies applied to diagnostic and treatment, and Plasma Protein Fractionation. In 1992 he was appointed MD for the Biology Division of Groupe Générale de Santé, the 1st French group of private hospitals and clinics. From 1994 to 2001 he worked for the National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture (IRSTEA), ultimately as the Director for Development and Innovation. From 2001 to 2207 he ran the MIS division of INRA, then became Director of Partnerships, Transfer and Innovation. Over that period of time Gérard has also had a number of board positions. Along with VC firm Seventure he created the first agro-biotech accelerator that became Enterome, a startup pioneering the metagenomics of the digestive tract and its applications in human health. Upon leaving INRA in 2016 Gérard has been leveraging his domain experience to assess innovative projects and mentor talented teams in the sector of agriculture, alimentation and environment.

Sunny George Verghese

Co-founder & Group CEO

Olam International Limited

Sunny George Verghese is the Co-founder & Group CEO of Olam International Limited and is responsible for strategic planning, business development and overall management of the Olam group of companies worldwide. Headquartered in Singapore and listed on the SGX-ST, Olam currently ranks among the top 30 largest primary listed companies in Singapore in terms of market capitalisation. In 2016, Fortune magazine recognised Olam at #23 in its ‘Change the World’ list.
In 30 years, Sunny and his team have built this business to S$33 billion in Sales Revenues for FY2019. Today, Olam operates in over 60 countries, delivering various agricultural raw materials and food ingredients to around 19,800 customers worldwide and employs around 74,500 people.
Sunny is currently the Chairman of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Chairman of the Board of the Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI), Singapore, Chairman of JOil (S) Pte Ltd and also serves on the Board of Trustees of Singapore Management University.
Sunny holds a post graduate management degree from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) and has also completed the Advanced Management Program (AMP) from the Harvard Business School.

Ashok Vasudevan

Co-founder and Chairman

Tasty Bite and CSAW

Ashok Vasudevan is an entrepreneur, academician, and impact investor with an abiding interest in the Food & Agriculture sector, international business, entrepreneurship, and a deep commitment to affordable wellness.
He is the Co-founder and Chairman of Tasty Bite, and the ex-CEO of Preferred Brands International that was acquired by Mars Food in 2017.
Ashok and his wife Meera co-founded ASG-Omni LLC, a highly successful strategy consulting firm based in USA. They were jointly presented “2014 Indian American Achiever Award” by GOPIO CT.
In 2015, they also set up a fully funded family foundation, Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation (MAVF), which is dedicated to ending hunger and malnourishment in the USA.
They relocated from Stamford CT to Singapore in 2018 and established C-SAW®, (Center for the Spread of Affordable Wellness), dedicated to the idea that farmers prosper, consumer eat healthy, food companies transform

Dr. Adrian Percy

Chief Technology Officer

UPL Ltd

Adrian Percy is an advocate of the need for and benefits of modern agriculture. He is also a strong proponent of the development and adoption of new agricultural and food technologies that support global food security while conserving the environment.
Adrian currently serves as the CTO of UPL Ltd, a major crop protection company that is a leader in global food systems. He also serves as a Venture Partner at Finistere Ventures LLC, a technology and life sciences venture capital investor, focused on transforming the food value chain.
Adrian serves on the board of directors of BioLumic, HiFidelity Genetics, Biotalys and Evogene. He is also a member of the science and technology boards of Biotalys, Terramera and Rothamsted Research.
Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Adrian holds a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Birmingham. He now resides in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, USA.

Denis Lucquin

Managing Partner

Sofinnova Partners

Denis Lucquin is a Managing Partner of Sofinnova Partners. In life sciences, he specializes in industrial biotechnology investments. He joined Sofinnova in 1991. Denis began his career in academic research. For five years, he was in charge of the technology transfer department at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), France’s agricultural research institute. In 1989, he joined the venture capital industry as director of investments at Innolion (Crédit Lyonnais). During his first 17 years at Sofinnova Partners, Denis carried out many investments in Health Care such as Nicox, Oxford Glycosciences, Oxford Molecular, PPL Therapeutics, Conjuchem, Exonhit, IDM, Innate Pharma, Ablynx, Cerenis, and Noxxon (all of which successfully went public) as well as Novexel (sold to Astrazeneca), and Crop Design (sold to BASF Crop Sciences). He recently specialized in Industrial Biotech and invested in BioAmber and Avantium (both went public respectively on NYSE and Euronext Amsterdam) and in Green Biologics and Agrosavfe. He acts or has acted as a board member for all these companies. Denis was also the Chairman of Sofinnova Partners between 2007 and 2017, and founded in 1997 the French biotech entrepreneurs association, France Biotech. He is a graduate in engineering from Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole du Génie Rural des Eaux et Forêts. He has a degree in Innovation Management from the Université de Paris-Dauphine.

