Track #2: Food & Beverage Speakers
Atef W. Idriss
CEO of MEFOSA SARL.
With vast experience in the food industry in the Arab region, he is a board member of Widriss Holdings and is the Founding President of SLFI (Syndicate of Food Industries), LAMA (Association of Marketing and Advertising), LAFST (Association of Food Scientists and Technologists), and LAND (ASSOCIATION OF Nutrition and Development). Atef worked as a consultant with UNIDO, WHO, ESCWA, USAID, EUROMED, ILO and he served as a board member of ELCIM. He is a member of IUFoST & IAFP, a Professional Member IFT, VP of LASFT, and MENAFoST facilitator.
Talk title: Food Security in times of Covid-19
Professor Pierre Pienaar
President WPO
Pierre Pienaar’s interest in packaging started in 1984 after having studied pharmacy.
Pierre has attended international congresses and conferences where he has delivered and continues to present papers, write articles for numerous packaging magazines, and continues to judge national and international packaging competitions. He is a registered Certified Packaging Professional in 52 countries.
Talk title: Challenges for the global packaging industry in 2021.
Joyce Williams
Managing Attorney at Armooh–Williams, PLLC and Chairperson of Women of Africa Network
Ms.Joyce Williams, Esq. is a multiple award-winning U.S. Supreme Court-admitted attorney. She is the owner of Armooh-Williams, PLLC an internationally-recognized Project Development and finance, International Trade and Commerce, Immigration Law, and Corporate & Business Law firm headquartered in the Washington, DC Metro area and the Co-Founder of Hazina EquityPartners, a global private equity firm positioned to be a catalyst in the major strategic shift in transforming investment from a functional focus to innovation for business and risk-adjusted returns.
Talk title: AfCFTA simplified and awareness session.
Mamdouh Issa
CEO of Ahdo
Mamdouh is a Food health and safety consultant & an International lecturer accredited in the United Kingdom for all food safety and computer qualifications in manufacturing, catering and retail. He has conducted his Postgraduate studies at the University of Florence, Italy, on the philosophy of laws governing food safety. He works at the International Institute of Agriculture in Florence and is Certified in many modern management programs from Harvard University in the United States.
Talk title: Food Safety : New measures in production post Covid 19 pandemic
Karen Constable
Principal Consultant at Food Fraud Advisors
Karen Constable is a global expert in food fraud prevention and the food fraud requirements of GFSI. Karen has more than twenty years’ experience in food manufacturing, quality assurance, food product development, and food safety. She is a founding member of the International Association of Food Protection Food Fraud Professional Development Group and a professional member of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology.
Talk title: Food Fraud
Lucia Anelich
Food Safety Expert
Prof Lucia Anelich has a PhD in Microbiology and has over 40 years’ experience in food microbiology and food safety. She is the owner of her own successful food safety consulting and training business, Anelich Consulting. Prior to starting her own business, she established and headed up a food safety body, at the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa, a first for the country. Prior to that, she spent 25 years at Tshwane University of Technology where she was Head of Department and Associate Professor. Most importantly, she is the only person in South Africa and Africa to be a member of the internationally-renowned expert group on food microbiology, the International Commission on the Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF).
Talk title: SARS-CoV-2 and Risk to Food Safety
Emmanuela Opoku
International peace scholar
Emmanuela Opoku is an international Peace Scholar who has worked continuously to attain the highest levels of professional accomplishment, academic achievement, scholarly involvement, and contribution to pedagogy. She earned her PhD in Philosophy from the University ofNorth Texas. She has worked at the University for Development Studies, the University of North Texas and as an Adjunct at the Southeast Campus of the Tarrant County College. Emmanuela has also held positions at the Center for Sustainable Development Initiatives (CENSUDI) and World VisionInternational, both institutions are Non-Governmental Organizations. Emmanuela’s research interests have revolved around, ecofeminism, climate science, environmental and distributive justice, and human rights to provide gender analysis of climate policy, including climate finance.
