Speakers Food System Resilience Stage

Director General, NewERA

Fernando has been the Director General of the New European Reuse Alliance (New ERA) from its inception at the end of 2022. He has nearly ten years of experience in association management, circular economy, and packaging matters from his past work in two public affairs firms in Brussels and Madrid. He has recently been elected a member of the European Commission Expert Group on Waste. Fernando holds a Double Degree in Law and Business Administration from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. He also obtained a Master’s in European Law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles.

Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Moree

Clare Brass is a designer with experience in design and circular economy. I was head of sustainability at the Design Council before setting up social enterprise SEED Foundation, seeking entrepreneurial solutions to environmental challenges such as food, water and waste. I established and directed SustainRCA, an interdisciplinary centre for sustainability at the Royal College of Art where I was a mentor for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. I co-founded Department 22, innovation agency for sustainability and circular economy with a focus on food and I am currently developing Moree, a returnable packaging system that aims to make single use plastic an anomaly.

Assistant Professor, University of Turin

Ph.D. in Systems Dynamics, is Assistant Professor in Climate Change Management and Managerial Accounting at the Department of Management, University of Turin. He also teaches Circular Economy Management at the Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences. His research focuses on the intersection between entrepreneurship, innovation management, and sustainability. He is involved in the "Growing Resilient, INclusive and Sustainable (GRINS)" project, of the Italian Recovery and Resilience Plan, with a specific focus on assessing the impact of climate change and associated risks on business and investment decisions. He is a co-founder of the Circular Economy Coalition and the New European Bauhaus Stewardship Lab. Since 2019, he has been actively involved with EIT Food, supporting various educational programs aimed at nurturing entrepreneurial talents and boosting competitiveness in the food ecosystem. These programs include Global Food Venture, Innovator Fellowship, Skills4Future, DigiEduHack, and Food Solutions, of which he has been one of the Turin activity leaders since 2023. 

Professor of Marketing, Aarhus University

Polymeros Chrysochou is a Professor of Marketing at the Department of Management, Aarhus University, Denmark. He is the coordinator of industry collaboration at the MAPP Centre (www.mapp.au.dk), a research centre specialising in marketing and consumer behaviour research on food systems. His research interests focus on areas of marketing communications and branding, with an emphasis on food marketing, sustainability, packaging & package design, and alternative food proteins. He has published over 50 academic articles in academic journals in the area of marketing and consumer behaviour. He has received funding and participated in several research projects funded by EU and national funding bodies.

Assistant Professor, Aarhus University

Ilke Unalan is an Assistant Professor at Aarhus University. Her research focuses on sustainable, circular food packaging. She works with EIT Food on solutions and leadership programs, promoting zero-waste systems through interdisciplinary approaches.

Social LCA Analyst, Ecoinnovazione srl.

Dr Anna Niero specialises in agricultural and food system sustainability. Her background is in Environmental Economy and she has a PhD in Environmental, Agricultural and Food Sciences, curriculum International Cooperation and Sustainable Development Policies, at the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences of the University of Bologna. She is currently involved in Horizon projects, including FEASTS, to explore the potential of Social Life Cycle Assessment to unveil socio-economic implications of novel food such as cultured meat and alternative proteins, seeking to adapt this methodology to such innovative technologies and systems and achieve a deeper understanding of their sustainability impacts.

Senior Researcher, S2AQUAcoLAB

Dr Joana T. Rosa leads the In Vitro Cell Culture Lab at S2AQUAcoLAB and is an integrated researcher at CCMAR. She holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences and has over 15 years of experience in molecular and cellular biology applied to aquaculture. Her research focuses on developing in vitro systems for sustainable aquaculture, including cellular aquaculture. Joana is the principal investigator of the μCELLAQUA project and leads S2AQUA’s participation in the FEASTS and INOVACEL projects. A former researcher at Ghent University, she has received awards from INOVA+, BlueBioValue, and GFI/EIT Food. She actively contributes to the cellular agriculture community, co-chairing the International Conferences of the Portuguese Association for Cellular Agriculture.

Deputy Director, SAFE Food Advocacy Europe

Dr Luigi Tozzi is a biologist with over 35 years of experience in agri-food quality and safety assurance. He has worked across research, policy, and lobbying at both national and EU levels, and has served as a food safety expert for the Italian Health and Agriculture Ministries during food crises. A recognised authority in organic farming and certified quality production, he sits on the Sectorial Committee for Agri-food Accreditation in the Italian national accreditation body ACCREDIA. Dr. Tozzi teaches at Rome Business School and LUISS University on agribusiness management and sustainable innovation. In the FEASTS project, he leads the dialogue with policymakers, providing insights generated by the project to support the EU’s Sustainable Food Systems law, and contributes to the development of safety frameworks for cultured meat and seafood.

Co-founder of RESPECTfarms and CEO of KindEarth.Tech

Ira van Eelen is a prominent voice in cultured meat and cellular agriculture, building on the groundbreaking work of her father, Willem van Eelen, and spearheading innovation in sustainable food technologies. Ira also chairs the Invitromeat Foundation and advises JUST, advocating for cellular agriculture through her role as co-founder of Cellulaire Agricultuur Nederland and EU advisor for Cellular Agriculture Netherlands. Her dedication to sustainable food extends to contributing forewords for influential books and curating museum exhibits on the future of food, uniquely blending science, advocacy, and creativity to advance the field.

Head of Marketing zenGate

Victor Hugo, Head of Marketing at zenGate, leads brand strategy and creative direction. With a strong background in content, design, and storytelling, he crafts impactful campaigns that connect audiences and drive growth across markets.

Country Co- Director, ProVeg International

Martin is the Country Co-Director of ProVeg Czechia, an international food awareness organisation working to transform the global food system. As a Co-Director of V-Label International, he oversees the leading vegan and vegetarian certification.

Awanwee Petchkongkaew

Co-director, International Joint Research Center on Food Security; Thammasat University

Awanwee is a lecturer at Thammasat University.

Queens University Belfast

 Proferssor, Queen's University 

Chris founded the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast and is also Professor of Food Security at Thamassat University in Thailand. He acts as a Scientific Advisor on food safety and authenticity to a number of UN agencies