About Future Food Asia 2024

Future Food Asia (FFA) is back for the 8th edition in Singapore on 15-16 May with more in-person debates and insights to address The Great Reshuffle we are seeing in the agrifood industry in terms of innovation and investment priorities.

Whilst transitioning towards low-carbon agrifood systems, certain crucial aspects of food, such as nutrition have been sidelined as carbon emission reduction has been the rallying cry of most stakeholders. The Great Reshuffle is also an opportunity for the sector to reflect on the last decade. This year the Future Food Asia conference will focus on raising awareness around the significance of nutrition and inclusion.

Call for Applications for FFA 2024

Asia-Pacific based pre-Series A start ups are encouraged to apply for the FFA Award. At the FFA2024 in-person conference in Singapore, 10 finalists from APAC selected after an extensive assessment process by the FFA jury will showcase their innovations and compete for the US$100,000 grand prize.

In this form there is also the option and opportunity to apply for the Cargill ‘Nutrition For Tomorrow’ Award, a specific Award track that will provide the winner access to in-house Cargill expertise and capabilities to support the realisation and scalability of a solution or idea, including delivery via a funded pilot trial.

Thank you for your interest, applications for the competition this year is now closed.

 

 

Future Food Asia 2024 Start-up Finalist Cohort

Future Food Asia 2024 Jury Panel 

Jing Yu

Jing Yu

Jing Yu has been the Commercial Director of Specialized Nutrition in APAC since June 2023. In this role she will be part of the Innovation and Growth team and lead the commercial organization spanning APAC for Specialized Nutrition and Supplements.

Jing took the role of Enrichment and Renewability Segment Director in CSST Greater China & Asia in May 2020. With this role, she led the development of strategic capability to capture growth opportunities in these two new segments esp. in Health & Nutrition and co-location development. She also led the Sustainability development in Greater China.

Jing studied Macromolecular Science in Fudan University for 7 years and gained both Bachelor and Master degree on it. After that she went to study in Cambridge University for 3 years on Nanotechnology as well as Industry Systems and Manufacturing Management and gained another M. Phil degree. Prior to Cargill, Jing was a strategy and management consultant in Booz & Co.

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Jing Yu

Commerical Director APAC, Specialized Nutrition, Cargill Food Solutions
Cargill 

 

Poh Li Goh

Poh Li Goh

Poh Li Goh is the Global Category Marketing Manager of Specialized Nutrition. She oversees strategic Category Marketing initiatives to position Cargill as a relevant business and innovation partner, building strong brand and value proposition with relevant portfolio. Poh Li joined Cargill in 2017, in a Strategy Marketing Lead role, followed by being part of Strategic Growth team and Digital PMO Lead for APAC for the oils and fats business. Prior to Cargill, she held various Nutrition, Sales and Marketing roles at Totalife, Abbott Laboratories and InQpharm. Poh Li has a Bachelor in Food Science & Nutrition, Major in Marketing Management (Honours) from the University Putra Malaysia and is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Poh Li Goh

Global Category Marketing Manager, Specialized Nutrition
Cargill 
Anup Jagwani

Anup Jagwani

Anup Jagwani is the Senior Global Sector Manager for Agribusiness and Forestry at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), at The World Bank.

In this role Anup leads the framing and implementation of the Agribusiness & Forestry sector strategy, including creating markets through new initiatives and products for Investment and Advisory projects.
Before this role, Anup was leading several areas of IFC’s climate business including Paris Alignment; sustainable finance; carbon pricing and carbon credits; climate risk, adaptation and resilience; biodiversity finance and nature-based solutions; stakeholder engagement & disclosure including TCFD and, climate related technical assistance and training programs.

Anup has spent over 20 years in IFC’s investment operations, with significant focus on agribusiness and agtech investments and his educational background is in economics and management.

Anup Jagwani

Global Head, Agribusiness
IFC (International Finance Corporation)

 

Marta Bogdanic

Marta Bogdanic

Marta Bogdanic is the Senior Operations Officer in the Manufacturing, Agribusiness, and Services Upstream Advisory unit at IFC, based in HCMC, Vietnam. Holding a Mr. Sc. degree in international and development economics from Zagreb University, she pursued pre-doctoral studies as a Fulbright Fellow at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, focusing on the nexus between economic development and public policy making.

With a rich background in project development and implementation, Marta specializes in crafting interventions to bolster client supply chains' resilience and sustainability while mitigating climate impact, enhancing product quality, small farmers' livelihoods, and fostering gender inclusivity within value chains. In this work, ag tech solutions are implemented with small farmers to leapfrog traditional technologies and redefine how food is produced, processed, and marketed, for the benefit of IFC clients and sustainability of approaches employed.

Zaklina Marta Bogdanic

Senior Operations Officer
IFC (International Finance Corporation)
Isabelle Decitre

Isabelle Decitre

Isabelle Decitre

Founder
ID Capital

 

Dr. Colin Lim

Dr. Colin Lim

Colin Lim is the Acting Director of the Food & Nutrition Cluster at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), where he and his team oversees the research strategy and programmes for food & nutrition at A*STAR to catalyse food innovation to deliver economic, social, health, and food resilience impact for Singapore. Prior to his current appointment, Colin was the Deputy Director of the Future Ready Food Safety Hub (FRESH), a national initiative by the A*STAR, Singapore Food Agency, and Nanyang Technological University, to build food safety research capabilities to support Singapore's food innovation ecosystem. As a passionate advocate of food innovation and public-private partnerships, Colin is committed to creating a conducive science and regulatory environment that catalyses food innovation. With over 15 years of experience in shaping R&D policy and programmes, Colin has also played an active role in the founding of two key national initiatives in Singapore: FoodInnovate and the Singapore Food Story R&D programme.   

 

Colin Lim

Acting Director, Food & Nutrition Cluster
A*STAR

Future Food Asia 2024 Speakers & Contributors

Subramani Ramachandrappa

Subramani Ramachandrappa

I am Subramani (suBBu) Ramachandrappa, a Biotech entrepreneur and investor with over twenty-five years of experience in the biotech sector in the areas of product development, fund raising, organisation building and commercialisation.

I am the founder of Fermbox Bio www.fermbox.bio, which leverages precision fermentation and synthetic biology to provide sustainable alternatives to traditional
products and processes. Fermbox Bio goal is to help businesses transition from using raw materials derived from forests, animals and harsh petrochemical processes to alternates produced using fermentation technologies.

Before Fermbox Bio, I founded Laurus Bio www.laurus.bio (originally Richcore Lifesciences), where I played a pivotal role in producing animal-origin-free recombinant proteins and enzymes, alongside offering CDMO services to the biopharma and novel food industries.
I am a passionate traveller and I speak about Entrepreneurship, Synthetic biology, scale up, Fund raising, Partnerships, Commercialisation and more.

Subramani Ramachandrappa

Founder
Fermbox Bio Pvt Ltd

Deepa Hingorani

Deepa Hingorani

Deepa Hingorani is a Partner in Bio-industrial Investments at Novo Holdings Equity Pte Ltd.

She is previously from IFU, the Danish Investment Fund where she was a SVP heading the fund’s Asia activities. Her investment experience spans across multiple sectors, including Climate (renewable energy, waste management, water recycling), Agri business and infrastructure, Financial Services, Manufacturing and Healthcare.

Deepa holds a Masters in Finance from University of Delhi and an Executive MBA from Scandinavian International Management Institute (now under CBS) Copenhagen.

Deepa Hingorani

Partner
Novo Holdings

Amit Kunal

Amit Kunal

Amit is the Managing Partner at Growtheum Capital Partners. Previously, Amit was the Managing Director and Head of Direct Investment Group, Southeast Asia, at GIC where he led private equity investments in Southeast Asia. Amit was also an Investment Committee Member at GIC’s Private Equity group and co-led the ASEAN Business Group. Prior to GIC, he was in the Investment Banking Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Singapore and in New York.

