2024 Speakers

Ariane Voyatzakis is Innovation manager at ANIA, the association representing the French Food Industry. She holds a MS of AgroParisTech and a MBA of Sciences Po Paris. She has nearly 25 years’ experience in innovation financing.

In her most recent position, she was in charge of the agri-food sector at Bpifrance, where she was responsible for implementing French state funding for innovation and industrialization.

In 2023, she joined ANIA to bring her expertise to the food industries, supporting them in their search for funding for their projects and coordinating national and European collaborative projects.

With over 13 years of global industry experience, I’ve spearheaded the development and promotion of science-driven products, brands, and strategies, consistently delivering value to both customers and stakeholders. My expertise lies in crafting product roadmaps, managing portfolios, orchestrating go-to-market strategies, optimizing product profitability and pricing, conducting market intelligence, and driving business development initiatives.

Currently, I serve as Marketing & Strategy Director at DARWIN Bioprospecting, where I lead strategic planning, oversee the development and launch of products and R&D services, drive brand development, spearhead thought leadership activities, engage with industry stakeholders, manage portfolio and product lifecycles, and gather market and industry intelligence.

My primary passion lies in leveraging scientific discoveries and innovation to foster positive societal change. Beyond my professional responsibilities, I actively engage with the industry by speaking at forums, participating in audiovisual formats, writing articles, and contributing to various associations and platforms aimed at promoting knowledge, education, and collaboration within the biotech, foodtech, and agritech sectors. Driven by curiosity, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to these fields, I am dedicated to shaping a better future through transformative advancements.

Femke Hoevenaars, studied Molecular Nutrition and Toxicology (MSc) at Wageningen University. During her Ph.D. in Nutritional Physiology and Metabolism at Wageningen University as well as her Postdoc at VU University Medical Center she investigated the adaptive character of adipose tissue in response to environmental challenges including nutrition. Currently, she is a Senior Scientist in the Department of Microbiology and Systems Biology at TNO. Her research focuses on understanding systemic health to improve our knowledge of the body’s homeostatic capacity in relation to nutrition. She places special emphasis on the influence of nutrition on the gut as everything we eat could serve as a substrate for bacterial metabolism. Her studies integrate knowledge of physiology, molecular nutrition and gut health to create actionable nutrition strategies. Furthermore she investigates the translation ability from in vitro models to in vivo clinical studies concerning gut health. To achieve this, she collaborates with computational scientists who create methods to improve digital health and facilitate the translation of laboratory findings to human applications.

Gabriele Gross has studied Nutritional Sciences in Giessen, Germany. During her PhD research at Wageningen University (NL) as well as her Postdoc with Gent University (BE) and Unilever R&D Vlaardingen (NL), she investigated host-microbe interactions and effects of diet on human health mediated by the gut microbiota. Over the last 14 years, she was part of the R&D team at Mead Johnson Nutrition / Reckitt in Nijmegen (NL), focusing on scientific substantiation and identification of innovation opportunities for (infant) nutrition related to various ingredients and benefit areas. She recently started as Principal Scientist Health & Microbiology at NIZO (Ede, NL), a CRO providing research services to improve food and health products.

Giovanni Sogari, MSc in Food Science and Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics. Currently, he is an Associate Professor at the Department of Food and Drug of the University of Parma. He teaches the principal methods and techniques of qualitative and quantitative research to explore consumer food behavior. His studies lie at the nexus of psychology, sensory analysis, and experimental economics to better inform policy-makers, private companies, and the general public on eating behavior. In particular, his main research activities and interests focus on consumers’ perception of sustainable and healthy diets, nutritional and environmental claims, and alternative proteins from novel foods.

Grégory Dubourg is an agro engineer specialized in agri-food and nutrition, graduated from AgroParisTech. After 10 years of experience in marketing and innovation in the agri-food and nutraceutical industries, he founded Nutrikéo in 2009. Since then, he has managed this Nutrition Strategy Consulting agency whose expertise covers Studies, Innovation, Marketing and Communication strategies across the entire supply chain: food, nutra, cosmetics & pharmaceuticals.

