Speakers Net Zero Food System Stage

Director of Communication and Marketing Strategy and project manager at BIOAZUL,

Ángela Magno leads strategic outreach for sustainability and innovation across Europe’s agri-food and water sectors. With a background in Chemistry and Food Science and over a decade of experience in EU-funded R&I projects, she specialises in translating technical innovation into accessible and impactful communication. She currently coordinates the Horizon Europe project BOOST-IN, promoting circular economy solutions for water reuse and resource recovery, and is actively involved in BONEX, a PRIMA-funded initiative addressing the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus in the Mediterranean. Ángela brings deep expertise in science communication, stakeholder facilitation, and inclusive approaches to foster systemic change toward a resilient and equitable food system.

Director of Operations, Water Europe

Andrea Rubini holds an MSc in Water Resources Engineering and brings over 40 years of international experience in the water sector, with a strong focus on climate change impacts on urban and industrial ecosystems. For the past two decades, he has been actively involved in European research and innovation policy in Brussels, including roles as an R&I expert for the Lombardy Region’s Delegation to the EU and as a policy adviser at the European Commission. Andrea has worked globally with organisations such as UNDP, UNFPA, ILO, and the African Development Bank, and currently leads Water Europe’s Implementation and Collaboration Programmes, representing the platform in the Water4All and Processes4Planet Partnerships.

Expert Group Leader for Water and Agriculture Innovation, VITO, bringing technical expertise on water-smart agricultural solutions.

Charlotte Boeckaert brings extensive expertise in sustainable water management and agri-tech innovation. She leads multi-stakeholder initiatives driving technological solutions for water efficiency and resilience in agriculture, contributing to EU-level expert groups and research programs.

Project Manager, EIT Food South

Carmen Galindo leads initiatives focused on innovation and sustainability in the agri-food sector, including water resource management and cross-sector collaboration. She plays a key role in connecting startups, industry leaders, and research institutions to accelerate the transition toward sustainable food systems in Southern Europe.

Head of Corporate Affairs, FFI

Virginia Cepollina is Head of Corporate Affairs at the Future Food Institute (FFI), an influential network of Living Labs and innovation hubs from Italy to Japan, enabling a cross-cultural dialogue on food sustainability, climate action, and social prosperity. A lawyer by training, in 2019 she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to join the B.E.S.T. program in San Francisco, focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation. At FFI, she manages the EWA – Empowering Women in Agrifood - program of EIT Food in Italy, supporting female entrepreneurs in building their startups. She also works on innovation projects to design more sustainable and circular agri-food solutions and coordinates activities across different Living Labs.

Head of Sector European Commission Head of Sector at DG AGRI, Unit F.2 R&I, European Commission

He coordinates the EU Mission Soil team. He is Agricultural Engineer and holds a PhD on water and nutrient management in arable crops. +25 years experience in policy in Spain and the EU.

CSIS

PhD in Biology. Research on interactions between environment and agricultural practices ( e.g. phytotoxicity and soil health) Most recent projects: LILAS4SOILS & MRV4SOC: Both in the framework of Horizon Europe's Mission Soil on C Farming Practices

CEO, AgriPurpose

Regenerative Farmer, Entrepreneur and CEO of AgriPurpose: AgriPurpose – The Common and Independent Infrastructure for Regenerative Agriculture.

Senior Associate – Agriculture & Food, WBCSD

Tess Robinson Hayes is a Senior Associate at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in Amsterdam. Tess leads efforts to drive multi-stakeholder alignment on metrics that accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture.

Innovation Associate – Animal Health, The UK Agri-Tech Centre

Bethan is a dedicated bioveterinary scientist specialising in livestock parasitology and endemic disease. She has authored award-winning, peer-reviewed publications and created knowledge exchange resources with UK levy and Agri-Tech industry bodies. Bethan excels in communication, presenting her research internationally and engaging with farmers to promote best practices.