Kathryn Sheridan

CEO & Founder

Sustainability Consult

Kathryn started out in environmental journalism in Brussels then made her way into sustainability PR and communications, starting Sustainability Consult in 2008 before sustainability was a mainstream buzzword.
For Kathryn, it has always been about credibility and integrity. There’s no room for hype and primadonna behaviour when we’re trying to stop the planet from burning. Kathryn’s Credibility Audit is an essential reputation and risk management tool. She also supports clients with getting their ideas out into the world through thoughtleadership positioning and writing. Find out more at www.sustainabilityconsult.com.
Kathryn is a sustainable business thoughtleader who has worked in sustainability long enough to see through the hype and greenwashing. She advocates for real change now and supports companies and leaders in making that change. She’s also a forest bathing guide, coach and mentor. For coaching leaders and teams, go to www.kathrynsheridan.com.

Dr. Mark Lyons

President & CEO

Alltech

Dr. Mark Lyons grew up in the Alltech business, having traveled with his father and Alltech’s founder, Dr. Pearse Lyons, from a young age to visit customers. With experience working in all regions and nearly all departments — from palletizing bags in production to researching in the lab — he has a deep and uniquely personal knowledge of the company.Based on Alltech’s belief that agriculture has the greatest potential to shape our world’s future, he launched the Planet of Plenty™ vision in 2019. He has called for collaboration to improve nutrition, human and animal well-being, and the preservation of natural resources.He has spearheaded many critical projects, including simultaneously managing a biorefinery project in Kentucky, the establishment of a plant in Serbia and the creation of Alltech’s flagship yeast production facility in São Pedro, Brazil. He also spent nearly four years in Mexico rebuilding the company’s solid state fermentation plant in Serdan, which is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Today, Dr. Lyons is based at Alltech’s headquarters in Kentucky. He has served as a board member of the American Feed Industry Association, and he is currently serving on the board of directors for Transylvania University and the advisory board for Women in Food & Agriculture. Dr. Lyons has published papers and patents in areas ranging from enzyme production to global economics and is interested in the assurance of food safety and quality throughout the entire food chain. He was also named as one of “The top 50 Irish business men and women in the BRIC countries” and “40 Under 40” leaders in agriculture by Vance Publishing Corporation. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science and environmental science in 1999 from the University of Chicago. He received his master’s degree in brewing and distilling in 2001, followed by a Ph.D. in the area of solid state fermentation, at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

Pier-Luigi Sigismondi

President, Worldwide Packaged Foods

Dole Asia Holdings Pte Ltd

For over 20 years, Pier-Luigi Sigismondi has worked at the intersection of purpose-led brands and value creation for the business. He is a strong believer of the proactive role companies can play against climate change, social equality and inclusion when doing business.
As President of Dole Worldwide Packaged Foods, a 169 year-old-brand, he is leading a profound transformation, with a vision to make it an iconic Nutrition and Wellness company. One that is driven by purpose, globally.
Prior to Dole, Pier-Luigi was the President of Unilever for South East Asia and Australasia. He joined Unilever and its Executive Board in 2009. Before joining Unilever, Pier-Luigi was Vice President of Corporate Operations Strategies at Nestle’ SA (CH) and VP Operations and R&D Nestle’ Mexico.
He has served as Non-Executive Director of Rexel SA Supervisory Board and was a Board Member of Ben & Jerry’s, one of the brightest purpose-led brands. 

John Wood

Founder

Room to Read

Mr John Wood is the Founder of Room to Read, with over 2,000 employees in more than 20 countries, reaching over 18 million children. He previously held executive positions at Microsoft, including Director of Marketing for Asia Pacific and Director of Business Development for Greater China. Mr Wood is the Asia Partner at Concentric Equity, a US$2 billion Chicago-based firm. He serves on the board of Asia Partners, a Singapore-based private equity firm, and is a Senior Advisor and investor in Green Monday Holdings and abillionveg. He is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, a four-term Advisory Board member of the Clinton Global Initiative and was named by Bill and Melinda Gates as Microsoft’s first-ever Alumni of the Year.

XinYi Lim

Executive Director, Sustainability & Agricultural Impact

Pinduoduo

XinYi Lim is Executive Director, Sustainability and Agricultural Impact at Pinduoduo. She is responsible for Pinduoduo’s international corporate strategy efforts and innovation in sustainability and agri-tech. Pinduoduo is a pioneer of interactive e-commerce and operates a platform that provides more than 600 million buyers with value-for-money merchandise through a fun and interactive experience. Pinduoduo connects small business and multinationals alike with consumers, giving farmers and aspiring entrepreneurs a channel to pitch their products and services direct to consumers. Pinduoduo also helps to equip sellers with the skills to take part in the fast-growing digital economy. Before joining Pinduoduo in late 2018, she worked for Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, GIC, in both its Singapore and New York offices as a technology and media analyst in its Public Equities division. XinYi holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Oxford and a Master’s degree from Harvard University.

