Anita Scholte op Reimer is head of the Quality, Food Safety and Sustainability department at Albert Heijn. Educated as an organic chemist, she has worked in the pharmaceutical and flavour&fragrance industries in different commercial roles before starting to work at Ahold Europe 8 years ago. At Albert Heijn she first worked in the sourcing and merchandising departments and nowadays she is responsible for making sure that the customers shopping at Ahold can buy safe, tasty, healthy and sustainable products that meet their daily needs.

Dr. Atanasios Moschos is a Quality and Food Safety professional with nearly 25 years of experience. He studied chemistry at Brussels University (ULB) and obtained his PhD in physical chemistry. He is also graduate in Occupational Safety and Hygiene and in Innovation Management. He was expert at the European Commission where he worked for 3 years. Since 1995, he works for Leonidas Confectionery, one of the larger “pralines” manufacturer in Belgium. As head of the Quality Department, he has a global and integrated vision of quality and safety. He participated within the Belgian association of biscuits, confectioneries and chocolates manufacturers (Choprabisco), in the verification of the official self-checking guide of the sector. He is also member of the Regulatory and Scientific committee and the Hygiene Group of Caobisco, the European association of biscuit, chocolate and confectionery industries.

Carolyn Lee has been working for GS1 since June 2011, leading the GS1 Global Traceability Programme, a capacity building initiative involving 65 countries. She is a contributor to the development of traceability guidelines on industry best practices, other key traceability related documents such as the GS1 Global Traceability Standard as well as the author of the GS1 Global Traceability Compliance Criteria for Food Application Standard, December 2016. Using experiences gained from this work, she collaborated in the development of materials for the GS1 Master Data Services Programme and is the lead auditor for audits in various markets. Carolyn is current an expert in the ISO/TC 34 workgroup where key outputs were the ISO 22000:2018 Food safety management systems-Requirements for any organisation in the food chain and has been a speaker for various events such as the EU-ASEAN Forum on Food Safety, International Dairy Federation Symposium and the World Bank. Prior to her work in GS1, she has been in laboratory management (ISO 17025), product development on food packaging materials, quality manager and an auditor for food management systems. She is a registered Food Hygiene Trainer-Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) trainer and an ISO 9001 lead auditor. Possessing a European Masters in Food Science, Technology & Nutrition (SEFOTECHNUT) from 4 partner universities; KU Leuven, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology and Universidade Catolica Portuguesa, she maintains a close relationship with academia, being invited as a guest lecturer for the Food Safety Module in KU Leuven, Ghent campus.

Elspeth has been Deputy Chief Executive for Food Standards Scotland since it was created in 2015, and as part of the senior management team, she leads on FSS’s strategy and policy. Elspeth joined the Food Standards Agency in Scotland in April 2001, having previously worked in the Scottish Government’s Marine Laboratory (now Marine Scotland Science) in Aberdeen. In 2011 she was appointed as Head of Policy and Operations, before undertaking a secondment to FSA HQ in London as Head of FSA’s Regulatory and International Unit. There, she led the development of the FSA’s future Regulatory Strategy and coordinated FSA’s EU and international work. Elspeth is a science graduate of the universities of Stirling and Aberdeen.