 

Amit Kunal

Managing Partner
Growtheum Capital Partners

Arijit Guha Mazumder

Arijit Guha Mazumder

Arijit Guha Mazumder, based in Singapore, is a seasoned professional with over 28 years of experience in Consumer-Packaged Goods, Consumer Healthcare, and Pharmaceutical R&D. Holding a Bachelor's degree in Bio-Chemical Engineering from Jadavpur University, India, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Design Thinking and Innovation from Emeritus Institute of Management, he excels at driving innovation and transformational growth strategies.
Arijit specializes in Future Back Growth strategy, innovation strategy implementation, and technology development platforms. His expertise includes consumer-centric innovation processes, design thinking, and building collaborative environments. He has a strong technical acumen and keeps abreast of emerging technologies.
Currently serving as the Category Senior Director of R&D & Global Category Digital Lead at Mondelez International, Arijit leads impactful consumer-centric innovation strategies influencing iconic brands and spearheads R&D digital programs. Previously, he held leadership positions at GlaxoSmithKline and Tata Global Beverages, where he led successful innovation initiatives and drove growth.
Arijit’s contributions extend beyond his professional endeavors, as evidenced by his volunteer experiences with various associations and boards. He is passionate about driving positive change and combines his expertise with a commitment to community service and industry leadership.

Arijit Guha Mazumder

Senior Director R&D
Mondelez

Dr. Florian Viton

Dr. Florian Viton

Dr Florian Viton is Senior Vice President and Global Head of Strategic Innovation at CJ Cheiljedang (CJCJ), based in Seoul since 2021. Florian leads the strategy and design, incubation, and commercial growth of new categories and ventures in strategic growth areas for the leading South Korean food company.
Prior to CJCJ, Dr Viton had a 15 years international career with Nestle. Florian held scientific and managerial positions of increasing responsibility for Nestle Research in Switzerland, focusing on multi-disciplinary research programs exploring Food/Consumers interactions. In 2016 Florian moved to Singapore as Head of Science & Technology, leading S&T programs and accelerating Nestle’s innovation agenda, especially in Asia.
Dr Viton holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Geneva, and completed post-doctorate fellowships in the USA and UK before starting his professional career in a Belgium startup. He holds more than 30 patents and publications.

Dr. Florian Viton

SVP, Global Head of Strategic Innovation
CJ Cheiljedang

Sang Hoon Shin

Sang Hoon Shin


Sang Hoon Shin

CEO
Greenlabs Co. Ltd.

Sanjeesh Bera

Sanjeesh Bera

Sanjeesh is a Metallurgical Engineering graduate (Gold medallist) from National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela & MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad. He has also completed International Director's Program (IDP) from INSEAD, France. Currently, he is responsible for business building in the ASEAN markets for Mahindra & Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector.
Sanjeesh has extensively worked with John Deere in multiple roles like, Head of Channel Partner development for Asia & Sub-Saharan Africa, Sales Head for East & Southeast Asia, Country GM for Thailand, Head of Strategy & Planning for Asia & Sub-Saharan Africa etc. working out of India, Singapore, and Thailand. Sanjeesh was also on Board of Directors of John Deere Leasing (Thailand) Ltd.
Earlier, Sanjeesh was part of the TAS (Tata Administrative Services) cadre working with various Tata group companies viz. Tata AutoComp Systems, Tata Steel, Indian Hotels Co. Ltd., and Titan Co. Ltd.
Right before joining Mahindra group, Sanjeesh was working as the Managing Director of Elixir Advisory Pte. Ltd., a startup growth advisory company, based out of Singapore.
Sanjeesh is an active member of Singapore Institute of Directors (SID) and a SID accredited senior director.
Hobbies: Sanjeesh enjoys writing about organizational and leadership topics and playing table tennis. He currently works out of Bangkok, Thailand.

Sanjeesh Bera

Head ASEAN Operations
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd

Dr. Parmesh Shah

Dr. Parmesh Shah

Parmesh Shah is the Global Lead for Data, Digital Agriculture, and Innovation at the Agriculture and Food Global Practice of the World Bank. He currently provides leadership to Bank’s work in these areas and supports the development of global knowledge and learning in these areas to offer solutions to clients and other development partners. His current areas of interest are making markets and public services work for the poor, social entrepreneurship, digital and data-based innovations in agriculture and rural development, climate smart agriculture, Agriculture and technology enabled start-ups, venture and patient capital for innovation, promotion of on-farm, off-farm and digital jobs and public-private and people partnerships for rural poverty reduction. He is currently managing a global program on scaling up data driven digital agriculture involving data platforms and establishing ecosystems for innovation, entrepreneurship, and incubation across 38 countries in all regions across the world. He holds a D Phil in Development Studies from Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and B Tech degree in Agricultural Engineering from Pant Nagar in India

Dr. Parmesh Shah

Global Lead, Data. Digital Agriculture and Innovation
The World Bank

Viola Chen

Viola Chen

Viola Chen is the Innovation Lead at GFIC, where she works on industry analysis, partnership development, and innovation initiatives that support startups, investors, and corporations in the alternative protein sector. Building on her expertise in alternative proteins, honed since the early stages of the food tech space in the APAC region, Viola became a business consultant and a subject matter expert. She is a frequent public speaker, an author of two comprehensive industry reports, and her insights have been featured in media outlets like Bloomberg and South China Morning Post. Currently, Viola is spearheading a new project that explores China’s prowess in biomanufacturing applied to novel foods, with a particular focus on alternative proteins.

Viola Chen

Innovation Lead
GFIC

Samet Yildirim

Samet Yildirim

Samet Yildirim is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Orbillion Bio, overseeing process development, biomanufacturing, scale-up, business development, and regulatory affairs. Previously, at Boehringer Ingelheim, he served as Head of Global Technology & Innovation Management, leading innovation strategy and managing over 100 projects worldwide in large-scale mammalian cell culture. He drove technology development and commercialization for next-generation manufacturing, disposable platforms, and digitalization. Before joining Boehringer Ingelheim, Samet gained extensive experience in various life science companies, specializing in research, product innovation, and business development. He holds a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Biophysics from Ankara University, along with a Master of Business and Science (MBS) degree in bioprocessing from the Keck Graduate Institute of California.

Samet Yildirim

Founder & COO
Orbillion Bio

Uy Pham

Uy Pham

Uy Pham is currently a Project Manager at IFC. He is leading several sustainable agri-food programs including food fortification and nutrition, food safety and food loss/waste reduction/prevention, sustainable forestry in Viet Nam and globally. Uy graduated from the University of Natural Sciences, Viet Nam National University-Hanoi; earned a Master's degree from Hiroshima University, Japan and a PhD from Michigan State University, USA. Dr. Uy has more than 20 years of working for both private and public sector and consulting in various fields of quality management (eg: ISO9001, TQM, Kaizen, Lean 6Sigma), environment (eg: ISO14001, EIA, SEA, HSE), decarbonization, climate change, sustainability, food safety (e.g. GMP, HACCP, ISO/FSSC22000, BRCGS), sustainable agriculture (e.g. GLOBALG.A.P. , SAI, Rainforest Alliance), Ag-tech (e.g., GIS, remote sensing, drone), forestry (e.g. FSC, NFSC/PEFS), MRV and greenhouse gas inventory (e.g. ISO14064, PAS 2050), sustainable aquaculture (e.g. ACS, BAP), nutrition (e.g., food fortification) amongst others.