Mark Kahn

Managing Partner

Omnivore

Mark Kahn is a Managing Partner of Omnivore, a venture capital firm, based in India, which funds entrepreneurs building the future of agriculture and food systems. Omnivore pioneered agritech investing in India, backing over 20 startups since 2011. Every day, Omnivore portfolio companies drive agricultural prosperity and transform food systems across India, making farming more profitable, resilient, and sustainable. Previously, Mark was the Executive Vice President (Strategy & Business Development) at Godrej Agrovet, one of India’s foremost diversified agribusiness companies. Earlier in his career, Mark worked for Syngenta and PFM. He earned a BA (Honors) from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar. Mark is a member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Council on Agriculture and a member of the Governing Council of the Maharashtra State Innovation Society. 

Beverley Postma

CEO-Designate

Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)

Beverley J Postma is CEO of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an international non-profit that is transforming markets to make sustainable palm oil the norm by uniting more than 4,000 actors across the global supply chain. Bev is an experienced CEO and scale-up strategist with more than 20 years’ in the global food system. She is a respected coalition-builder who thrives at the interface of business, government, and civil society. With board level experience spanning Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, Bev is a passionate champion for the UN Sustainable Development Goals and remains committed to designing joined-up solutions to tackle the world’s most complex sustainability issues. Bev is the former CEO of HarvestPlus, a global CGIAR programme funded by the UK Government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to tackle hidden hunger. In 2017, she led HarvestPlus to the finals of the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change Competition, securing $15m to scale up the delivery of biofortification. Before that, Bev held regional corporate affairs and marketing roles in Asia and Europe at both ends of the value chain for companies including Kellogg’s and Syngenta. In 2010, Bev launched Asia’s first not-for-profit industry platform for the food & beverage sector, Food Industry Asia (FIA) and served as Executive Director until 2016. Prior to that she spent three years in Brussels with the British Agriculture Bureau and the UK National Farmers’ Union and was responsible for marketing the ‘Red Tractor’ farm-to-fork traceability scheme for British Food. Convinced of the power of diversity and inclusion, Bev has led high-performing teams across four continents covering the full breadth of the food value chain (non-profit and big brands). in 2016, she was the winner of the Prospect Gold Standard Award for Professional Excellence, and a LAUNCH Food Innovator in 2017. Bev holds a BSc in Marine Biology from the University of Liverpool and is an accomplished under-water photographer

Dr. Wanli Min

CEO

North Summit Capital

Dr. Wanli Min received PhD in Statistics from the University of Chicago in 2004 and subsequently held research positions at IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, IBM Singapore, Google and Chief Machine Intelligence Scientist at Alibaba Cloud. His research areas include probability theory, stochastic process, time series and machine learning. He was named by Forbes as one of ‘China’s AI Leader’ and was appointed by the Ministry of Science & Technology, People’s Republic of China as an Advisor on the National Committee of Next-generation AI Strategy. In 2019, he launched North Summit Capital, an investment fund focusing on digital transformation in agriculture, healthcare and manufacturing sectors. NSC takes tech+capital approach toward value creation and value capture in evergreen industries.

Sid Gorham

President Digital Business Platform – Corteva

Co- founder – Granular

Sid Gorham, President Digital Business Platform with Corteva, is responsible for ensuring that Granular has the strategy, team and culture it needs to lead the global farm software market. Sid co-founded Granular in 2014 when he saw the opportunity for farmers to use software to run stronger businesses and better steward the land.
Sid has built successful software and analytics businesses in a diverse range of industries including telecom, media, and restaurants. All of these companies have successfully helped customers use data, software, and analytics to continuously improve performance and make smarter decisions. Prior to Granular, Sid served as CEO of Telephia, the leading provider of benchmarking data and analytics to mobile phone companies, which was acquired by Nielsen. Sid was also on the founding team at Opentable.com (OPEN), the leading restaurant reservation network.
Sid holds an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley and a BA from Trinity College in English Literature.

Victor Tan

Director, Venture Investing

SGInnovate

Victor Tan oversees SGInnovate’s Venture Deals team in Singapore and concurrently manages investments and operations in North America. SGInnovate is focused on enabling entrepreneurs in Singapore to build start-ups with a strong emphasis on science and deep technology. As a private organization owned by the Singapore Government, they bring together partners from the private sector, institutes of higher learning, and research organizations as part of Singapore’s broader ecosystem of innovation.
In his previous life, Victor was founder of his own startup in China, managed foreign aid in Singapore’s foreign service and also led the social media team of the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. He is a strong believer in the Asian technology ecosystem and has been working and advising aspiring tech entrepreneurs and startups in the region with global aspirations. 