Talk title: Women of Africa in the industry, the “Will”
Val Okaru-Bisant
CEO, General Counsel at Afrocosmo Development Impact, LLC
Val Okaru-Bisant ( Valentina or Prof. OB) has over 15 years of high-level advisory & work experience in economic development, business, trade, water and gender sectors. She is the CEO & Founder of Afrocosmo Development Impact, LLC, a company with a mission to achieve impactful, inclusive and long-term sustainable development through delivery of quality advisory due diligence, research, match-making, training and advisory services to small & medium enterprises & governments in trade, investments and development space. Val is also an adjunct professor at the Catholic University of America & taught for several years at the George Washington University, the Elliott School of International Affairs, Washington DC.
Talk title:Women of Africa in the industry, the “Will”
Langa Sibanda-Lloyd
Founder and Creative Director at House of LANGA
A Pan Africanist at heart, a working mum and a woman in business who enjoys collaborating with other like-minded women, Langa Sibanda-Lloyd is the founder and Creative Director of House of LANGA; a company that manufactures and retails LANGA Natural Mineral Makeup and is specialized in the process of creating the skin-food range, a skincare range that feeds the skin and will complement and complete our Cosmetics Line. House of LANGA has also created a food line, working, and supporting rural women, creating sustainable ideas of minimizing waste on certain produce. Linking food and cosmetics manufacturing using the entire fruit and avoiding any wastage in the belief that what we put in our skin should be good enough to eat. Langa is the Winner of Rothman’s Designer of the Year, Zimbabwe International Women’s Awards Entrepreneur of the year winner and is also the former Miss Universe Zimbabwe, who proudly represented the country in Las Vegas and raised the flag high.
Talk title: The Opportunities and Challenges that face women during this “new normal”.
Will Cowling
Marketing Manager, FMCG Gurus
As Marketing Manager of FMCG Gurus, Will is responsible for managing the day to day marketing tasks ranging from implementing campaigns, PR, to managing content on socials and the website. Understanding the business and the industry is key to providing innovative ideas and producing quality content.
Talk title #1: Food waste and food waste management
Talk title #2: Food Sustainability
Marc Bou Zeidan
Coordinator of the Experimental Field of the School of Engineering at Holy Spirit University of Kaslik - USEK
Agricultural Engineer, PhD in Food Microbiology and Biotechnology – Associate Professor at the School of Engineering at USEK, Lebanon. Instructor of BS and MS courses related to the Food Industry including Waste Management, Food processing, Food products development and innovation, Author of 6 peer-reviewed scientific articles – Consultant for industrials for Quality, research and development solutions, and for NGOs for projects related to training on Sustainable Food production – Co-Founder and production manager of a Microbrewery in Beirut, Lebanon. Member of several technical committees at the Lebanese Standards Institution of the Lebanese Ministry of Industry – Jury member in many start-up competitions.
Talk title: Valorization of Food Industries Wastes into Sustainable Food Products: a case study on Dairy and Brewing Industries
Annachiara Scandone
UNIDO Egypt
Ms. Annachiara Scandone joined UNIDO Regional Office in Egypt in 2013. Since then, she has worked in various areas of UNIDO's interventions in the country: entrepreneurship and MSME development, cluster and value chain development, investment promotion, green growth, women's economic empowerment, eco-industrial parks, youth employability, entrepreneurial education in TVET. Her work focused on advancing inclusive and sustainable development of the following key sectors: waste management, sustainable agriculture and food production, sustainable energy, furniture, textile, plastics, creative industries.
Talk title: Food Waste management initiatives for Factories
Mike Hughes
Head of Research & Insight FMCG Gurus
Mike Hughes has over 13 years’ experience analysing consumer trends, attitudes and behaviours and currently heads up the research and insight division at FMCG Gurus. Mike has a particular interest in highlighting how consumer attitudes and behaviours can often differ and what the true meaning of trends are for the industry.
Talk title: Addressing the issue of food Waste in Africa
Thang Nguyen-Quoc
Economist, Unit for Africa, Middle East and Europe, OECD Development Centre
Thang is an Economist at the OECD Development Centre. He works mainly on the Centre’s flagship reports– the Africa’s Development Dynamics (2018-2021) with the African Union and, previously, the African Economic Outlook (2015-17). Before joining the OECD, Thang worked for the World Bank, and the U.S. National Academy of Social Insurance. Currently a PhD candidate in Economics at University Paris-Dauphine, he obtained his M.Sc. from Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, and B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University.