Uy Pham

Agri-Food Project & Business Development Lead
IFC

Ling Min Hoon

Ling Min Hoon

Ling Min is a Director in the Investment Group at GenZero, leading the company’s investments in nature-based solutions and carbon ecosystem enablers. She was previously a Director in Temasek International’s Sustainability Group, accumulating more than 10 years of experience investing in global companies across diverse industry sectors, including transportation, logistics, industrials and real estate. She also led early-stage supply chain technology investments at Reefknot Investments, a joint venture fund between Temasek and Kuehne+Nagel.Ling Min is currently a Board member of CQuest Capital Asia Stoves, CHOOOSE and Rize. She is also a Board observer of Aurora Sustainable Lands and Perennial.
She graduated from the Singapore Management University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Business Management, and was the Valedictorian for School of Economics.

Ling Min Hoon

Investment Director
GenZero

Tara Shyam

Tara Shyam

Tara Shyam leads Regen10, an international, multistakeholder initiative committed to advancing a global food system that inclusively supports healthier people, nature, and climate. The Regen10 Secretariat is hosted by the Meridian Institute.

Tara Shyam is a specialist in multistakeholder food systems partnerships, with diverse expertise spanning the value chain from agriculture, nutrition and school meals to food loss & waste. Tara is adept at shared-value stakeholder engagement across government, business, multilateral agencies, civil society, and academia, ranging from high-level leadership to on-the-ground operations. She has worked with the UN World Food Programme, the International Rice Research Institute, the International Food Policy Research Institute, the Global Nutrition Report, The Global FoodBanking Network, Johns Hopkins University and UNICEF, among others.

Tara Shyam

Executive Director
Regen10

 

Prof. David Cameron-Smith

Prof. David Cameron-Smith

Professor Cameron-Smith is the head of the Nutrition Department of the Singapore Institute for Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), a role he commenced in December 2023. Previously he held the position of Professor of Food Innovation (University of Newcastle, Australia) and Professor of Nutrition (University of Auckland, New Zealand). His passion and professional career are steeped in the complexities of human nutrition (aka food) and health (aka biological responsiveness), leading over 20 clinical trials covering many health angles from healthy weight maintenance to diabetes prevention. Spanning over 30 years of research, he has published 300+ scientific paper and 18K+ citations. He leads a talent multidisciplinary team focused on developing new insights into the nutritional needs of Asian populations.

David Cameron-Smith

Head of Department (Nutrition)
Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation

Paul Santos

Paul Santos

B. Paul Santos is Managing Partner of Singapore-headquartered Wavemaker Partners. The firm is Southeast Asia’s go-to VC firm investing in early-stage enterprise, deep tech, and sustainability startups. Since 2012, it has backed 190+ companies across the region, with total capital commitments exceeding US$300 million and exits generating over US$1.8 billion in enterprise value. Notable portfolio companies include ecoSPIRITS, eFishery, Growsari, Lhoopa, Silent Eight, and Vigo. Paul is also one of the founding partners of Wavemaker Impact, a Southeast Asian venture builder partnered with Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), that aims to co-found climate tech startups. He also chairs the investment committee for Asian Development Bank (ADB) Ventures. Prior to starting Wavemaker Partners, Paul was an entrepreneur who co-founded six companies and sold three. He started his career as a product manager at Procter & Gamble. He graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a B.S. in Management Engineering and a Joint Minor in International Management with the University of Antwerp.

Paul Santos

Managing Partner
Wavemaker Partners

Siddharth Satpute

Siddharth Satpute

Siddharth Satpute is the Head of Industry Digital
Solutions at Mindsprint. Under his leadership, MINDSPRINT has built and scaled digital solutions across the food and agri value chain. From digital solutions which help make food supply chains
more traceable and sustainable, to customer engagement solutions which enable businesses to reach and service their customers more efficiently, to solutions for smart farms and smart factories, Siddharth and his team have delivered successful digital transformation programs for a $40 billion agri-commodity and food ingredients group.
Siddharth has been with Olam since 2013. Starting as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for India and South Asia region, he went on to become the CFO for the Asia region. In 2017, he moved to Digital as the Program Director before taking over as the Head of the Digital function in 2020. With over 25 years of experience across regional and global functional and business leadership roles, Siddharth brings a global perspective having lived and worked in India, Singapore, and The Netherlands. Siddharth is a Chartered Accountant from India and holds a Bachelor of Commerce
degree from the University of Pune, India.

Siddharth Satpute

Head of Industrial Digital Solutions
Mindsprint (an Olam group company)

Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted

Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted

Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted is the Director for Nutrition, Health and Food Security Impact Area Platform, CGIAR. She was awarded the 2021 World Food Prize for her ground-breaking research and landmark innovations in developing holistic, nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquatic food systems. She was awarded the 2021 Arrell Global Food Innovation Award for research innovation. She is the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) of the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub. She was Vice Chair of the UN Food Systems Summit 2021: Action Track 4 - Advance Equitable Livelihoods. In 2022, Shakuntala was appointed co-chair of the EAT-Lancet 2.0 Commission. Shakuntala holds a PhD from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Denmark. She holds Honorary Doctorates from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and The University of the West Indies.

Dr. Shakuntala Thilsted

Director, Nutrition Impact Platform
CGIAR

Dr. Béatrice Conde-Petit

Dr. Béatrice Conde-Petit

Béatrice Conde-Petit holds the position of Sustainability Officer. She is responsible for Bühler’s Sustainability Agenda and drives strategic innovation projects at the interface between science, technology and business leveraging partnerships for impact. In her previous role at Bühler she has been responsible for the Future of Food program with focus on sustainable food supply and for driving the Food Safety agenda. Béatrice Conde-Petit holds a Diploma and PhD in Food Science & Technology from ETH Zurich. Before joining Bühler in 2008, Béatrice worked at ETH Zurich for 20 years as researcher, lecturer and consultant to the international food industry. In 2023 Beatrice has received the European EPNOE technology award for leveraging science & technology for innovations for foods and sustainability.

 

Dr. Béatrice Conde-Petit

Sustainability Officer
Bühler

Dr. Ralph Graichen

Dr. Ralph Graichen

Dr Ralph Graichen is currently Operating Partner with the Agri-Food Team at Temasek International. Here he provides deep tech diligence and strategic advice for portfolio companies. He has over 16 years of experience in the local and global biomedical and nutrition industry.
Before joining Temasek, Ralph was Senior Director at the Biomedical Research Council at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore where he was leading his team to develop A*STAR’s strategy in food & nutrition, consumer care as well as human potential. He had a co-appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor with Nanyang Technological University, School of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering.
Ralph graduated with a Master in Biology from the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany and attained his PhD from the National University Singapore. He attended the Food System Leadership Institute, a 2 year program of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Dr. Ralph Graichen

Operating Partner
Temasek

Prof. Paul Wood AO

Prof. Paul Wood AO

Professor Wood AO led R&D teams from CSIRO, CSL and Pfizer (now Zoetis) and was Deputy-Director of the Vaccine Technology CRC.  He brought several innovations to market, receiving recognition for inventing a new diagnostic test for Tuberculosis, including the CSIRO Medal, the Clunies Ross award and the Order of Australia.  Paul was Chair of GALVmed and on the Board of Dairy Australia. He is on the Australian Academy Technology, Science and Engineering board and an Adjunct Professor at Monash University. In 2019 he received the International Distinguished Veterinary Immunologist Award and 2022 the Eureka Prize for Outstanding Mentor of Young Researchers.

He is a mentor for various AgTech accelerators such as Sprout X and Rocket Seeder as well as the CSIRO Protein Mission. Paul is the Chair of an Insect farming start-up Viridian Renewable Technology and on the scientific advisor group for the Global Methane Hub.

He is a frequent commentator on the role of cell-based and precision fermentation technologies in food security.

