Innovating Towards a Sustainable Food Future
Panel Discussion | 09:45 – 10:25 | Auditorium 2
Main Themes
Innovation | Sustainability
The Session
Around 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted every year across the world. If food waste were a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind the US and China. From field to table our food system is wasteful, inefficient and harmful.
In this panel discussion, The Mills Fabrica is joined by guests from across the agri-tech sector working on novel innovations to drive a more sustainable food future; from creating brand new ingredients from upcycled agricultural waste, to understanding microbiome science enabling the development of healthier produce.
The Speakers
NIKITA JAYASURIYA, General Manager, Head of Europe, The Mills Fabrica
Nikita is the General Manager, Europe, of The Mills Fabrica. Nikita has over 18 years of working in the fashion industry. Prior to joining The Mills Fabrica, he has built powerful and inspiring partnerships with some of the world’s leading brands and retailers, across luxury fashion and performance apparel and is now focused on growing The Mills Fabrica’s community of like-minded brands in the eco-innovation space within fashion and agritech.
TOM SIMMONS, Founder and CEO, The Supplant Company
Dr Tom Simmons is Founder and CEO of The Supplant Company. Prior to that Tom was a Borysiewycz Biomedical Fellow, a Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise Fellow and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Cambridge.
ANTHONY FINBOW, CEO, Eagle Genomics
Anthony has worked for over two decades as a leader, building and scaling deep technology businesses, and has a particular enthusiasm for businesses operating at the intersection of life science and data science. Anthony is currently Vice Chairman of the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA)’s Genomics Advisory Committee. He is also on the Executive Committee of the UK Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) Microbiome Innovation Network, set up to develop a proactive, self-sustaining microbiome community in the UK and to raise the visibility of the UK’s world leading microbiome science.
As Executive Chairman and CEO, Anthony has built and exited a number of intellectual property rich B2B software companies. In particular, he was responsible for the turnaround, strategic repositioning and sale of private venture backed communications software company, Psytechnics to US Nasdaq-listed NetScout. Similarly, as Managing Director of MetaSolv, he was responsible for doubling the size of the European business, prior to that company being acquired by Oracle. In his early career, Anthony worked as an aircraft engineer and in industrial lasers and electro-optics. He trained as a lawyer and worked as a banker in the privatization of former East German industrial companies, before moving into leadership roles with technology businesses.
JAMIE BOTT, Commercial Director, WNWN Food Labs
Jamie is Commercial Director at WNWN Food Labs. He’s spent the past decade transforming and growing consumer goods brands, along with retail and hospitality businesses. Passionate about food and drink, he has a depth of industry experience in chocolate, tea and coffee. His roles spanning operations, product development, sales, and marketing, enable him to craft winning strategies and launch innovative products that deliver revenue and increase awareness.
HANNAH HARLEY YOUNG, Presenter and Host, Crazy Sexy Food podcast
Following 10 years as a celebrity photographer, shooting at some of the top events internationally, she decided to dedicate herself to her passion for food. Since launching Crazy Sexy Food, Hannah has topped podcast charts and interviewed some of the world’s biggest names.
Hannah will moderate the panel discussion.