Rahoul Sawani

Managing Director South Asia

Corteva Agriscience™

Rahoul Sawani is the Managing Director, South Asia, Corteva Agriscience and will be relocating to Hyderabad, India early next year. In this role, he is responsible for strategic planning, operational excellence, and the financial results for both the Seed and CP business platforms across South Asia.
Rahoul’s career spans more than 20 years in leadership roles in product development, business strategy and sustainability across the specialty materials and automotive industries in India, the US and Singapore.
He joined the agricultural industry, and Corteva, on the merge of DowDuPont and was most recently the Marketing and Strategy Director, Asia Pacific where he led and grew the marketing capability & developed the strategic plan for the Asia Pacific region.
Rahoul has a passion for driving sustainable solutions to enrich the lives of farmers and consumers.
He earned his MBA from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Corporate Finance and Sustainable Enterprise. Rahoul currently lives in Singapore with his wife and 2 daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys reading on subjects across economics & science and is also an avid squash player. 

Natalia Pshenichnaya

Head of AgriTech Programme

GSMA

Natalia Pshenichnaya is the Head of the GSMA AgriTech programme. She is overseeing the portfolio of projects across Africa and Asia as well as investment decisions and implementation support to members and partners. She has been working on mobile solutions for rural segments since 2010.
Prior to working with GSMA Natalia has worked with a mobile operator MegaFon in Russia specialising in VAS development and marketing. She holds an MBA from the University of Oxford and MS in Economics from the University of St. Petersburg, Russia.

Erin Sweeney

Manager, Sustainable Business and Investment

Grow Asia

Erin is Manager, Sustainable Business and Investment at Grow Asia, a multi-stakeholder partnership platform that catalyzes action on inclusive agricultural development in South East Asia. Erin leads the implementation of the action plan for the ASEAN Guidelines on Responsible Agricultural Investments (RAI), as well as Grow Asia’s gender mainstreaming initiatives. Erin is trained as an urban planner specializing in food systems policy, and has worked and lived in the United States, South America, South Asia and the Caribbean. Erin was a Fulbright Scholar based in Singapore where she conducted research on urban food systems and consumer demand for locally-grown food.

Dr. Ian Roberts

Chief Technology Officer

Bühler

Ian Roberts graduated in Chemical Engineering and obtained a PhD in Process Engineering from the University of Wales (Great Britain). From 1997 to 2009, he held various management positions at Nestlé, acting among other positions as internal management consultant, as Director of Innovation for Nestlé Mexico, and as Director of the Chocolate Centre of Excellence in Switzerland. He has been Chief Technology Officer at Bühler since 2011. He is also a board member of the academic institutions Wyss Institute and IFNC-EPFL and president of MassChallenge Switzerland. Ian Roberts was awarded European CTO of the Year 2016 and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chemical Engineers. Ian Roberts was born in 1970 and is British.

Christoph Vogel

Head of Segment Protein & Ingredients

Bühler

Christoph has a background in mechanical engineering combined with an international executive MBA. He has multiple years of experience in the design and planning of chemical, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical processing plants in Europe, USA and China. Upon joining Bühler, Christoph took the lead in the Protein & Ingredient segment. Him and his team are spearheading efforts to transform plant proteins into tasty meat-like products at industrial scale – tackling the critical challenge of feeding 10 billion people by 2050 within our planet boundaries.

Erika Georget

Project Leader Biotechnology

Bühler

Erika started her career at Bühler through the International Management Trainee Program after completing her PhD in Food Science & Technology. After exploring several roles in R&D and Product Management, she joined the Future of Food program team within Bühler’s Corporate Technology department. Erika works there at the interface between business and technology teams to develop the food processing solutions of tomorrow.

Alex Ward

Head of Regional Innovation, APAC Flavours

Givaudan

Alex heads the Regional Innovation function for Givaudan’s Asia Pacific Fla-vours business and is based in Singapore which is the regional headquarters. In this role, he is responsible for managing a broad cross functional team of creation and application, marketing, consumer sensory insights, formula management and training functions, to deliver industry leading innovation to internal and customer stakeholders.
Alex has more than 25 years of experience in a B2B environment. He started his career selling and managing integrated consumer research programs in Europe. In 1999, he moved to Australia and then Singapore with a leading Internet audience measurement and research company, to lead the business for the Asia Pacific region.

In 2001, he joined the Flavour and Fragrance industry working for IFF as the Head of Sensory and Consumer Insights and later in a Regional Sales leader-ship role. He joined Givaudan in 2015, taking on senior regional marketing and sales roles before taking on his current position.
Alex sits on the Academic Advisory board for Food Science and Technology at NUS and lives in Singapore with his family. He has a passion for cooking and keeping fit through competing in ultra-trail marathons. 

Dr. George Krintiras

Research Investigator (Proteins)

Givaudan

Dr. George Krintiras is a Research Investigator (Proteins) at Givaudan based in Naarden, The Netherlands. George joined Givaudan in 2017 to explore the use of plant protein texturization technologies such as High Moisture Extrusion Cooking, the Couette Shear Cell and 3D Printing among others. During his academic years at TU Delft, and in collaboration with Wageningen Uni-versity & Research, he worked on the development of the Couette Shear Cell technology. His work led to the development of the first steak-like meat analogue with its characteristic thickness and texture. Today his research is focused on different plant-based proteins, the texturization in meat substitutes/analogues and the successful use of flavours in these products. He is passionate for food science and technologies and has worked on numerous projects that have led to great flavoured meat analogue products that are today successful in the market.