Gary Ridgewell is the Head of Technical and sits on the Senior Executive Management Team at Sleaford Quality Foods. SQF, a subsidiary of Jain Farm Fresh Foods, manufacture products for retail, foodservice and are key suppliers to the food manufacturing industry. Gary is a supply chain and processing specialist with a vast range of experience spanning 20 years. A particular area of interest for him centres on the quality, safety and authenticity of dried Herb and Spices and various other food ingredients. As part of his role he has travelled extensively within the global supply chain conducting audits and developing relationships with major producers as well as conducting farm level investigations in response to industry incidents. The work Gary has undertaken has allowed him to develop a deep understanding of the vulnerabilities and challenges within these often extremely complex supply chains. Over the years, Gary has developed a network of contacts ranging from producing farms, primary processors, industry associations and regulatory bodies. Gary is an active member on the Technical Committee’s of the Seasoning and Spice Association (SSA UK), the European Spice Association (ESA) as well as sitting on the Technical Steering Group for the Food Industry Intelligence Network (FiiN). Gary has recently played a key role in the design, development and implementation of one of the world’s largest, state of the art spice processing plants, set within the Jain Food Park in Jalgaon, India. As part of this venture, Gary has supported Jain to implement brand new technologies aimed at reducing agricultural complexities and associated food safety risks. This has led to the development of processes that minimise traditional touch points thus further reducing potential for food fraud and food safety vulnerabilities within the Jain Spice supply chains. The development of new systems to support the mechanical dehydration of spices has had a significant impact in significantly reducing contaminants commonly found in traditionally produced spice raw materials, such as foreign bodies, mycotoxins and pathogenic microorganisms. Gary has supported the Jain Spice Project to develop a system of farm level traceability, leading to a 5000 strong base of contracted farmers, all producing fresh materials ready for direct processing within the new facility. These farmers are supported by 80+ field based Jain agronomists, guiding the implementation of JAIN GAP systems and monitoring. Alongside these new systems, sustainably controlled micro irrigation systems achieve ‘More Crop Per Drop’. As a direct result of this project there has been a significant reduction in the water footprint typically required to grow spice materials, leading to a greater level of sustainability and finished products with an increased level of product quality characteristics.

Jerry Tracey has been working as member of the management team of GS1 Netherlands since December 2012. He was first responsible for the implementation of GS1 standards in the general merchandise and apparel sectors. Later he became responsible for the food, health and beauty industries. Since January 2019 he is heading all industry engagement and implementation projects regarding retail and consumer products in the Netherlands. Jerry has extensive experience with the exchange of product data in the Dutch FMCG/retail industry and the Benelux Do-It-Yourself & Gardening industry, particularly for omnichannel commerce. Leading a comprehensive nationwide data quality program in the Netherlands that involves over 1.000 suppliers and all major retailers, he has many insights on the way manufacturers are trying to meet the increasing demands of retailers, consumers and legislators for accurate information on their products. Prior to his work in GS1, Jerry held senior marketing positions with retail organizations including Staples, Halfords and Praxis. He has a Master’s in Business Economics from the University of Amsterdam.

John is a highly experienced food industry technical specialist having worked throughout his 40 year career in both branded and retailer branded businesses. John’s specialisms include technical governance, incident and risk management and supply chain food security. John worked across all categories of food manufacture from chilled to frozen to ambient. He spent the majority of his career working for Mars Inc. in a number of senior European technical roles culminating in his position as Head of Market Quality and Food Safety for Western Europe. Whilst in this role John managed all of the customer and consumer technical interfaces and related incident management. For the 12 years prior to establishing his own consultancy, John was Technical Director of British Pepper and Spice, the UK’s leading supplier of dried herbs and spices to the retail, food service and food manufacturing sectors. As a key member of the senior team in this £80m turnover business, he has played a leading role in building a secure supply chain, and managed the challenges of having suppliers spread across the world. This has given him first hand and wide exposure to the issues of global food authenticity, quality and safety. In addition he has tirelessly promoted the importance of food integrity to all of the major UK food manufacturers and retailers and in 2017 was awarded Technical Supplier of the Year by Marks and Spencer. John has built strong working relationships with the majority of the major retailers and food manufacturers in the UK and Ireland, as well as the regulators and has developed a deep understanding of their sector specific requirements. As a former Board member of the European Spice Association and current member of the Executive Board of the UK Seasoning and Spice Association, John has broad experience of the issues and challenges faced by the UK food industry. He has travelled extensively to the source countries of dried herbs and spices and is well known amongst many of the leading global suppliers. John has built up a close working relationship with Professor Chris Elliott and his team at Belfast’s Queens University (QUB), Institute of Global Food Security. He was instrumental in establishing a consortium of all of the major UK retailers and packers of dried herbs and spices which now works with QUB to develop non-targeted methods for identifying adulterants in food ingredients. His extensive network includes the Food and Drink Federation and the Food Standards Agency with a specific focus on allergen risk management and the prevention of food fraud. Finally, John is a frequent speaker at international conferences in the USA, India, Europe and the UK, sharing his expertise and knowledge of the challenges in the dried herb and spice supply chain with the suppliers, processors, retailers and regulators.

