There’s a whole lot in store at this year’s Food’s Future Summit, including an exciting line-up of panellists who will be sharing their knowledge on a wide range of topics. Your biggest problem is going to be working out which session to choose!
For 21 September morning agenda, click here
For 22 September morning agenda, click here
For 22 September afternoon agenda, click here
Find the full agenda at the bottom of this article
Here are the speakers for the afternoon of Friday, 21 September:
Panel 4: Sustaining a Sustainable Business
Sustainable businesses discuss the realities of sustainability vs commercial success.
Anna Simpson (Panel Moderator) – Director, Flux Compass
Flux Compass helps organisations and individuals to navigate change and build resilience. Alongside being the director of this agency, she is also one of the co-founders of Circular Community Hong Kong, as well as the curator of the Futures Centre, a co-active life coach and the author of The Innovation-Friendly Organization.
Janice Lao – Director of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels
Janice has been listed in Forbes as one of the top female sustainability leaders. Throughout her 15-year career, she has worked for world-renowned international think tanks as well as blue-chip multinational conglomerates in the transport, energy, extractive, FMCG, property and hospitality sectors.
Candy Cheung – Senior Campaigner, LUSH
Candy oversees LUSH’s charitable-giving and ethical campaigns, in addition to the cosmetic company’s commitments to animal welfare, human rights and environmental protection.
Petra Schweiger – Owner, LILY FLD
LILY FLD is an import and distribution company for premium-quality, fully biobiodegradable single-use drinking straws. Petra’s mission for now is to replace plastic straws while we are on the way to reducing the use of straws altogether.
Shiz Scott – DNA Director, Maximal Concepts
As Maximal Concepts’ DNA Director, Shiz devotes herself to her biggest passions: F&B and the arts. Not only does she lead a project-management team that constructs the group’s concepts from start to finish, she also ensures that every detail of each Maximal venue – from decor, to music, to marketing programme – encapsulates the brand’s DNA. A New Zealand native, Shiz is no stranger to the natural wonders of Mother Earth and enjoys spending most of her spare time outdoors (especially surfing). Her love for nature is what inspired her to spearhead Maximal Concepts’ eco-friendly initiative six years ago. Today, Shiz continues to uphold these values by putting sustainability at the forefront of all existing and future concepts.
Track 1: Food Tech
Dining in Innovation
Find out how technology and new science are shaping our dining experiences.
Professor Lorenzo Pastrana – Head of Department of Life Sciences, INL
Professor Pastrana has a PhD in Pharmacy from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). In September 2015, he joined INL (International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory) in Portugal as the head of the Department of Life Sciences. He is the author of more than 150 scientific papers and four licenced patents relating to the development of new food products and processes.
Johan Jörgensen – Founder and Partner, Sweden Foodtech
Holding more than 20 years’ experience within the Internet sector, Johan coaches and invests in Internet companies with scalable and disruptive capabilities. He has recently sought to solve the big question of how to meet the demand to feed the soon-to-be nine billion world population in a healthy and sustainable way.
How Do You “Eat” Data?
Charting the application and opportunities of data, both big and personal, in our dining scene.
Susan Evans – Founder and CEO, Melee
Susan Evans is an entrepreneur, consultant and lecturer in innovation and design. Her vision, practice and research are focused on the creation of new regenerative ecosystems that can drive next-economy business and society. She is a mathematician, computer scientist and statistician with proven creative leadership expertise.
Dr Justin Gregory – CEO, Biorna Quantics
Justin holds a doctorate in Anthropology from Oxford University and is a published author of several high-impact academic papers. He has presented at numerous international conferences in Europe, the US and Asia.
Anita Varshney – Global Strategy & Transformation Lead, SAP Next-Gen
Anita leads strategy for SAP Next-Gen, a purpose-driven innovation university and community aligned with SAP’s commitment to the 17 UN global goals for sustainable development, supporting SAP’s 388,000+ customers across 25 industries in 180+ countries.
Blockchain in our Food Chain
What is blockchain? And is it the solution to the problems within the food industry?
Susan Evans – Founder and CEO, Melee
Susan Evans is an entrepreneur, consultant and lecturer in innovation and design. Her vision, practice and research are focused on the creation of new regenerative ecosystems that can drive next-economy business and society. She is a mathematician, computer scientist and statistician with proven creative leadership expertise.
Musheer Ahmed – General Manager, Fintech Association of Hong Kong
Musheer has an extensive background in financial services and technology, having been a global markets trader for a decade and a management consultant following his MBA. He is a founding member of Fintech Association of Hong Kong and a member of UN ESCAP Economic Sustainable Business Network (ESBN) Youth and Women Entrepreneurs Taskforce (YET) and co-founder of IndiaTech HK.
Professor Lars Montelius – Director-General, INL
Professor Montelius holds 30 years’ experience in nanotechnology, with his work focusing on lithography and processing applied to numerous nano devices. INL (International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory) in Portugal is the only true international-by-status nanotechnology RTO worldwide. Alongside his role as Director-General, Lars also works as a professor in nanotechnology at Lund University, Sweden.
Toby Overmaat – Dapp Investment Adviser, EOS Mediterranean
Toby is an entrepreneur in the healthcare and bioinformatics space. She has a background in semiconductors, finance and design and holds an MBA and a Masters in Electrical Engineering degree. Toby is a core member of EOS Mediterranean, which is focused on enabling blockchain in multiple fields, including finance, blockchain governance, agriculture and consumer blockchain access.