Michelle Aitkins

Senior Flavourist

Givaudan

Michelle graduated from the University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury. She commenced her career as a flavourist trainee with Quest International based in Sydney. Michelle was selected for their in-house flavourist training programme in Holland. She was then presented with the opportunity to work in the Regional Centre based in Jakarta and subsequently took up the role of Flavourist Manager of the technical team. This was followed by a tenure in Symrise as Senior Flavourist and later Technical Head of the savoury team in Singapore. Michelle accepted the opportunity to join Givaudan in 2017 as a Senior Savoury Flavourist with the Regional Innovation team based in Singapore. In the course of her long standing career within the APAC region, she has established a rewarding and dynamic profile connecting with key customers to work successfully with major brands in the snack and culinary categories. In her current role she strives for excellence by creating opportunities to incorporate Givaudan’s key technologies into formulating innovative recipes that value-add and inspire consumers. Michelle also plays an active role in the training and development of Givaudan’s next generation of young flavourists while passing on her expertise, passion to win and commitment to shaping positive savoury food experiences.

Geraldine GOH

Director, Enterprise Development

Temasek

Geraldine joined Temasek in May 2019 and is currently a Director in Temasek’s Enterprise Development Group.
She is actively involved in Temasek’s efforts to build new platforms and has led several transactions in the Agbiosciences sector. She also sits on the boards of Unfold and Ellemento Farming.
Prior to joining Temasek, Geraldine was the Director of New Ventures at the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). She spent more than 11 years at the EDB in various roles that involved partnering with corporates on new venture creation, account management of strategic investors and developing and executing the strategy to grow the Energy & Chemicals sector in Singapore.
Geraldine is a Glaxo-EDB scholar who graduated with a Master of Science in Economics from Peking University, China and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics, United Kingdom.

Jiayu Zhang

Investment Principal

Continental Grain Company

Jiayu has been with Continental Capital Limited Limited (CCL) since 2012. Prior to joining CCL, Jiayu was an Associate in BNP Paribas’s Structuring team in Singapore. Jiayu was born and raised in China. He received his BS in computational mathematics from Nanjing University, his MS in financial mathematics from Clemson University and his MS in financial engineering from Columbia University. He is fluent in Mandarin and English.

Micahel Dean

Founding Partner

AgFunder

Michael’s been looking closely at all-types of agrifood tech since 2012. He sits on the Board of the SproutX Accelerator; the Advisory Board of the Netherlands based RockStart AgriFood Tech Accelerator; and is a startup mentor at Rocket Seeder Agrifood Tech Accelerator and Hatch Aquaculture Accelerator. Michael has been interviewed on agrifood tech innovation and investment by numerous leading media outlets including Bloomberg, The Economist, The Australian Financial Review, TechIn AsiaAgri Investor and ABC Australia.

Johnny Kahlbetzer

Chief Executive Officer

Twynam Investments Pty Ltd

Johnny is CEO of the family owned Twynam Investments, which was founded in the early 1970’s by his father. He has been a director since 1987 and COO/CEO since 1991.
From 1980-2010, Twynam was one of Australia’s largest agricultural producers of cotton, wheat, rice, wool and beef. Over the last decade the family has largely exited from the agricultural industry and now focuses on a diverse portfolio of listed and unlisted investments which concentrates on Greentech, Agritech and mining and manages an extensive property development portfolio.
Our Greentech investments include Agriprotein (converting organic waste to protein with black soldier flies-one of TIME magazine’s 50 genius companies), VastSolar (modular Concentrated Solar Power Plant development) and Pacific Green Technology (scrubber technology for ships and power plants).
Johnny is a graduate in Agricultural Economics from the University of New England and did his Masters at Thunderbird. 

Ayaka Fujiwara

Climate Investment Specialist

Green Climate Fund

Ayaka is the Climate Investment Specialist of Private Sector Facility of Green Climate Fund (GCF). She brings GCF over 9 years of investment experience with private institutional investors across Asia, Europe and North America. Prior to joining GCF, Ayaka served as an Associate Director of Daiwa Capital Markets Europe, providing investment strategy to institutional investors on various fixed income products. In addition to that, she also worked as a researcher in M&A consulting firm in Myanmar, focusing on the corporate governance of Burmese companies. Ayaka holds an M.Sc. in Finance from London Business School, and Bachelor’s Degrees in Law and Politics from Keio University.

Anthony Chan

Chief Executive Officer

Isola Capital

Anthony is Chief Executive Officer, shareholder and a member of the Board of Isola Capital Group.