 

Prof. Paul Wood AO

Adjunct Professor
Monash University

Dr. Tsz Ning Mak

Dr. Tsz Ning Mak

Dr. Tsz-Ning Mak leads the Nestle Research Singapore Hub which focuses on translating scientific evidence into food and nutritional solutions relevant for consumers in South-East Asia. She is a nutritional epidemiologist by training and is interested in how diets and nutritional interventions can improve and optimise functions and wellbeing across the lifecourse. She has extensive research experience in food industry, EU policy, and academia.

Dr. Tsz Ning Mak

Nestle Research Singapore Hub Manager
Nestle Research

Eun-Ju Sohn

Eun-Ju Sohn

Eun-Ju Sohn, Ph.D., is the co-founder and CEO of BioApplications Inc.( BioApp in short), where she has led groundbreaking initiatives since its establishment. BioApp is focusing on development of plant-based recombinant protein manufacturing platform technology. Based on our proprietary technology, BioApp operates two business arms, one for subunit vaccines in animal health, the other for protein raw materials in bio-industry mainly for cultivated meat companies. BioApp is the world-first company who received the approval of plant-based vaccines (classical swine fever DIVA vaccine and porcine circo virus 2 green vaccine) and launched on the market. BioApp is producing recombinant bovine vitronectin and laminin ECM proteins from plant for cultivated meat development and is under the scaleup. Additionally, Eun-Ju serves as a committee member for several government ministries, further demonstrating her commitment to advancing scientific research and innovation.

Dr. Eun-Ju Sohn

CEO
BioApplications Inc.

Ken Fujiwara

Ken Fujiwara

Ken Fujiwara is co-founder and CEO of UMITRON. He started his career as an R&D Engineer at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). After that he worked at Mitsui & Co., Ltd. where he was engaged in business investment and development as a manager in microsatellite and agricultural IT businesses.

Ken Fujiwara

Co-Founder and CEO
UMITRON

Anna Tao

Anna Tao

Max Sim, research partnership senior manager at CSIRO, Australia National Science Agency. Main portfolio is science diplomacy and part of Green Economy team at the Australia High Commission in Singapore Previously managed the green tech accelerator program for Canadian Foreign Affairs Office. Worked in National University of Singapore Enterprise as Program Lead in Singapore largest startup accelerator BLOCK71. General Manager of NUS Enterprise Shanghai office and managed bilateral innovation programs such as China-Singapore (Chongqing) Connectivity Initiative and Guangzhou Knowledge City in Greater Bay Area. Senior Manager with the SME Centre, Enterprise Singapore by the Ministry of Trade & Industry managing government grants, projects enhancing local green tech business capability and overseas expansion plans. Won four Ministry Awards in Singapore civil service.

Max Sim

Research Partnership Senior Manager
CSIRO

Othman Ben Abbes

Othman Ben Abbes

Othman Ben Abbes is a founder and entrepreneur in AgTech / Aquaculture Tech, with a background and experience combining engineering , biotechnology and business management.
He worked for several years as head of North China in a French engineering consulting firm, developing and managing projects in mobility, robotics and AI, with world leading companies in their fields, such as Volkswagen, ABB and Lenovo.
He then moved to co-found Aqua Development , a leading aquaculture tech start-up that combines latest advances across different tech and biotech to develop high performance aquaculture systems that mimic natural ecosystems.
Othman Ben Abbes and his team developed and successfully implemented on a commercial level a shrimp farming system that achieves high productivity , environmental sustainability and economic viability, and are currently expanding their start-up operations across Europe , Middle East, Korea, Japan, China and North Africa.
Othman Ben Abbes has 3 masters degrees, two in Engineering from leading institutions in France (ISAE SupAero) and China (NUAA ), and one in International Business from Hult IBS

Othman Ben Abbes

Co-Founder
Aqua Development

Siraj Chaudhry

Siraj Chaudhry

In Business for 36 years of which 21 years in leadership roles building, turning around, acquiring, divesting businesses in Agriculture and Food space. Exceptional people leadership traits with ability to recognize and groom talent. Strong internal and external stakeholder management with ability to navigate operating landscape in India and abroad. An industry expert, thought leader, innovator and a leading voice in the agriculture and food industry. He has worked extensively with industry, the social sector, and the Government on transformational and numerous nation-building projects.
Siraj is presently Country Chairman, SATS India and Partner AgVaya LLP. In the past, he served as the chair of National Commodity Management Ltd., (NCML). He was successful in leading the organization through transformation journey, greater diversification and expansion of company footprint across the country as a trusted and preferred Agri Supply chain and solutions partner.

Siraj Chaudhry

Country Chairman
SATS INDIA

Dr. Anneline Padayachee

Dr. Anneline Padayachee

Dr. Anneline Padayachee is deeply committed to enhancing the nutritional quality of food and promoting widespread understanding of nutrition. Beyond weight loss and disease treatment, she views nutrition as fundamental to cellular health, growth, aging, disease prevention, and overall functioning. With a PhD in nutritional food science and extensive experience in industry, research, and academia, Anneline currently provides independent scientific advice to a range of different clients and industry bodies. She is recognized nationally for her expertise and contributions to the field, holds positions in various professional organizations and has received awards for her work including being named Australia’s number one science communicator and one of the nations’ Top-50 cutting edge female scientists for her ability to translate science for industry and community. However, it is Anneline’s own personal journey dealing with health challenges that has strengthened her belief in the power of nutrition, and the invaluable role farmers play in providing good food that is rich in nutrients. As a prominent speaker, writer, and consultant in the food sector, Anneline is a strong advocate for the role of food production and nutrition science in improving public health. Contact her through her website, www.dranneline.com.

Dr. Anneline Padayachee

Subject Matter Expert (Food and Nutrition Sciences)
The Food and Nutrition Doctor

Blake Wills

Blake Wills

Blake is a leader in the health & biotechnology sectors. He was the Founding CEO of Microba Life Sciences Ltd, an Australian biotechnology company which listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2022 with a market capitalisation over $100m.

In partnership with globally recognised scientists, Blake spun Microba out of the University of Queensland in 2017. Today Microba is a recognised leader in gut health technology and distributes products in the United States, Europe, Middle East, and Australia. In addition to distribution, it has built strategic partnerships with leading pharmaceutical, pathology and genomics companies.

Prior to 2017 Blake worked in an ASX listed company and funds management. Mr Wills holds three financial degrees including a Master of Business and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Blake is currently running his private advisory business, JA Capital, which has a portfolio of six companies which span across fields including microbiome, oncology, fertility, and sports technology.

Blake Wills

Founder
JA Capital

Bhagyesh Dash

Bhagyesh Dash

Bhagyesh Dash, 55 years old, Singaporean citizen & holder of U.A.E golden visa residency, has over 30 years’ experience in the fields of business development & corporate finance (M&A and capital raisings) in the climate impact, renewables, agriculture, forestry, mining, energy, and consumer sectors.

Bhagyesh has recently focused on fund raising, deal execution & partnerships for climate change and impact projects across the globe and built up an extensive network of investors in this space. This includes SWFs, DFIs, pension funds and global financial institutions focused on ESG and climate impact investing. Also recently given responsibility to generate business in the Middle East and South East Asia.

During his time in Asia, Bhagyesh has succeeded in developing a strong network that encompasses public and private sector investors within and outside Asia. Bhagyesh has been involved in setting up and developing 3 successful startup advisory and investment firms and offices over the past 30 years and is experienced in advising in raising capital, mergers and acquisitions transactions, public listings and takeovers of publicly listed companies especially in the Australian, Canadian and London markets.

Bhagyesh Dash

Director Climate Projects
South Pole

 

Paul Antoine Croize

Paul Antoine Croize

Paul-Antoine Croize started his career as a French Land Force officer, operating in various theaters of operations such as Afghanistan and Sahel. Upon relocating to Singapore, he Joined Brazilian food company BRF, navigating various roles in Business Development across food, animal feed, and biotechnology sectors. Since 2019, he has been Business Area Director Southeast Asia with Lallemand Animal Nutrition, the Animal Nutrition branch of microbial solutions global leader Lallemand.