At the UK Agri-Tech Centre, Bethan focuses on One Health projects, integrating the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. She drives innovation in diagnostics and disease prevention, supporting the UK Agri-Tech Centre’s goal of rapid, impactful change with her expertise and access to over 30 livestock and aquaculture research facilities.

Ecosystem Manager, EIT Food

Regine has been an Ecosystem Manager in the Partnerships team at EIT Food for one year. She is actively involved in partner engagement and plays a key role in the development of the One Health Working Group as well as the Resilient Agriculture Think-and-Do Tank at EIT Food.

She has a background in environmental policy and previously held public affairs roles at the European Parliament Intergroup on Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Sustainable Development.

Senior Partnership Manager, EIT Food

Alicia Abendroth, Senior Partnership Manager, at EIT Food has 10+ years of Agrifood experience. From hands-on farming to working in international trade and agri-tech startups, Alicia’s insights into the vast and complex global agri-food supply chains are unparalleled. At EIT Food she leverages these experiences to drive positive impact in the food system, whereby she leads the EIT Food Resilient Agriculture Think & Do Tank and One Health Beef & Dairy Working Group.

EARA, Terra Organica, EU Mission Soil Ambassador

Co-founder, Regrow Ag

Dr. Anastasia Volkova is the CEO and Co-founder of Regrow Ag, a company that combines agronomy, soil and carbon modeling, and digital technology to deliver scalable and verifiable solutions for resilient agriculture. With a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Sydney and over 10 years of experience in academia, business, and startups, she leverages her expertise in data analysis, remote sensing, and machine learning to drive climate action through food production. Since launching Regrow Ag in 2020, she has grown the company into a global leader in the regenerative agriculture space, serving some of the world's largest brands, such as Kellogg's, Cargill, and General Mills, and helping them reduce GHG emissions across their supply chains. She is also a member of the Forbes Technology Council, a TEDx speaker, and a recipient of multiple awards and honors, including MIT's "35 Under 35" Innovator, BBC's "Top 100 Women", UBS Global Visionary and Bloomberg's New Economy Catalyst. She is passionate about empowering farmers, businesses, and consumers to make a positive impact on the planet and the future of food.

Co-founder and CEO, Improvin

Improvin’ provides food and beverage brands, mills, and processors with the digital infrastructure to collect primary data, quantify sustainability insights, and drive positive impact within their supply chains, together with supplying partners and farmers.

Improvin’ is recognised as one of Europe’s fastest-growing technology companies, and trusted by industry leaders such as Mondelēz International, Nordzucker, AAK, Viking Malt, The Absolut Group and Oatly.
Drawing on over a decade of experience in the industry, Niklas is a strong advocate of leveraging smart technology to advance transparency and sustainability across the agri-food sector. His expertise lies in fostering cross-supply chain collaboration and empowering stakeholders to utilize technology for building a more resilient and biodiverse food system.

Project Manager, GrupoAN

Director General, Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge (METK)

Andre Veskioja has been actively engaged in the field of agricultural and food production innovation for the past twenty years. His professional career encompasses a broad spectrum of sector-specific scientific research, the implementation of technological advancements, and the coordination of development programs aimed at enhancing the overall competitiveness and sustainability of the agricultural sector. Currently, Mr. Veskioja serves as the Director General of the Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge (METK), an institution operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture. Under his leadership, one of the principal mandates of the METK is to support and facilitate research and development activities, promote the dissemination of innovative solutions, and foster systematic knowledge exchange within the sector. These efforts collectively contribute to the advancement of rural development and the strengthening of Estonia’s agricultural sector competitiveness.