Anthony has extensive experience across the Asia Pacific region in corporate finance, private equity and venture capital. Anthony enjoyed a career in investment banking with Credit Suisse, Citigroup and Lehman Brothers Asia before transitioning to private equity and principal investments. He has broad investment expertise across consumer, education, food safety, industrial, and technology sectors.

Anthony attained a Bachelors of Commerce (Finance and Economics) from The University of Sydney and Bachelors of Laws (Honours) from The University of Sydney Law School. He is also a graduate of The College of Law (Sydney) and was admitted to the High Court of Australia and Supreme Court of NSW. Anthony is a graduate from the Financial Engineering Program of Stanford University and attended the Stanford Executive Institute. He is a Responsible Officer for Type 1 (Dealing in Securities), Type 4 (Advising on Securities) and Type 9 (Asset Management) activities licensed by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission. Anthony is fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese, and a keen tennis player, golfer, wine enthusiast and Formula One fan.

Albena Todorova

Director

Ex-Sumitomo Corporation Europe

Albena is an AgriFood tech venture investor interested in bringing innovative technologies to farms globally. Her most recent role was with Sumitomo Corporation Europe where she was managing the AgriFood tech portfolio in EMEA&CIS and lead the investment in 3 startups — Taranis, CropX and Tropic Biosciences.

Chloe Dempsey

Research Fellow

Cellular Agriculture Society

Ms Dempsey is a recent graduate of Peking University’s Yenching Academy, a selective collegiate scholarship at China’s oldest academic institution, where she completed a Master’s in Economics. Her thesis, which examined the Chinese market for cultured meat, was funded by the Cellular Agriculture Society, where she remains a Research Fellow. Chloe is also currently undertaking research on consumer reception of plant-based products in China under a Food System Research Fund grant. Ms Dempsey has work experience in commercial law with Herbert Smith Freehills in both Hong Kong and Australia, as well as in corporate, government and development advisory with China Policy and Abt Associates. Ms Dempsey’s personal interests have led her to volunteer for environmental and social causes in the Solomon Islands, Brazil and elsewhere. Ms Dempsey currently works within the CEO’s office at Minderoo Foundation & Tattarang, where her responsibilities include strategic project work, research advisory and other executive support to the CEO across a range of commercial and philanthropic functions.

Lisa Sweet

Head, Future of Protein

World Economic Forum

With the World Economic Forum since 2011, currently Head, Future of Protein, COVID Response and Food and Health. Formerly, Head, Future of Protein and Head, Business Strategy and Engagement, Centre for Global Public Goods, 2018-2020; Head of Agriculture, Food and Beverage Industries 2014-2018; Global Leadership Fellow. Formerly, United States Olympic Committee, Associate Director, Strategic Planning: responsible for long- and short-term strategic planning, adviser to the Chief Executive Officer and Executive team on strategic initiatives including novel marketing agreements, Olympic bids, and revenue allocation negotiations with the international community. Lehman Brothers, Investment Banking Analyst, Global Mergers & Acquisitions Group; Analyst, Business Planning & Technology Group; Member of Global Advisory Committee. BA in Political Science, Yale University. MBA, Marketing, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Dr. Yukihiro Maru

Founder and CEO

Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.

Dr. Maru is the founder and CEO of Leave a Nest Group. He earned a Doctorate degree at the Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo. He founded Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. in 2002, which became a leading science bridge communication company in Japan. Dr. Maru is the technical advisor for euglena Co., Ltd. which was listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2014. He is also an innovator who has been involved in launching more than 78 startups including Challenergy, Inc. At the same time, he is holding the role as co-founder of Real Tech Fund and science evangelist of Drone Fund. He is an expert in advising young entrepreneurs in business development and venture spirit.

Albert Tseng

Co-founder

Dao Foods International

Albert is co-founder of Dao Foods International which is a cross-border impact venture established to help talented entrepreneurs introduce exciting new plant-based meat and alternative protein products in China. With rapidly rising incomes and increasing meat consumption in China, our aim is to introduce alternative products into the China market to reduce the consumer demand for animal products which has had growing negative climate, environmental, food safety and health impact.
Over his career, Albert has managed a portfolio of impact investments, been COO of a venture backed social enterprise, has consulted to United Nations on social business models, has worked in Africa on HIV health system efficiency, and has worked in business development for a major multinational as a biomedical engineer. Albert has a MPA from Harvard Kennedy School, a MHSc. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto, and a BASc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

Sonalie Figueiras

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Green Queen Media

Serial social entrepreneur Sonalie Figueiras is the founder & editor-in-chief of Green Queen , an award-winning impact media platform advocating for social & environmental change in Hong Kong with a mission to shift consumer behaviour through inspiring & empowering original content. She is also the founder & CEO of Ekowarehouse , the global sourcing platform for certified organic products, with a mission to make safe, quality food accessible & affordable for the whole planet. With over a decade of experience in publishing, digital marketing, organic trade and health & sustainability, she is an eco wellness industry veteran with a keen eye for market trends and a sought-after international speaker and moderator, sharing her expertise on stages across Asia and beyond, including TEDx and Harvard Business School.