Paul-Antoine holds a MA in International Relations from Military Academy St-Cyr and an MBA from INSEAD. Since 2017 he is based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Paul Antoine Croize

Business Area Director South East Asia
Lallemand Animal Nutrition

Jeff Pei

Jeff Pei


Jeff Pei Is the General Manager of Adorvia Technology, this is the subsidiary corporation of Abiochem, Abiochem is a bio-intelligent manufacturing company with advanced synthetic biology technology, they are the first company which stevia Bio conversion Reb M got approval in China. He worked for MDLZ, IFF and PureCircle/Ingredion, focus on sugar reduction especially in food and beverage.He is the expert of sugar reduction in China marketing.

Jeff Pei

General Manager
Adorvia Biotechnology

Roslyn Chua

Roslyn Chua

Roslyn Chua is the Head of Crop Science Digital Farming Solutions (DFS) in APAC (effective November 1, 2022). In this role, she leads the development and implementation of the APAC New Business Model strategy, developing people and teams that take ventures from test & learn to commercial, increasing the engagement of our strategic partners at the farm-level, and continuing the strong entrepreneurial culture to innovate and deliver solutions to farmers. She is a member of the DFS Leadership team as well as the CS APAC Leadership Team.

Roslyn has worked at Bayer for over 10 years in various leadership positions in Marketing, Strategy, and Digital Farming leading teams in Asia, Europe, and North America. In the digital farming industry, Roslyn has a proven track record of building digitally enabled Tailored Solutions in Crop Protection that farmers use at scale in 10 countries globally.

Roslyn has an MBA from China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), China and a Bachelor of Science degree from Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines. Roslyn is relocating to Singapore with her husband Jannis, and daughter Liv. She enjoys cooking, traveling, and hunting for life-changing food experiences. Roslyn is a native speaker in both English and Filipino.

Roslyn Chua

Head, Digital Farming Asia
Bayer

Yin Chen

Yin Chen

Head of Asia for Conti and is responsible for the growth and development of Conti’s portfolio in Asia across animal nutrition, smart agriculture and new investment platforms

Continental Grain Company is a leading global investor and operator in food & agriculture with over 200 years of history, including 40+ years in China starting with Business License Number 0001 for overseas investment in China, granted in 1981

Prior to joining Conti, Yin was a Partner with Bain & Company in Shanghai, where he worked with Fortune 500 multinationals and private equity firms on commercial due diligence on China assets, commercial excellence and route-to-market redesign, M&A strategy, and post-acquisition value creation for PE-owned portfolio companies

Yin Chen

Managing Director, Asia
Continental Grain Company

 

Tiffany Liu

Tiffany Liu

Tiffany is working at Star Magnolia Capital, a Singapore-based multi-family office that practices the endowment model. She has been with the firm since 2021 and looks after fund investments/co-investments. Tiffany has led investments in agriculture and food technology focus funds and companies. Tiffany holds an MBA from University of Oxford and a LLB from Tsinghua University.

 

Tiffany Liu

Investor
Star Magnolia Capital

Reshmi Rajendran

Reshmi Rajendran

Reshmi Rajendran is the Head of Innovation and R&D at Roquette’s Asia Pacific Innovation Center in Singapore and leads a team of scientists in developing new plant-based solutions for the Food, Nutrition and Pharma markets in the region. 

 

Prior to joining Roquette, Reshmi has had progressive work experience in Research, Innovation, and technology commercialization with organizations such as Danone, Budding Innovations (a start-up), A*STAR and has strong R&D and commercial leadership experiences.

 

Trained as a scientist (PhD in Physics/Biomedical Imaging, National University of Singapore), business person (MBA, INSEAD) and administrator (Masters in Public Administration), Reshmi enjoys leading transformation at the interface of technology and commercialization.

Apart from innovative technologies, Reshmi is passionate about children’s rights and works for various global causes, has worked at the UNICEF in India and is also the face of INSEAD’s Limitless Campaign that celebrated 50 years of women at INSEAD and champions women’s rights through this and other related activities.

 

Reshmi Rajendran

Head of R&D Greater Asia
Roquette

Widya Sutiyo

Widya Sutiyo

Widya Sutiyo is a development professional of more than 10 years of experience managing programs and strategic partnership with bilateral and multilateral organizations, including the World Bank, UNDP, and WFP. She came to GAIN after working for an Indonesian philanthropic foundation that provides development grants to empower marginalized and vulnerable groups in Eastern Indonesia through a program portfolio that focuses on improved services in early childhood development. Sutiyo holds a Master of Arts degree in International Relations and International Economics from The Johns Hopkins University-School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). With a robust skill set that include public policy, aid effectiveness, donor engagement, Sutiyo contributes valuable insights to the development sector.

Widya Sutiyo

Head of Programmes
GAIN Indonesia

Rajamanohar (Raj) Somasundaram

Rajamanohar (Raj) Somasundaram

Raj is the Founder & CEO of Aquaconnect, a full-stack aquaculture startup with embedded fintech that leverages Artificial Intelligence and Geo-Spatial technologies to bring transparency and efficiency to the aquaculture value chain. Today, Aquaconnect established its ground presence in seven Indian states, enabling market linkages for value chain stakeholders to access farm inputs, formal credit and post-harvest markets.

Raj is also a seasoned tech entrepreneur with two decades of experience in developing Internet and mobile technology-driven businesses. An alumnus of IIT-Kanpur, he also holds a diploma from Harvard University and a fellowship from Stanford. The World Economic Forum recognized him as one of the 'Young Global Leaders' in 2012 for his exceptional leadership and contribution to 'Mobile4Good' initiatives in emerging markets.

Rajamanohar (Raj) Somasundaram

Founder & CEO
Aquaconnect

AVI FINTZ

AVI FINTZ

Avi Fintz has been the Managing Director and CEO of the Interflour Group since March 2018. Prior to assuming the role of Chief Executive, Avi Fintz served as Group Chief Strategy Officer for 5 years.

Interflour Group is a Singapore based joint venture between CBH (largest Australian grain cooperative) and the Salim Group (family-owned industrial holding group). Interflour sells 1.5m Mt of flour annually to its customers in SEA and also owns and operates a malting plant as well as a grain port terminal. Interflour is present in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Philippines.

Prior to joining Interflour Group, Avi gained extensive experience in proprietary investments across sectors and asset class while in the Special Situations Group of Goldman Sachs as well as at Ronly (commodities trader). Avi graduated from ESSEC Business School and Cass Business School.

Avi Fintz

CEO
Interflour Group

Steve Wildisen

Steve Wildisen

Steve Wildisen is the CEO of Xsights Digital Pty Ltd, a company that provides data-led livestock solutions using patented XIoT tag technology. He has over 15 years of experience as a successful entrepreneur and innovator in the technology and digital media industries, with a focus on creating and scaling businesses that leverage data, analytics, and connectivity.

At Xsights Digital, he leads the development and deployment of the multi award-winning XIoT tag, which enables unique animal location data to be collected automatically at scale and in real time, and processed at the edge or on the cloud. The XIoT tag has multiple applications for the agricultural industry, such as provenance tracking, traceability, health and well-being monitoring, biosecurity, supply chain management, and carbon management. Steve's vision is to empower farmers, producers, and consumers with reliable, actionable, and transparent information that enhances productivity, quality, and sustainability.