@GregoryDubourg

www.nutrikeo.com

www.culture-nutrition.com

Ivan has been an active venture capital investor for the last 27 years and he is the co-founder of Five Seasons Ventures, the first European venture fund fully focused on consumer Foodtech.

He is passionate about product and technology innovation aimed at solving big challenges in the food industry: from alternative sources of proteins, to functional foods, from new models of food distribution, to the reduction of food waste.  At Five Seasons he invested, among others, in Butternut Box (D2C pet nutrition), YFood Labs (meal replacements) and Just Spices (D2C spices), THIS.co (plant-based meat alternatives), Cortilia (D2C fresh food retailer), La Fourche (D2C organic groceries), Air-Up (reusable water bottle & flavour pods) and KoRo (D2C natural healthy snaking).

His experience includes structuring investments, organizational and strategy development, setting up governance for growth and planning for successful exits.

In his spare time, he enjoys family life, fly fishing, and practicing jiu-jitsu with his son Adam.

Dr. Josep M. del Bas holds a BSc in Chemistry, a BSc in Biochemistry, and a PhD in Nutrition and Metabolism. His research focuses on the interaction between food nutrients, bioactive compounds, and human metabolism, utilizing a holistic approach grounded in translational research, -omics technologies and systems biology. From 2006 to 2009, he conducted research at the University of Milan (Italy), Baylor College of Medicine (Texas, USA), and the University of Liverpool (UK). In 2009, he joined the Technology Center of Nutrition and Health in Spain as a senior researcher. By 2018, he became the Director of the Unit of Nutrition and Health at Eurecat, the Technology Center of Catalonia. In 2022, he advanced to the role of Research Manager for Eurecat’s Biotechnology Area. Dr. del Bas has been instrumental in over 100 R&D projects for industry through technology transfer activities. He has served as the principal investigator for various European projects under the H2020 and Horizon Europe programs. He has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles, holds 4 patents, supervised three doctoral theses, and mentored several international post-doctoral fellows. Additionally, Dr. del Bas is an associate professor at Rovira i Virgili University, an editor for the journal Genes & Nutrition, and an advisor for the Catalan Agency for Business Competitiveness.

Kelly is the CSO of Bon Vivant since 2022. Originally from Brazil, she boasts more than 9 years of experience as a team leader in fermentation biotechnology projects to achieve scalable, sustainable and patentable technologies for innovative companies like Novozymes.

Laure Darras is graduated from an Agriculture Engineering Unversity (ISA Lille). After about 12 years developing business and application with a strong focus on insoluble fibers for food and animal nutrition, she is now in charge of technical support for Petfood and Feed Specialties within Roquette Animal Nutrition GBU. With a strong experience in Petfood, her objective is to support the usage of Roquette solutions in petfood formulations and innovate to anwser the challenges of the future, wether they are about functionality, nutrition or sustainability.

Lethicia is Innovation Project Manager at Centre Mondial de l’Innovation (CMI), the research and innovation hub of Groupe Roullier. At the CMI, she is in charge of innovation funding, innovation management, partnerships and the scientific network.

She holds a double-degree in Agronomy from ISA Lille (France) and ESALQ (Brazil), and a PhD from INRAE (France). Her expertise lies in combining science with business, thanks to her professional experiences in research in public institutes, consulting to private companies and volunteering within international organizations (Thought For Food, World Food Forum).

Bringing over 35 years of experience in the food industry, I am dedicated to driving positive change through innovative product and ingredient development for the betterment of people diet and friendlier for the planet. My expertise lies in a multifaceted approach, focusing primarily on flavor enhancement, sugar reduction, and taste modulation, including sweetening, mouthfeel optimization, umami and masking. Additionally, I actively contribute to advancements in plant-based foods, facilitating the transition to sustainable protein solutions. Furthermore, my involvement in health science extends to pioneering rare sugars and bioactives for glycemic index reduction. I thrive on exploring new frontiers, with a keen interest in fermentation processes for unlocking novel aromatic compounds, enzymatic reactions, and harnessing the power of natural extracts. Beyond my technical endeavors, I am deeply passionate about fostering leadership inspirational excellence and cultivating fulfilling work environments where individuals and teams can perform at their natural best. My behavioral profile is characterized by a dynamic blend of traits, aligning with the DISC style of ‘Id’ (‘yellow/red’) and the MBTI type of ‘ENFP’.