Matteo Campagnoli is currently Food Safety Microbiology Specialist at the Nestlé Research Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland. After graduating in Food Science & Technology from the University of Bologna (Italy), Matteo held different positions at both research institutes and private companies focusing on the management of microbiological safety and quality for thermally processed foods. His main area of expertise is the validation of thermal processes for low acid, high acid and low moisture foods. He has experience in supporting R&D on developing new, safe products and Operations on managing microbiological food safety at factory level. In the present role at Nestlé Research, Matteo has been working on industrial applications of mild technologies with particular focus on the microbiological safety of fresh and dried produce.

I joined ABP’s Food Group's graduate programme having completed a MSc in Pharmaceutical QA and Biotechnology at University. I worked in the red meat industry in technical management across multiple sites in the UK and joined Itsu in 2016. Since then I have been heading up the Technical department of our grocery business which has experienced exponential growth over the years.

With over 25 years’ experience in a variety of senior roles and acting as Head Global FSQ Management- Supply Chain & External Factories as part of The Kraft Heinz Company, we are once again very honoured to have Rachid Hassairi as our Chairman. He brings his strong commitment to excellence through improving organisations, teams and people at the highest level. Kraft Heinz is the fifth largest food and beverage company in the world, with eight $1 billion+ brands. To deliver on their trusted brand status, Kraft Heinz has implemented consistent, comprehensive Global Food Safety & Quality Management and Improvement Processes across their supply chain. Kraft Heinz’s vision is: To be the best food company, growing a better world! Rachid is responsible for Supply Chain & External Factories with a team distributed across the globe to mitigate Food Safety & Quality risk, lead various improvement initiatives, govern various global processes, manage change and trouble shoot where required cross functionally. As some of you may already know, Rachid is skilled at making events he chairs interactive while working closely with the audience to stimulate conversation and enhance learnings. We look forward to having Rachid back with us. Get ready for some exciting conference days!

Roberto holds a PhD in Chemistry and Food Technology from Parma University. He started his career with Barilla in 1992 and has over 25 years' experience in R&D, innovation and food processing. Roberto has held several Research and Development management positions at European and Glbal level within Barilla Group, such as RD&Q Director in Kamps/Lieken in Germany until 2008, Vice President Product Development Bakery at Group level until 2014, Vice President R&D Region Italy and VP for the Center of Expertise Bakery at Global level until 2017. Roberto is currently Vice President Global Quality and Food Safety for the Barilla Group.

Roy has a PhD in Microbiology and over 20 years FMCG experience in technical areas including Product Safety, Regulatory Compliance and Corporate Social Responsibility. Roy began his career in the academic side of food safety as a Lecturer of Food Microbiology at the Catholic University of Portugal in the Faculty of Biotechnology where he launched new undergraduate and post-graduate courses. From there Roy moved into the FMCG arena starting at HJ Heinz as a microbiology manager, quickly moving up to holding senior safety roles at Unilever and SC Johnson. He has also held the positon of Head of Quality Management at the European Food Safety Authority for over 4 years. Roy is currently the Global Director of Food Safety at Mondelez International and a Board Member of the Global Food Safety Initiative.

Born in 1962, graduated in Industrial Chemistry at the University of Naples, Italy in 1986. Since then, Salvatore has gained four different professional experiences in Quality Assurance and R&D, working for Unilever, Quaker Oats/Pepsi and Esselunga (biggest private Italian retailer). Nine years ago Salvatore moved from the retail business back to food industry, assuming finally the position as Group Quality Director at the Ferrero headquarters in Luxembourg. The scope of the position includes food safety as well as food quality for the entire value chain, covering the global business of the Ferrero Group.