Steve Wildisen

Co-Founder and CEO
Xsights Digital Pty Ltd

Taranjeet Singh Bhamra

Taranjeet Singh Bhamra

A distinguished graduate of IIT Kharagpur and IIM Calcutta, Mr Taranjeet Singh Bhamra, Founder & CEO, AgNext Technologies, is an accomplished business leader and a visionary entrepreneur with a remarkable record of excellence spanning over 20 years in strategy consulting, investment banking, and high-impact entrepreneurial roles in both Indian and international markets.
Taranjeet envisions a world where farmers and agribusinesses are able to transact better with the most efficient application of technology. Working in Deep technology, AgNext under Taranjeet’s leadership has pioneered computer vision, spectral and IoT based AI technologies, which today is employed at multiple transaction points enabling transparent and profitable trade in agriculture and food value chains.
Presently, Mr. Bharma holds honorary representative positions across the following industry and educational bodies-
1. Council Member of CII, North India
2. National Agriculture Committee of FICCI
3. NASSCOM Deep tech Startup council

Taranjeet Singh Bhamra

Founder and CEO
Agnext Technologies Private Limited

Sanjay Borkar

Sanjay Borkar

Mr. Sanjay has been working towards the digitalization of Agriculture since 2001 and is passionate in his mission to provide technological intervention as a force multiplier in Food systems.
He holds an Engineering degree in Computer Science from the University of Pune (India).
His extensive software and management experience include building, marketing, and selling enterprise software products offered as SAAS and On-Premise applications. His strength lies in formulating and implementing corporate policies and strategies that position the company in a fiercely competitive atmosphere and ensure exponential growth.
Mr. Sanjay Borkar and Mr. Santosh Shinde have developed this technology platform, with a thought and a pioneering vision that it could be used for improving Productivity, Profitability and predictability of agribusiness companies, such as plantations and farms, contract farming companies, processors and exporters.
With deployments in over 30 countries, FarmERP stands as a leading enterprise in AgTech, spearheading revolutionary projects across the agricultural value chain. Mr. Borkar and his team remain dedicated to continuously supporting stakeholders and driving innovation in agriculture worldwide.
With a strong R&D and professional Agri-ICT expertise of many years gained from hundreds of successful implementations and a strong focus on the future, FarmERP has become a key player in this space through their smart and innovative technology offerings - FarmERP and FarmGyan.
Driven by the passion to build change – FarmERP focuses on 3Ps – Productivity, Profitability and predictability for businesses. The platform basically revolves around four crucial points: food safety, traceability, regenerative agriculture and climate resilience. These align with two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger & Climate Change.
The company has to date, served farms in around 30+ countries, deploying its software across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. FarmERP is used across 150 crop varieties over 750,000 Acres of land and is available in multiple international languages.
‘I belong to the farming community and hence, I understand how important it is to drive innovation and provide digital infrastructure to empower agriculture around the globe. With FarmERP devising personalised innovative strategies on a regular basis, we are continuously evolving this technology platform to solve various issues, and close loops across the Agricultural supply chain.’

Sanjay Borkar

CEO & Co-founder
FarmERP

Dr. Naruemon Srisuma

Dr. Naruemon Srisuma

Currently, Dr Srisuma is an advisor to Thai Wah Group R&D, AGBIO and Special Projects after over 30 years of leading company R&D and Innovation. Thai Wah Public Company Limited is well-known as a regional leader in starch, starch-related ingredients, food and starch-based bioplastics company with active operations in 7 countries: Thailand, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines, and India.

Dr. Naruemon Srisuma

Advisor
Thai Wah

Axel Tan

Axel Tan

Axel currently leads the Octave Wellbeing Economy Fund which invests in start-ups in the Agrifood, Wellbeing and Sustainability space. He also runs IMC Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests globally in maritime and logistics sectors. Since 2023, these funds have made 6 new investments in areas of regenerative agriculture, cold chain logistics, autonomous vehicles, and software.
As Innovation Lead at IMC, Axel is responsible for organising and scouting for new technologies for the across IMC’s industrial and wellbeing businesses, such as in shipping, logistics, agrifood, wellbeing, and sustainability. He manages the funding for proof-of-concepts and IMC's partnership with Studio 30 50, a maritime venture studio founded by leading maritime corporates across the value chain.
Prior to IMC, Axel has had 10 years of investment and corporate development experience, having set up Momentum Venture Capital as a strategic innovation initiative, where he led early to growth stage investments in over 20 start-ups and funds globally. The fund successfully catalysed strategic outcomes such as the formation of a cross-border joint venture, tech adoption, business partnerships, launch of new businesses, and an industry-led national innovation challenge.
Axel also enjoys supporting entrepreneurship by mentoring start-ups, angel investing, and contributing to meaningful forums and platforms.

Axel Tan

Venture Partner
Octave Wellbeing Economy Fund

Omar Lechuga

Omar Lechuga

As RD&A director for Kerry Southeast Asia, Omar now leads the region’s development and applications team.

Omar brings more than 24 years of deep experience in the food industry. Prior to his present role, he was the RD&A director for Kerry in Latin America and Middle East, general manager for Kerry Mexico, and a Taste R&D lead in Kerry Europe. Earlier in his career, Omar was leading teams across R&D, quality, product development and packaging for brands such as Gatorade®, Pepsico and Mars chocolate in Latin America.

A biochemical engineer by training, Omar specialised in food processing, graduating from Mexico’s ITESM Campus Querétaro. A believer in lifelong learning, he recently completed a postgraduate programme in artificial intelligence and machine learning from the University of Texas, Austin.

Omar Lechuga

R&D South East Asia Director
Kerry Ingredients

Dr. Yukihiro Maru

Dr. Yukihiro Maru

Dr. Maru established Leave a Nest while he was in the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo, with his fellow undergraduate and graduate students in science and engineering. Its core business is developing and delivering advanced science workshops for schools. Leave a Nest runs a “Knowledge Manufacturing” industry that combines technologies or knowledge from various fields in science. He, as an initiator of the biggest Deep-tech Venture ecosystem in Asia, tackles issues on a global scale by digging deep issues in every part of the world. He has been also involved in launching various startups including Euglena Co., Ltd. He has also appointed as Chief Research&Development Officer of Euglena Co., Ltd., and as Representative Director of Real Tech Holdings Co., Ltd. He is founder and one of the director of Leave a Nest Singapore Pte Ltd and takes key role in the management of collaborative projects. Especially in expansion of both Japanese companies into Singapore and hosting Singapore companies in Japan for business expansions.

Dr. Yukihiro Maru

Founder and Group CEO
Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.

 

Dr. Siti Maryam Yaakub

Dr. Siti Maryam Yaakub

Dr. Siti Maryam Yaakub, Senior Director of the International Blue Carbon Institute at Conservation International, leads the institute's global efforts in translating blue carbon science into tools and methodologies for climate mitigation and adaptation. Based in Singapore, she spearheads initiatives aimed at fostering multidisciplinary expertise and cultivating a resource hub for knowledge exchange.

Siti is a marine ecologist and works across tropical marine and coastal habitats. Her work and research interests broadly lie in the areas of ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions for adaptation and mitigation in marine environments. Within this, she is specifically interested in using seagrass habitats as a model system for understanding ecological thresholds to stress, ecosystem resilience, and the effects of human activities and climate change on the marine environment.

Dr. Siti Maryam Yaakub

Senior Director, International Blue Carbon Institute
Conservation International

Saurabh Das

Saurabh Das

Saurabh Das is the Head of Operations of Cauldron, a global biomanufacturer unlocking the potential of precision fermentation. Saurabh brings a wealth of experience in the design, build, and operations of industrial-scale manufacturing facilities. Over the course of his career, Saurabh has built, operated, and optimised industrial-scale Oil & Gas facilities in Australia and internationally. Most recently, he led the development and implementation of operational excellence and continuous improvement strategy for the PNG Business for Santos, Ltd. Saurabh holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mech) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Investment and Corporate Finance) from the University of Western Australia.