Talk title: Africa’s urban transformation: A food market revolution?
Wael Mohamed
QA Food Safety Expert
Mr. Wael Mohamed has 25 years’ experience in QA – and Food safety as well as Research and development (R&D) in Food industries beside professional knowledge in food regulations and standards in Egypt & Gulf area gained from launching of many well-known brands with Nestle in EMENA region and Gulf area. Wael is the current CEO in FSMS consultant company, has multiple ISO certificates and is a certified as ICPM
Talk title: AFRICA Opportunities to elevate the Food safety culture
Manal Makki
MEFOSA
Manal Makki is a medical laboratory technologist and a food scientist. She completed her masters degree in collaboration with the American University of Beirut (AUB) with a thesis that studies the quality of quail eggs in reference to storage time and temperature. She is currently the Projects & Consultations Department Supervisor at MEFOSA. Manal has been in the food safety consultation sector for 4 years. During her career, she has worked with reputable NGO’s such as USAID and UN Women contributing to women empowerment and creating opportunities in the food sector. She has also worked with NGO’s such as Mercy Corps in capacity building and empowering small-medium enterprises, supporting employment and self employment. She also was the lead organizer of several scientific conferences including LAFST Annual Conference 2017 in Lebanon, Africa Food Manufacturing 2019 in Cairo, and Fi Africa. She is ISO 28000 certified and she has rotated in several hospitals in Beirut to build up her medical background before entering the field of food science.
Talk title: Food Sustainability
Shereen Mosallam
Symbios Consulting
Certified from Columbia business school, DIGITAL STRATEGIES FOR BUSINESS: LEADING THE NEXT-GENERATION ENTERPRISE Digitalization and Industry 4.0 Readiness Consultant. Experienced Supply Chain and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with a demonstrated history of working in the management consulting industry. Skilled in Analytics, DMAIC, Operational Excellence, SCOR, Industry 4.0 readiness, Digitalization. Strong business development, professional with a Master of Business Administration - MBA focused on Business Administration, Management and Operations from the American University in Cairo.
Talk title: Digital transformation in sales, supply chain, and manufacturing
Satvik Jaitly
Consultant, Food & Nutrition, Frost & Sullivan
Satvik looks after growth consulting and innovation advisory projects in the Middle East region across the Foods, Beverage, and Nutrition value chain. He provides advisory to market leaders as well as Governments for Market Enhancement, Product Development, and Food Security strategies for categories such as Processed Foods, Poultry & Red Meats, Sugar and Sweeteners, Fruits, and Vegetables. His specialization is in the field of Innovation Operationalisation with 10+ food innovations successfully translated from Lab to Market across various functional foods verticals for multinational packaged food brands, International hotel chains, etc.
Talk title: Barriers in Food Production & how to overcome it: Foodservice businesses in a post-pandemic world.
Aarthi Janakirama
Research Manager, TechVision, Frost & Sullivan
Aarthi Janakiraman is a Research Manager with Frost & Sullivan's TechVision team. She has over 10 years of experience in consulting and advisory services and research recommendations. Aarthi has been developing technology foresight and product development strategies for companies with specific emphasis on the F&B, personal care, nutraceuticals, chemicals, and materials industries. Aarthi is actively involved in leading and managing advisory and consulting projects focused on technology, R&D, and Innovation Management, especially in the FMCG, F&B, and Packaging Industries for various stakeholders including market leaders, R&D agencies, start-ups, and technology transfer offices.
Talk title: Leading with technology for efficient food production
Thouraya Attia
Food Safety & public health expert - Tunisia
Dr. Thouraya Attia is a physician who has been always working on preventive medicine. She occupied the head of regional then national service of public hygiene and director of the food safety department at ANCSEP. She joined the National Observatory for new and emerging diseases (ONMNE). She is president of an accreditation committee on food labs (TUNAC, national accreditation body); Associate researcher at the Pasteur Institute of Tunis. She was president of a scientific association on food safety for the Maghreb -AMSSA.
Talk title: Risk Analysis & Mathematical Modelling in Food Industry