Mariano Oto. Bachelor Degree in Economics and Business Sciences from the University of Navarra
Expert in commercial management and business communication. Postgraduate in international trade.
More than 20 years of experience in management of companies in different sectors and in public administration.
Serial entrepreneur and expert in turning ideas and new technologies into businesses, adapted to the needs and demands of the market and society.
Since 2017 he is CEO and Co-founder of NUCAPS, an international biotechnology company that designs and manufactures functional ingredients Health Inside: bioactives and probiotics microencapsulated in natural proteins.

Working towards “improving nutrition and promoting health across the lifespan” is core to what Marjolijn Bragt does as Programme Manager for Nutrition for Optimal Health at Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, part of Wageningen University & Research in The Netherlands. In this role, she fosters research collaborations and public-private partnerships to tackle global challenges in food and health. Marjolijn holds an MSc in Health Sciences and a PhD in Human Biology from Maastricht University, The Netherlands. With over 15 years of experience in various expert and leadership roles in food industry and academia, she is passionate about promoting healthier and more sustainable diets and eating habits for all!

Mohammed Gulrez Zariwala is a Professor of Translational Physiology and founder Director of the Centre for Nutraceuticals at the University of Westminster. The Centre is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the area of nutraceuticals, supplements, and functional foods that seeks to act as a global catalyst for improving health and wellbeing guided by research and innovation. His research expertise spans the diverse areas of metabolism, neurodegeneration, and sports nutrition, with a focus on the use of natural bioactives to formulate and validate novel ingredients and supplements products.  He leads a research team that includes over 20 academics and researchers and has published 70+ high impact international research articles, abstracts and book chapters in his field.

Professor Zariwala works with multiple commercial partners worldwide and was involved in the development of the UK’s leading liquid iron supplement (Spatone Apple^®), now marketed in 40+ countries. His most recent outputs include development of a range of high performance wellness and sports supplement products (Unity Ultra U^®) that was launched worldwide in July 2021 in partnership with the international footballers Mathieu Flamini and Mesut Ozil. He has been awarded research and innovation grants from the UK government (Innovate UK), and international awards from prestigious government bodies such as the LPDP (Indonesia) and TETFund (Nigeria).

Professor Zariwala is established as a global thought leader in the field of iron deficiency and supplementation and regularly speaks at world leading events. He has presented his research at prestigious platforms such as the UK Parliament to the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee and keynotes to the Australian College of Midwives. He routinely communicates to the media, and has made appearances on the BBC, BBC radio and various newspapers and publications.

Nadia Everaert was born in 1981 and obtained her Master in Bioscience Engineering in 2004 at KU Leuven (Magna cum laude) with a specialization in Agriculture (Animal Production). She obtained her PhD at KU Leuven in 2008, on avian embryonic development. During her post-doctoral fellowship, including an internship at the INRAE in Tours (France), she developed her molecular skills using birds as a model for fetal and nutritional programming. From October 2013 until September 2021, she was an associate professor at Liège University (Belgium), at the faculty Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (bioscience engineering). Since October 2021, she came back to KU Leuven as an associate professor, and is now heading the Nutrition and Animal-Microbiota EcoSystems (NAMES) lab. Her research focuses on nutrition and health in pigs and poultry, with an emphasis on the microbiota and intestinal health. The NAMES Lab investigates host-microbiota interaction and its impact on gastrointestinal tract (GIT) development through in vivo experiments and in vitro models to improve animal performance and health to make chickens and pigs more resilient to antigen and environmental stressors.

Nard is an experienced networker, business developer, innovator, entrepreneur and strategic thought leader in (personalised) nutrition.

After his study of Human Nutrition at Wageningen University, he worked for the food industry in international positions for more than a decade as a successful liaison between business and science.

He then joined Dutch innovation organisation TNO to lead their Nutrition and Health business line and set up the world’s largest public-private research consortium on personalised nutrition & health. This led him on a path of ‘personalised nutrition’, involving co-founding startup Happ as their CSO, founding NCNC Nutritional Consultancy and many public appearances on the topic.