Saurabh Das

Head of Operations
Cauldron

Prof. Yong Tao

Prof. Yong Tao

Yong Tao, graduated from Rutgers University in the United States, majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. He is currently a professor at the Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiology and Metabolic Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a chief scientific officer at Microcyto Biotechnology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., and seat at the Editorial Board of numerous journals. Yong is mainly engaged in designing and reconstructing metabolic pathways to balance reducing power and cofactor circulation in microbes, and developing industrial biocatalysts to produce value-added chemicals such as trehalose, astaxanthin, sialic acid and ursodiol, etc. He has published 145 papers in international journals such as Nat Commun, PNAS and Metab Eng. He has applied for and obtained more than 120 patents, andalso has received a variety of honors and awards in China

Prof. Yong Tao

CSO
MicroCyto Biotechnology

Nalinee Robinson

Nalinee Robinson

Nalinee Robinson is the Head of R&D at Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) Public Company Limited, an agro-industrial and food conglomerate headquartered in Thailand. She is responsible for product development and innovation of CPF’s food products, cutting across the core meat business to future growth opportunities in alternative protein and health & wellness etc. She is experienced in building best-in-class organizations, driving organizational change, crafting business strategy, conceptualizing, creating & launching new programs and leveraging Open Innovation to drive business results. Before joining CPF, Nalinee was with Mars for 20 years, working in various roles in R&D and Quality Assurance in both Asia-Pac and North America regions.

Nalinee Robinson

Head of Research and Development
Charoen Pokphand Foods

Ravi Viswanathan

Ravi Viswanathan

Ravi began his career in research at Banque Indosuez, Mitsubishi France and Banque AIG. Subsequently he co-founded Credit Agricole Lazard Financial Products, a London-based investment bank established as a joint venture between Credit Agricole and the three Lazard houses of London, Paris and New York specializing in equity derivatives for strategic purposes and other sophisticated forms of structured finance.

 

Following this, Ravi created the Nexgen Group of companies of which he became the Co - Chief Executive Officer of the Group with Luc Giraud. Nexgen was a pioneer in many fields and was structured as a reinsurance company owning an investment bank with a wide range of activities.

 

In 2011 along with 6 other partners Ravi spearheaded the creation of VisVires Capital. VisVires Capital is now almost exclusively focused on agri-tech via its New Protein funds and is seen as a world leader in the domain.

The other funds of VisVires (all of them PE funds) are currently in their exit phases and this process should be completed within the next 3-4 years.

Ravi Viswanathan

Partner
VisVires Capital

Dr. Kid Parchariyanon

Dr. Kid Parchariyanon

Dr. Kid Parchariyanon ignites innovation across Southeast Asia. As CEO of RISE, he helps 400+ giants & governments develop solutions that boost both GDP (1%) and sustainability (1% carbon reduction). RISE has birthed 2,000+ startups worth $2 billion. He also fuels DeepTech breakthroughs as Managing Partner of SeaX Ventures, with Food & Agtech investments like Verdant Robotics, Bluu Seafood, just to name a few.. Driven by tech's potential to solve global challenges, Dr. Kid's expertise spans from MD & Biomedical Informatics to Stanford GSB alumni, Gen.T List Honoree, Tatler Futurist, and Prestige 40 Under 40. He is a force for a better, bolder future

Dr. Kid Parchariyanon

CEO & Co-Founder 
RISE

Jan Pacas

Jan Pacas

Australian based company All G Foods was incepted in 2020 by CEO and serial entrepreneur Jan Pacas. Aside from leading a global $1Bn USD multinational business as a CEO, Jan has a proven track record as an accomplished founder - successfully scaling two consumer technology businesses from idea to IPO and private equity exit respectively.

Jan strongly believes that focusing simultaneously on social, economic, and environmental performance is both good for society and for business, hence founding All G Foods - a synthetic biology and precision fermentation company creating dairy 2.0 where everyone wins. The company aims to be the first company in Asia-Pacific to commercialise next generation, animal-free dairy products and proteins.

Jan Pacas

CEO & Founder
All G Foods

Olive Misa

Olive Misa

Olive joined Monde Nissin in January 2023 as Head of Corporate and Government Affairs. Prior to joining Monde Nissin, Olive was the Head of Government and Industry Affairs of Nestle Philippines. She was also Head of Compliance for the former Nestlé Nutrition Southeast Asia & Pacific Region and has held senior leadership roles in Asia Pacific Regulatory, Corporate Affairs and Compliance in FMCG companies. She is a member of the Philippine Bar and a registered patent attorney. Olive is a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Law and the UP School of Economics and has earned certifications for International Food Law and Food Safety at the Michigan State University. She is also a certified data privacy and ethics and compliance professional.

Olive Misa

Head of Corporate and Government Affairs
Monde Nissin

Reihem Roy

Reihem Roy

Reihem is Partner at Omnivore. He joined Omnivore in 2013 and runs their Chennai office. In addition to his investment responsibilities, he serves as Omnivore’s E & S and Business Integrity Officer. His focus areas include aquaculture, dairy, market linkage, and fintech.

The Indian Association of Alternative Investment Funds listed Reihem in their selection of 40 under 40 Investment Professionals in India in 2019. Previously, Reihem was an Associate at Villgro, a social impact fund and incubator, where he built a portfolio of social enterprise investments across agriculture, healthcare, and energy. Reihem began his career as an Analyst at the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), working on agribusiness investments in West and Central Africa. He earned a BA in Economics from the University of Madras and an MSc in Environmental Economics from the University of East Anglia.

Reihem Roy

Partner
Omnivore

Nick Hazell

Nick Hazell

Nick Hazell is a visionary entrepreneur, creating sustainable global innovation in the food industry. He has led technology and innovation as R&D Director for major food companies, Mars and Pepsico, in UK, Holland and Australia. He was awarded the Chairman’s award delivering the Pepsico Performance with Purpose vision, and has been leading research and innovation teams to deliver leading brands and products like Uncle Bens, Seeds of Change, Dolmio, Red Rock Deli and recently v2food. His passion for technology, innovation and sustainability has informed his teaching at UTS, his consulting practise and led to the founding of v2food, a leading plant based meat company. His latest startup is Algenie, with a mission to transform the algae biotech industry into a powerhouse for scaleable carbon sequestration. He has a two masters in manufacturing technology and engineering from Cambridge university, and in his spare time ocean swims, plays pickleball and sings first tenor with the Sydney Philharmonic.

Nick Hazell

Founder & CEO
algenie

Dr. Femke Hannes

Dr. Femke Hannes

Dr. Femke Hannes is a passionate advocate bringing nutrition and health to the table in Asia by bridging scientific research with consumer needs and public health issues. With a PhD in Biomedical sciences, an engineering degree in Biochemistry, and an additional masters in biotechnology from the Catholic university in Leuven (Belgium), Dr Hannes has a deep interest in nutrition and the future of food in relation to our health.
In her role today, she manages a diverse team who drives research and clinical trials in Asia for the benefit of Asia. Dr. Hannes has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and has been a public speaker to various national and international conferences.

Dr. Femke Hannes

Manager Expert Team Nutrition and Clinical Trials, Asia
Royal Frieslandcampina

 

 

Prof. Sunghwa Choe

Prof. Sunghwa Choe

Sunghwa Choe is a Professor at Seoul National University, Korea, and CEO of G+FLAS Life Sciences, Inc., a CRISPR CasN genome editing company. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in December 1997 and worked as a research scientist at Ceres, Inc., a California-based plant biotech company, before joining Seoul National University in 2001. Choe focuses on enhancing CRISPR-Cas genome editing tools and applying them to develop new traits in crops and human therapeutics. He recently deleted nine genes involved in plant protein glycosylation pathways to produce plant-derived pharmaceuticals more safely and sustainably. Choe also knocked out a tomato SlDWF5A gene to create a Provitamin D3 tomato. His career goal is to develop nutritionally enriched foods resilient to climate challenges.

