MEET THE SPEAKERS
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Professor Vijay Jayasena
Professor in Nutrition and Food Science
Western Sydney University
Prof Jayasena has been working as a professor of Nutrition and Food Science at Western Sydney University since 2015.
His previous employments in Australia include Program Leader/Food Science & Technology at Curtin University, Head/Division of Food Technology at the Defence Science & Technology Organisation, Senior Research Scientist at the CSIRO/Bread Research Institute, and Quality Control Manager/Define Fine Foods.
He completed his MSc and PhD degrees at Kansas State University in the USA. Prof Jayasena is the recipient of the “Research Excellent Award” from the School of Science and Health from Western Sydney University in 2019, “Award for being the most-cited paper published in the Journal of Food Science in 2017” and “Curtin University Commercial Innovation (Health Science) Award in 2015.
Prof Jayasena’s research outcomes have received significant national and international attention. He has been working in collaboration with a number of international research/academic organisations in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam. He has delivered more than 100 presentations (22 plenary/keynote and 40 invited guest presentations) in around 25 different countries.
Since 2005, Prof Jayasena received around $15 million worth of grants from various funding bodies. His main areas of research focus include development of novel healthy foods, functional foods, food quality evaluation, value adding to food industry by-products, and food waste utilisation. Most of research projects are industry linked applied projects focusing on commercial outcomes.
He has conducted a number of projects on plant-based foods. Examples includes development of milk (lupin, soy, almond and rice), meat analogues, and burgers (patties). He has been granted four international patents. Projects outcomes based on patents have been commercialised include a high fibre and high protein, low sugar breakfast cereal, low fat, protein and fibre rich chips, and production of chicken feed from food waste.
Sean Edwards
Managing Director
Cafe Culture
Sean specialises in Consultancy to the Cafe and Coffee Industry and has been involved in the Australian café industry for over 20 years.
Sean is passionate about the growth of the coffee and cafe industry and is a pioneer in the plant milk industry.
Bruce McIntyre
Founder and CEO
Goodster (Lupin Products)
Bruce is a social and business entrepreneur. Building businesses to fund major community transformation projects. Startups sectors include superfoods, bush medicines and Waste to Energy technology. These businesses all feed into a new circular economy model that delivers social, health, environmental and economic outcomes for regional, remote and indigenous communities.
Tom Dusseldorp
Sales & Marketing Director
ALL G Foods
With over 17 years of business impact and experience across key strategy, sales, brand, and operational roles, Tom is passionate about growing and sustaining businesses of all sizes. With a proven track record, from start-ups to multinationals across various goods and services industries, most recently at All G Foods – where he is spearheading multiple growth projects.
Natalie Latimore
MILKLAB Marketing Manager
Noumi
Natalie has a passion for building premium brands and looking for new and innovative ways to reach and connect with consumers. With over 15 years marketing experience in Australia and New Zealand across beauty, FMCG and beverage categories, Natalie currently heads up the dynamic MILKLAB marketing team and is a driving force behind the brands rapid growth.
Ben Ryan
Associate
Hillhouse Legal Partners
Ben appreciates the nuances and challenges of operating a hospitality business within an ever-changing commercial landscape and works with his clients to find strategic resolutions. Ben provides extensive industry knowledge and expertise to the hospitality sector acting for all types of businesses from small ‘mum and dad’ businesses through to multi-premises franchises
Jurgen Kennedy
Business Development Director Plant-based Foods
AAK Foods (Plant-based Fats and Oils)
International guest
Dr Peter Johnston
Accredited Practising Dietitian
Doctors for Nutrition Advisory Council Member
Dr Peter Johnston is an accredited practising dietitian with a Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics and a PhD in Human Genetics. Peter is a fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine and has completed health coaching training with Well Start Health. Peter is also an advisory council member of Doctors For Nutrition. He has been exclusively plant-based since 1991 after learning of the health, environmental and ethical benefits. Peter runs a private practice: Perfect Human Food Consulting, offering individual consultations, public speaking, webinars, workplace health programs, and residential reboot programs. Peter is also a partner with Melbourne Lifestyle Medicine which offers lifestyle medicine retreats, workplace health programs, webinars and seminars.
Asgar Farahnaky
Associate Professor in Food Technology and Innovation
RMIT University
Asgar is a highly motivated Food Technology and Innovation research leader with extensive working experience in Europe in, Asia and Australia and has a passion for industry-led research/innovation. Asgar leads a successful research team (Food Innovation team) at RMIT University and works closely with the food industry on innovative products or technologies. Currently focusing on plant products including plant-based meat products and ingredients, emerging technologies, repurposing/transformation of manufacturing by-products into high value food ingredients. Keen to help the Australian Food Industry to innovate new health promoting foods.
Prof. Brent Kaiser
Professor of Legume Biology
The University of Sydney
Professor Brent N. Kaiser received a BSc (Agriculture) and MSc (Plant Physiology) degree from the University of Guelph (Canada) and a PhD from the Australian National University (Plant Molecular Biology).
As a postdoctoral fellow, Brent worked in a number of research groups (UBC Canada, Nice France and Canberra Australia) in areas focused on the molecular regulation of nitrogen transport in plants. Brent accepted a lectureship at the University of Adelaide in 2003, where he established a research lab in plant mineral nutrition focusing on nitrogen transport in cereals and nitrogen-fixing legumes. While in Adelaide, Brent taught in the Viticulture and Wine Science program and acted as Program coordinator for the undergraduate and postgraduate Wine Science degrees.
Brenton Barker
Director and Founder
Food and Dairy Co
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