Ian Lahiffe

Regional President

Merck Animal Health Intelligence

Ian Lahiffe has been based in Beijing for ten years and is Regional President of Merck Animal Health Intelligence for the Asia Pacific Region. Ian is very active in the agri-food technology space across the region, and has worked on a range of projects, including food traceability systems, technology acceleration and working to develop exchanges between China and international best practice. Ian writes regularly on Chinese agri-technology and market trends, and is in demand as a speaker in China, and internationally. Ian is an Industry Mentor to Bit x Bites, China’s first agri-food accelerator, and a Mentor on China Agricultural University’s Elite Cattleman Programme.

Lahiffe grew up on a dairy farm in Ireland. He studied Music and Modern Irish at Trinity College, where he was Organ Scholar and Conductor of Trinity Orchestra and Trinity Singers. He has been a lay clerk at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, and has held down a number of
professional organist positions in Dublin and London. He completed a master’s degree International Studies and Diplomacy at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, before moving to Beijing to work for the European Union. He also completed a postgraduate diploma in Mandarin studies (on a Chinese government scholarship) at Xi’an Jiaotong University and speaks fluent Mandarin.

Wan Meng Li

China Country Manager

Ceva

Wanmeng LI is the China Country Manager for Ceva since June 1st 2020. 

Wanmeng acquired his master in Veterinary from Agricultural University of Central China in 1988 and obtained EMBA from China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). He has extensively successful experiences in over 30 years across all species. In his last position, Wanmeng was Head of China Commercial Operations, Animal Health of Boehringer Ingelheim from January 2017 to May 2020, leading 4 business Swine, Poultry (including Waterfowl), Pets (including Equine) and Cattle, Health Management Center and Commercial Engagement. He had worked for Merial China for 15 years from January 2001 to December 2016, as Avian Technical and Marketing Director, Avian Business Unit Head and Country Manager, he grew Avian business segment to be #1 in both Merial and Competitors in China for 4 consecutive years (2008-2012) and led Merial China the consolidated sales revenue from EUR 44M (2011) to EUR 100M (2016) driven by Key Account Management (KAM) and accelerated the diversification of pet segment. From 1995 to 2000, he worked as China Technical Manager at Intervet.

Echo Bao

Global Manager, Market Insights, Animal Nutrition & Health

DSM

As global market insights manager, Echo Bao’s current responsibility includes developing actionable insights and identifying new opportunities based on thorough value chain analysis across the globe. She has laid a solid foundation on deep diving into China’s ASF impacts and recently coronavirus impacts. She also contributed her expertise and knowledge to the recent launch of sustainability initiatives to drive for a sustainable animal farming future.

Before transferring to DSM Animal Nutrition & Health in 2019, she was leading the DSM China sustainability program. Working closely with different business groups/units, Echo strived to embed sustainability into the business agenda. Externally she engaged with external stakeholders to advocate DSM’s purpose and innovative solutions.

Before joining DSM, Echo has worked for BLB, Novozymes, and Consultancy in various roles of strategic marketing, business development, strategic account management for over 10 years.

Echo holds a Master Philosophy degree in Marketing from Hong Kong Baptist University.

Sonalie Figueiras

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Green Queen Media

Serial social entrepreneur Sonalie Figueiras is the founder & editor-in-chief of Green Queen , an award-winning impact media platform advocating for social & environmental change in Hong Kong with a mission to shift consumer behaviour through inspiring & empowering original content. She is also the founder & CEO of Ekowarehouse , the global sourcing platform for certified organic products, with a mission to make safe, quality food accessible & affordable for the whole planet. With over a decade of experience in publishing, digital marketing, organic trade and health & sustainability, she is an eco wellness industry veteran with a keen eye for market trends and a sought-after international speaker and moderator, sharing her expertise on stages across Asia and beyond, including TEDx and Harvard Business School.

Dr. Viroj Sumyai

President

Thai Cannabis Corporation

Dr.Viroj Sumyai was the President of International Narcotics Control Board(INCB) in 2017 and 2018. INCB was established in accordance with the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 as the monitoring body of United Nations international drug control conventions. He received a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Chemistry and Pharmacy in 1979. He then earned a scholarship to study at Saint George College, University of London and received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Health Policy and Administration.
Prior to joining the International Narcotics Control Board, Dr.Sumyai was the Assistance Secretary-General of Food and Drug Administration of Thailand.