Natanael Viñegra works as a project coordinator at CNTA. He obtained his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, focusing on seed germination and molecular biology. Later he moved on to study flowering regulation at the University of Cologne, working on a perennial model plant. After this academic period, he switched fields to project management, working at the start-up The Cultivated B in Heidelberg, covering all aspects of cellular agriculture and its biotechnology uses. Since a few months, he is a project coordinator at CNTA, where he is in charge of project tracking and deadlines, as well as contributing to the preparation of new proposals. His interests span the field of biotechnology and its potential applications.

Pierre-Antoine Mariage is a Belgian entrepreneur, with over two decades of expertise in the field of FoodTech, specifically spanning the areas of industrial fermentation and medicinal plants. He is the Founder and CEO of Botalys, a company dedicated to pioneering advancements in rare botanical ingredients for the nutraceutical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, with a focus on purity, potency, sustainability and resilience of the supply chain.

Raphaëlle is the Founder of inewtrition, a business development platform and specialised consultancy that helps companies explore, connect and innovate in customised nutrition. Inewtrition provides ideation, development, and commercialisation services by combining real option analysis tools and processes via a global network of domain experts.

Raphaëlle has worked in the product development and commercialisation of functional foods, beverages and dietary supplements for over 25 years and leverages her combined expertise in project management, business and research to create a more resilient food system at the intersection of nutrition, food and health.

Robert-JM Brummer studied medicine at Nijmegen University, the Netherlands and performed his PhD studies in Göteborg, Sweden (PhD 1992) and continued clinical training in internal medicine and gastroenterology at University Hospital Maastricht, the Netherlands. He became professor at Maastricht University 2002 and was acting director of the nutrition research institute (NUTRIM) of the University. Subsequently, he became research director at the “Wageningen Centre for Food Science”, later “TI Food and Nutrition”, the Netherlands.
From 2008 he joined Örebro University, Sweden as professor of Gastroenterology and Clinical Nutrition and senior consultant at the University Hospital. Brummer was Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health during 6 years and currently is Pro-Vice- Chancellor of the University. In that role he also is director of the Örebro University Food & Health Programme. He leads both the interdisciplinary “Nutrition-Gut-Brain Interactions Research Centre” at the University as well as the governmentally funded national research excellence centre “Plant-based Proteins for Health and Wellbeing – PAN Sweden” and the research profile Responsive Nutrition – Rosetta@oru.
Furthermore, he is engaged in national boards and strategies regarding food and nutrition research and innovation and acts as reviewer for several international research councils, member of the Board of Directors of ILSI Europe and represents Sweden as vice-chair of the European Universities Association Expert Group on
Innovation.
His main field of interest in research is the nutrition/microbe-gut-brain interactions with special reference to human application and still performs all research endoscopic investigations himself.

Tim is currently the Scientific Program Director at Integrative Phenomics, leading the research and development program on precision and personalized nutrition. His training is in gastrointestinal physiology with over 15 years of experience focusing on interplay between metabolic diseases, nutrition, and the gut microbiome.

Before his tenure at Integrative Phenomics, Tim was at Danone Research in France in the metabolic health program. More recently, he was at the Institute of Cardiometabolism and Nutrition in Paris where he collaborated on EU-funded clinical and scientific projects focusing on cardiometabolic diseases, the gut microbiome, and nutrition.

In his current role, Tim is working with the Integrative Phenomics team to provide evidence-based precision and personalized nutrition solutions for cardiometabolic disease prevention and management.

Urbi is a Research Associate at Lux Research, where she contributes to the Consumer-Packaged Goods team’s coverage of food and nutrition. Her research focuses on emerging technologies in consumer health and wellness, alternative proteins, and sustainability initiatives. Before joining Lux Research, Urbi served as a Food Scientist at Assay Consulting and as a Hygiene Auditor at Equinox Labs in India. She holds an M.Sc. in Food Science from the Institut Supérieur d’Agriculture de Lille, France, and has experience as an Assistant Engineer at Phileo, Lesaffre.