Expert at the Sectoral Specialisation Office, North-East Regional Development Agency from Romania

Claudiu Mitrea - graduate of the Faculty of Political Science and holder of a Master’s degree in Leadership and Political Psychology, with extensive experience in entrepreneurship, communication, and public relations. Currently, I serve as an expert within the Sectoral Specialisation Office at North-East Regional Development Agency, where I organise entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP) activities, workshops, matchmaking events, and one-on-one meetings. He also facilitates the development and implementation of sectoral communication tools, identify sector-specific needs and challenges, gather innovative project ideas, and provide support for the development, updating, implementation, and monitoring of the North-East RIS3 strategy.

Director of Food Safety Department, Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic

Mrs. Jitka Götzová graduated in 2002 at South Bohemian University, Faculty of Agriculture, Economy and Management - Marketing of Foodstuff Production

Since 2003, she has been working for the Ministry of Agriculture in several positions. In 2004 she was appointed as a Head of Food Safety Unit and since 2008 she is leading Food Safety Department as its Director.

Food Safety Department is responsible for risk assessment and risk communication according Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council, coordination of Food Safety System in the Czech Republic, monitoring of contaminants in the food chain, GMO, Novel Foods, Scientific committees in food safety, plant health and veterinary area and Integrated prevention pollution control according Directive 91/61/ES.

In area of risk communication is responsible for providing general public with information about food safety and nutrition and health lifestyle via Information Centre for Food Safety, which is part of the Food Safety Department. Information Centre runs two websites www.bezpecnostpotravin.cz and www.viscojis.cz , publishes leaflets, brochures and information booklets for public, organizes educational programs for school children and workshops for public.

Food Safety Department acts also as a Focal Point of EFSA and its role is to coordinate scientific and technical cooperation between EFSA and the Czech Republic.

Since 2008, Mrs. Götzová is representing the Czech Republic as a Member of Advisory Forum of EFSA.

She is acting Vice-chair of Food Safety Coordination Unit, which has been assigned to coordinate, and setting priorities in the field of food safety in the Czech Republic.

She is also representing the Czech Republic as a Member of EIT Food RIS Policy Council. 

Head of Service for food quality and food information, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Republic of Croatia

Focus of her work are food waste prevention policies and food labelling and food quality policies. As a civil servant, she participates and coordinate the work of drafting of sectorial legislation, strategies, and programmes. Also, she gained experience in budgeting of infrastructural projects for food donation from EU Resilience and Recovery Mechanism - programming of the measure, preparation of public call for grant award and monitoring of project implementation, as a team leader.

By profession, she is a nutritionist, therefore, she is also interested in topics of healthier and sustainable food. She a member of the European Commission’s working group for sustainable food systems and EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste. In EIT FOOD, she participates as a member of EIT FOOD RIS policy Council 2023–2025.

Deputy Director, Head of the Institute, Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, Institute of Economics and Rural Development

Dr. Rasa Melnikienė has accumulated over two decades of leadership experience within prominent Lithuanian research institutions specialising in economic studies. Her professional trajectory encompasses extensive engagement in the design and implementation of research and innovation policy. In addition to her academic leadership, she has held high-level political roles, including service as a Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania and as Deputy Minister. She was a member of the Health Council at the Seimas (Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania and has served for more than 20 years as a member of the Lithuanian Agricultural Science Council.

Her scholarly interests lie predominantly in the field of agricultural economics and rural development. She focuses on agricultural policy, the development of economically viable and environmentally sustainable farming systems, and innovative models of governance and collaboration. Her research further extends to the analysis of food supply chains, the modernisation of agribusiness management, and the implications of these processes for sustainable development at both regional and global levels.

Dr. Melnikienė is the author and co-author of more than 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications and book chapters. She actively contributes to national expert panels and advisory groups. In parallel with her academic work, she provides expert consultancy on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and has been involved in the development and evaluation of national strategies for agriculture and rural development.

In recent years, her research has increasingly focused on innovation in food systems, including the creation, dissemination, and uptake of novel solutions aimed at improving food supply chain management, reducing food waste, and developing digital platforms for short food supply chains. She is also engaged in advancing innovative, service-oriented business models tailored to rural development contexts.