Tomaž Levak – Co-Founder & CEO, OriginTrail
Tomaž Levak been on a mission to build transparency in supply chains since 2011. He managed tech projects in Europe and the Middle East. An H-Farm alum, he is also a member of the Ethereum Enterprise Alliance Supply Chain working group. OriginTrail is a part of one of the most exciting trends in the industry that just might transform it in its core. By bringing decentralisation to supply chains, OriginTrail will entire change the way the food industry thinks about brokering trust.
Track 2: Food and Dining
Is Alternative Protein Still Alternative?
A look at how meat alternatives are becoming mainstream.
Melissa Stevens (Panel Moderator) – Online Editor, Hong Kong and Singapore, Expat Living
Melissa has worked as an editor for various publishing brands in Australia and Asia, including News Corporation and the South China Morning Post, for both print and digital publications, before joining Expat Living.
Ricky Lai – CEO, FWM Restaurants
In 2017, Ricky and FWM Restaurants group acquired The Butchers Club, a Hong Kong–based dry-aged beef specialist that has been listed in the Michelin Guide for three consecutive years. FWM has taken The Butchers Club to mainland China, with outlets opened in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen and more to come. The Butchers Club has worked with Beyond Meat since its launch in Hong Kong with the Beyond Classic and Beyond Wu Tang, two vegan versions of The Butchers Club’s signature Classic and Wu Tang burgers, and has been named “Go Green Champion” by Green Monday in 2018.
Jenny Ng – Executive Director, Green Monday and Green Common
As an entrepreneur, Jenny has a strong personal commitment to contributing to a more sustainable world. She joined Green Monday with the urge to make global social changes and has co-created Green Common, where she curates the unique plant-based product selection, bringing in many of the world’s leading and most innovative plant-based brands to Hong Kong. She is also a founding member of Right Treat, the latest venture of Green Monday, with pioneering pork-alternative Omnipork created to revolutionise the Asian market.
Bobsy Gaia – Founder, MANA!
Bobsy Gaia is a passionate eco-entrepreneur whose driving motivation in all his works is to inspire change and raise awareness. Veteran environmentalist, founder of MANA! Fast Slow Food and ardent advocate of a plant-based lifestyle, Bobsy is credited with being the pioneer of Hong Kong’s eco-conscious business movement, having operated all his enterprises with a non-negotiable foundation of putting people and the planet first.
Liam Collette – Managing Director International, Pizza Express
Liam manages over 80 Pizza Express restaurants in 10 markets: Hong Kong, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, Gibraltar, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Philippines and Qatar.
Gourmet Beyond Four Walls
Restaurants are not the only places to get gourmet food. A look at the ever-evolving operating models for finer dining (e.g., delivery, co-kitchens).
Sophie Pettit (Panel Moderator) – Editor-in-Chief, Localiiz
Sophie is an adventurous lifestyle journalist with a passion for city life and Hong Kong’s ever-evolving dining scene. Since moving to Hong Kong seven years ago, she has enjoyed exploring all the fantastic things the 852 has to offer, sharing her knowledge through her articles on Localiiz. From discovering the city’s coolest bars and speakeasies to its most beautiful hiking trails and, of course, dynamic cuisine, she hopes to inspire others to make the most out of living in this exciting city she now calls home.
Syed Asim Hussain – Co-Founder, Black Sheep Restaurants
Syed co-founded Black Sheep Restaurants in 2012, becoming one of the most prolific innovators at the forefront of Hong Kong’s ever-evolving culinary scene. Hussain grew up in his father’s Hong Kong restaurants during summers home from schooling in Pakistan and developed a love affair with the storytelling and hospitality of the restaurant industry.
Guillaume Kaminer – Co-Founder and CEO, Eatology
Eatology provides premium, tailor-made meal programmes, designed by chefs and tested and tweaked by dieticians to ensure that all the macronutrients are spot on whilst still providing customers with delicious food. Guillaume believes that healthy eating does not need to be complicated.
Kinny Barlow – Head of Partnership, Magnetic Asia
TBC
Gen Z: What Do They Eat?
What does Generation Z eat? Is the image more important than the actual food? What are the factors that drive Gen Zers to queue at length and travel for hours in pursuit of ’grammable grub? Find out from the latest research study if health and environmental consciousness affect their menu choices and hear directly from these influential food influencers themselves as to what they look for when setting out to dine.
Forest Ma – Instructor, School of Hotel & Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Forest has extensive working experience in hotel operations, with a focus on the F&B sector. Her areas of expertise for teaching and research are food and beverage service, gastronomy and beverage management.
Rose Chiu – Blogger, @fatasslovesfood
Influenced by her mother, Rose developed a passion for food from a young age. As one of the first food bloggers in Hong Kong, she has amassed a loyal fan base with @fatasslovesfood, building a strong bond with some of the most highly regarded individuals within the industry over the years. With a unique perspective towards the market and valuable connections with leading restaurateurs, Rose found her calling as the bridge that brings the F&B industry closer to consumers. Before becoming an independent consultant, Rose worked with some of the most elite companies in the industry.
Venus Chi – Founder, Bakebe
Venus has long been accustomed to the glamour of high society and good food, from hosting TV shows related to fashion, food and cooking, to being the master of ceremonies at many high-profile events, to eventually becoming a professional food blogger. There aren’t many foods that haven’t crossed her palate. Despite all this, the foods she enjoys most are those that are homemade, dishes made with love. With this philosophy in mind, she wanted to be able to give everyone the opportunity to create something with their own hands for themselves and those they love, and thus Bakebe, a self-service baking studio with an app, was born.
Dr Murray Mackenzie – Education Specialist (Integrated Learning), School of Hotel & Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Before joining The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2008, Dr Mackenzie was employed at the Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, as a senior lecturer and programme leader for the Bachelor of International Hospitality Management. He has 20 years’ experience lecturing and teaching in Northern Ireland, New Zealand and Hong Kong.