Prof. Sunghwa Choe

CEO
GFLAS Life Sciences

Steven Zhang

Steven Zhang

Steven is an industry veteran who brings 7 years of experience as an entrepreneur in Agtech sector, and 12 years of experience in executive positions working with leading food and agriculture corporations such as Cargill and OSI Group.

Over the years, Steven has witnessed a tremendous rise of innovations and investments across China to face the largest challenges faced by the food industry. Steven has spent time realizing these immense opportunities, accelerating solutions in the agrifoodtech space.

Steven also coaches young entrepreneurs who are engaged in agrifoodtech and is passionate about sharing insights with visionary leaders in the food industry.

Steven Zhang

Managing Director
ID Capital China

 

 

Dr. YongCheng Poh

Dr. YongCheng Poh

YongCheng’s background training is in interdisciplinary computational bioengineering and health innovation (identify, innovate, implement). He has 15 years experience in research, innovation partnerships & product co-development experiences with global start-ups, MNCs, research institutions and clinical entities, to advance new business areas, innovation pipeline and breakthrough science and technology towards gaining various market/consumer access.

YongCheng joined Cargill in 2022, and is responsible for external innovation capability development across businesses and in strategic topics such as alternative proteins, specialized nutrition, AI and by-products valorization.

He is proud of having driven cross-functional team-work (internal + external) to develop commercially ready innovative products for market access. Enabling growth, via collaborative innovation, in strategic areas of Healthy Ageing, Plant-based, Specialized Nutrition and Circular Packaging. Also managing change to enable innovation capability development & cross-functional cultural shift, to drive sustainable long-term growth. Furthermore, providing innovation leadership for enabling technologies such as in biomanufacturing

Dr. YongCheng Poh

External Innovation Leader, APAC R&D
Cargill

Henri Nejade

Henri Nejade

He’s well known internationally as an expert of the chemical industry, as a master negotiator in complex environment and outstanding deal maker in Merger & Acquisition.

Strong Capability to drive business results across borders and culture and in diverse global industries.

As Member of the Global Management Board effective July 1, 2015, Henri Nejade joined Brenntag in 2008 as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Brenntag Asia Pacific and first employees in APAC region.

He developed Brenntag’s business in Asia from Zero to more than SGD 3 billion today during the last 15 years with 2600 employees. He established Singapore as HQ of the region and acquired 3 local companies Tee Hai, EP chem and TAT Group in Singapore and integrated them to the Brenntag family, developed Asia Pacific region organically and through 11 acquisitions.

Today Brenntag has 600 employees in Singapore, and more than 2600 employees in the region.

Brenntag is acting as number one distributor in the Life sciences industry such Health, Nutrition, Home care and Personal Care segment as well as Electronic & Material sciences.

From January 2021 Henri Nejade was nominated as Chief Operation Officer (COO) of Groupe in charge of specialties with clear focus on the following segments: Biopharma, Nutrition, Health, Home Care , Personal Care and material sciences.

Mr Nejade step down from his Global COO role of specialties in June 2023 after 3 consecutives successful record year by generating Euro 8 billion revenue specialty business of Brenntag globally, He increased business profitability by 37 % in 2021 and deliverd the same growth in 2022 with an EBITDA close to Euro 800 million. He employes 6000 peoples in his division.

Mr Nejade has diverse international background combining more than 34 years of industry experience with solid C-level leadership & Management skills and passion for agile and sustainable business development.

He received few awards and recognitions from his previous employees such General Electric Group and Solvay/ Rhodia Groupe.

Henri Nejade

Co-Founder
NeaD

Judy Boucek

Judy Boucek

Judy Boucek moved to Singapore 3 years ago to embrace the role of Nutrition Improvement Regional Lead.
Passionate, pushing boundaries and personable are how she brings progress to life for the more than 350 million undernourished people in the Asia Pacific Region. She leverages her 35+ years of experience in global agribusiness, CPG, food and nutrition to find sustainable, affordable and accessible solutions for our world’s most vulnerable.

Judy Boucek

Nutrition Improvement Regional Segment Lead, APAC
dsm-firmenich

Henry Soediarko

Henry Soediarko

Henry Soediarko serves as a Director at Milltrust International’s Singapore office and is a portfolio advisor and head of research for the award-winning Climate Impact Asia Fund, that was jointly set up with WWF. He was instrumental on setting up the investment and impact processes that has won the Fund several awards including the best Asia ESG and Impact Fund in 2022 and the best ESG Fund by Methodology in 2023 by Environmental Finance and WealthforGood awards respectively. Employed by First Estate Capital Management, Henry brings his extensive knowledge and experience to his advisory role for the fund. With almost 2 decades of experience in the Asian equity long short hedge fund industry, he has a diverse background encompassing roles as a portfolio manager, in trading, and risk management and has worked in various front office roles for long short Asian Equities strategies at prominent hedge fund firms in the region, including Creo Capital, Hachiman Capital, and Amoeba Capital. Henry holds an MBA from Vlerick Business School in Belgium and an MSc in Investment from City University Business School in England. A Singapore national, he is proficient in Bahasa Indonesia and English and is conversational in Dutch and Chinese.

Henry Soediarko

Head of Portfolio Management
First Estate Capital Management

Dr. Yit Yang Voon

Dr. Yit Yang Voon

Voon is the Head of Technical Service, Consumer Biosolution of Novozymes SEA. She is currently leading a group of industrial specialists of four respective industries namely household care, beverage (including brewing), baking and future food and protein. Based in Novozymes Malaysia, she is responsible for building and managing technical capability and resources of Novozymes in providing technical supports for the industries to utilize enzymes by organizing technical training, assisting customers in new product development, improving existing product quality and process efficiency as well as trouble shooting. Voon holds a PhD in Food Science as well as a Degree in Food Science and Technology from University Putra Malaysia. With more than 16 years of experiences in food industry, Voon has developed strong knowledge in food ingredients as well as a strong skill sets in research and development working with multiple parties including government, NGO, Universities as well as the industries.

Dr. Yit Yang Voon

Head of Technical Service (SEA)
Novonesis

KELVIN CHIU

KELVIN CHIU

Kelvin is the Founder and Principal of Silverstrand Capital, a Singapore-based single-family office with an impact investment mandate focused on enhancing biodiversity globally. His career background is in proprietary agricultural commodities and carbon trading with returns from this supporting Silverstrand’s impact mission, helping to scale a movement which is core to many of his values.

Silverstrand’s impact strategy prioritises systems-levels solutions that accelerate the widescale conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems.

Kelvin is also the Founder of Silverstrand Philanthropies, the non-profit arm of the family office which supports nature-related research and capacity-building projects. With the aim of creating more investible solutions to the biodiversity crisis, Silverstrand brought together partners from the investment, business, NGO, and government sectors to launch the Biodiversity Accelerator+ in 2022, Asia’s first accelerator programme designed to support biodiversity-enhancing early-stage companies.

Kelvin is a strong believer in the importance of open dialogue and engagement. He is a frequent speaker on the topics of impact investing and biodiversity and holds various advisory board and IC roles. In his free time, Kelvin is an avid diver, hiker, skier, and safari goer, activities that fuelled his passion for protecting the natural world.

Kelvin Chiu

Founder & Principal
Silverstrand Capital

Future Food Asia 2024 Agenda

MAY 15 | WEDNESDAY

MORNING SESSION

AFTERNOON SESSION

MAY 16 | THURSDAY

MORNING SESSION

AFTERNOON SESSION

Future Food Asia 2024 Conference Passes

The eighth edition of FFA will be held at Orchard Hotel on 15-16 May.