Global Proteins & Technology Scout, ROQUETTE; Vice-President and Leader of the Ecosystem and Value Chain Impact Working Group at EIT Food Protein Diversification Think Tank

Bruno Gehin has developed extensive experience in the field of human and animal nutrition ingredients over the past 40 years. Initially, he served as a sales and marketing leader within the SANDERS Animal Nutrition group. He also led the Nutrition Business Units at the French biotech company FERMENTALG, which is involved in developing new microalgae-based solutions. 

Throughout most of his career, he worked for the ROQUETTE group, where he held several positions with a strong focus on plant-based proteins. He led technical sales departments, first in animal feed and then in human food. Over 20 years ago, he was responsible for launching ROQUETTE's pea protein into human nutrition markets. In addition, he managed Proteov®, the global research program at ROQUETTE dedicated to designing new protein solutions. For 10 years, Bruno has been responsible for global new protein projects, which are crucial for reinforcing ROQUETTE's role as a pioneer in new plant-based proteins.

As a recognised expert in the protein ecosystem, his current role is focused on scouting for proteins and their technologies.

Chief Marketing Officer at Enifer

Noora Vilkki is the Chief Marketing Officer at Enifer, where she drives the commercialisation of PEKILO® mycoprotein — transforming circular economy by-products into planet-friendly protein. With deep experience in plant protein business development and marketing, she focuses on turning sustainable food innovations into scalable business opportunities.

Farmer and EU Mission Soil Ambassador.

Matteo Mazzola is a farmer, educator and consultant specialised in agroecology & regenerative agriculture. He co-founded Iside Farm, a farm and an ecosystem focused on agroecological practices and biodiversity, as well as EARA (European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture) and the Italian agroecological microfarms network. He is also the founder of Metaecosistema an educational and consultancy project. He has worked and studied in four continents, contributing to rural development projects and training initiatives in the agricultural sector. Today, he focuses on research, education and consultancy, promoting a regenerative approach to farming.

Agronomist engineer, Head of Market and Transfer at NEIKER at Neiker BRTA.

Agricultural engineer and master's degree in quality management in the food industry. RTTP accreditation as an international expert in technology transfer. Innovation and agro-livestock value chain specialist. From 2003 to 2010 technical coordinator of the Local Action Group MENDINET, in charge of managing European LEADER aids for rural development in the Basque Country. Since 2011 head of knowledge transfer at NEIKER, Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development.” As a representative of NEIKER in EITFOOD, he has participated as evaluator in EITFAN calls focus on agricultural themes.

Head of the Mechanical Engineering Research Group, Research Centre for Sustainable Economy

Since October 2024 he has served as head of the Mechanical Engineering research group at the Poznan Institute of Technology, focusing on managing R&D projects and supporting technology transfer to the manufacturing sector. He establishes cooperation with business partners and contributes to the practical implementation of innovative solutions.

R&D Director, TFTAK | Co-founder & CEO, FUNKI (LinkedIn)

Dr. Sirli Rosenvald is a leading expert in food science and alternative proteins, with over a decade of experience in driving innovation at the intersection of research and commercialisation. As R&D Director at TFTAK, she leads cutting-edge projects in protein science and sustainable food development.

Dr. Rosenvald holds a Ph.D. in food technologies, with a specialisation in the molecular basis of taste and aroma. In addition to her scientific leadership, she is the co-founder and CEO of FUNKI, a startup that transforms low-value agricultural side streams into high-quality, fungi-based protein ingredients.

Her cross-sector expertise spans food technology, sustainability, and biotech innovation—making her a valuable contributor to the advancement of sustainable agriculture.

Director, Product Policy & Sustainability, EuroCommerce

At EuroCommerce, Els, with her team, works on safety, quality, and sustainability policies for food and non-food products, incl. deforestation, due diligence, food waste and climate a.o. Previously, she worked as teamleader at DG Enlargement.