Apple Zeng

Founder

CBDG – Sangma Technology Holdings (Asia) Limited

Apple is the Founder of “”CBDG”” -SANGMA TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS (ASIA) LIMITED and Chairman of “”Godiven”” (The Brand means: THE GIFT FROM THE GOD). She has solid operation experience in enterprise internationalization operation, multinational company research, international investment and financing and other enterprise internationalization innovation. Leading the “”2019 the first Asian Hemp summit”” and “” 2020 The first Asia Hemp Investment summit & CBD Products exhibition”” in Hong Kong. She has also been hands with Shunhao Co., Ltd., Chinese hemp listed company , to invest and incubate HEMPTIMES.AISA platform, The Asia’s first think tank platform for general anesthesia that provide data and related policy information on hemp. In 2019, obtained the industrial hemp cultivation license of Yunnan Province, China, as well as hemp extraction license. In the same year, Founded A Chinese brand “”Godiven”” of cannabinoid skin care products, and successfully obtained the approval of ( China Food and Drug Administration) . Godiven cannabinoid skin care products can be legally produced and processed in China and sold legally on major e-commerce platforms and Shopping Mall. In the first half of 2019, two hemp investment projects were successfully cashed out at a premium of twice in four months in China. 

Brian Sheng

Chief Executive Officer

Asia Horizon

Brian Sheng is the Founder and CEO of Asia Horizon, a private equity investment and operating company focused on the emerging legal hemp and cannabis industry in Asia. Prior to founding Asia Horizon, Brian was a General Partner at The Arcview Group, the largest cannabis focused investment group in the US. At Arcview, Brian served as the Chief Investment Officer and led the firm’s global investment and hemp strategies. Before joining the hemp industry, Brian was an early stage technology venture capital investor. Brian was the founder of Fresh VC, where he focused on frontier technology categories such as water, new healthcare, and government data. Brian led early investments in companies such as include Eaze, FND Technology, Anderson Leonard Pharmaceuticals, FiscalNote, and Clever Leaves (f.k.a Northern Swan). Brian graduated from Princeton University.

Jahan Peston Jamas

Co-Founder and Director – Strategy & Collaborations

Bombay Hemp Company Pvt Ltd

Jahan undertakes the company’s strategic engagements with domestic and international stakeholders. He engages with policy makers, academicians, scientific experts, and hemp entrepreneurs from India & around the world to build and strengthen our network, and to evaluate the previously unexplored regulatory developments & innovative commercial applications of hemp/Cannabis – Such as the Formulation of some of India’s first ever CBD & THC based Ayurvedic medicines, Finalization of some of India’s first ever clinical studies associated with Cannabis for therapeutic purposes, Assistance to 8 state Governments in India for policy formulation & implementation, Creation of India’s first Cannabis Policy Think tank in partnership with CNPS(Centre for Narcotics & Psychotropic substances)

Jahan also works with BOHECO’s scientific teams to lead Doctor & Academic institute outreach & awareness programs, with a view to create a larger community of ayurvedic & allopathic medical practitioners who are aware & open to the therapeutic benefits of Hemp/Cannabis.

Ethy Levy

Passionate Founder

The Bridge Hub

Ethy is the co-Founder and Israel CEO of the Bridge Hub. A global Agrifood tech innovation hub launched recently. The Bridge Hub is based in Australia and Israel and its aim is to support the whole agrifood tech eco-system – from the researcher and entrepreneur, through the growers, farmers and food producers all the way to large corporates wanting to launch a new product. The Bridge Hub provides the necessary assistance by bringing Agrifood tech initiatives to global scale and guiding innovators through the global AgriFood eco-system. The Bridge Hub provides a way to validate and test technologies in real conditions with the best partners and help farmers and growers overcome their challenges and increase productivity and efficiency through the use of technology. Ethy has held senior roles in the Israeli Government focusing on International Trade, Innovation and Investments. She was posted in Hungary, Thailand and Australia as the Israeli Trade Commissioner where she created economical links and bridges between the countries. Through her carrier with the Israeli government, Ethy has helped hundreds of start ups validate their technology, scale up and raise capital. She has initiated several projects and programs that have had a global impact on remote communities. Following her passion for technology and its impact on society, Ethy has initiated AMSA – the Advanced Manufacturing Strategic Alliance – through which she is promoting a very practical but comprehensive plan to upgrade the manufacturing sector with a strong focus on SME’s and inclusion. She advises government on the best ways to implement advanced manufacturing solutions across all sectors of the industry, especially agriculture. Ethy has served on the board of Rafael, the leading Israeli defense company and has served as the Economic Advisor at the Office of the President of Israel.

Sydney Jin

Investment Analyst

ID Capital

Sydney is a recent graduate with experience across private equity, marketing, and law. Through exploration of these vastly different sectors, including marketing experience at a fashion retail brand and legal work in criminal and civil law, she began to search for a more holistic solution to enhance the quality of life for the wider public. Her brief encounter with agritech investments in private equity led her decision to delve further into innovations in the food and agriculture sector.

Sydney holds a Master’s degree in Marketing from London School of Economics, and an Undergraduate degree in Law from King’s College London.