Shabeek Thayyil is with Agthia P.J.S.C - UAE since Dec 2009 and currently holds the position of Director- Quality & Food Safety (Water & Beverages). His educational background in in Food Science, Operation’s Management, Catering Management and TQM. He has over 16 years of experience in the area of Quality, Food Safety & HSE for the Airline Catering Industry and FMCG.  Prior to his association with Agthia PJSC, he held management and middle management positions in different companies – GFI (an Al Batha Group Company -UAE), Etihad Airline Catering -UAE, Qatar Aircraft Catering Company (QACC)- Qatar and Abu Dhabi International Airport Catering Company (AIAC)- UAE.    Shabeek has participated in several Food Safety, Quality, HSE & Halal conferences across the globe. His area of expertise include- Quality & Food Safety strategy development and management, TQM tools, Allergens & Sanitation Management, HALAL , GLP , IMS System Development, Six Sigma, Change Management, setting EFQM & SKEA models, Quality bench-marking and Quality Culture Development, accessing the FSMS, QMS, HALAL and HSE management system.

I am currently Integrated Systems Manager (Quality, Food Safety, Environment,Occupational Health and Safety, Corporate Social Responsibility and Nutrition) in Camst Group After graduating in Biology at the University of Parma (Italy) and after many years of experience in implementing and running Company Management Systems, I am now focusing on microbiological safety in innovative food production techniques (sous-vide cooking, Modified Atmosphere Packaging) and sustainability in the food chain. In my current role I am coordinator for the “LIFE EFFIGE” EU project that is defining the ecological footprint of the catering industry

Thanasis Kriaras is Regional EUAU Quality & Food Safety Lead for External Supply Chain (co-manufacturing) at General Mills. He has 15 years of experience in various key managerial roles related with Food Safety & Quality and a broad perspective of food industry worldwide. Thanasis holds a BSc degree in Agricultural Biotechnology from Agricultural University of Athens (Greece) and a MSc in Food Science, Food Technology & Food Management from Wageningen University (The Netherlands). He has also post graduate education on Organizational Management and TQM, while he is a Certified Lead Auditor for ISO 22000:2005. He has participated in several Food Safety & Quality conferences across the globe and in 2015, he was a guest speaker at GFSI Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Some areas of his expertise are: Food Safety & Quality Auditing, Supply Chain Food Safety & Quality Risk Management, 3rd Party Certification Schemes, HACCP, GMPs, Allergens & Sanitation Management. Thanasis has been at his current role since 2015, and he is responsible for developing strategies and driving execution of risk management and quality excellence across all GM co-manufacturers within EUAU Region.

Tom Hollands is the Innovation and Technical Director at Raynor Foods, he is an accomplished Food Scientist who has worked in both government (Food Standards Agency) and private sectors. Tom is a true innovator at heart and has won many national and international accolades in recognition of this, including the prestigious (and inaugural) FDF Food and Drink Scientist of the Year (2013) and the inaugural BSA Technical Excellence Award in 2012 and again in 2015. Tom’s innovations are focused around sustainability and has particular interest in meta food systems and the complex links that join them.

Dr Zoltan Syposs short CV Zoltan Syposs graduated at the Corvinus University of Budapest as Msc. Horticultural & Food Engineer. During his tenure with Det Norske Veritas Certification Body, he played a key leadership role in the establishment of the DNV Food/Agri Sector Product & System Certification across CE between 1997–2000. He joined The Coca-Cola Company as Region Quality Manager in 2000. His career development included various Leadership roles in Quality, Manufacturing and Supply Chain operations across the Coca-Cola Hellenic territories. Currently he is a member of the CCHBC Group SC Senior Leadership Team and holds a strategic position as Group QSE and R&D Director, responsible for 28 country operations. In 2010 he was nominated as the Head of the CCHBC Juice Technical Council. Parallel to his daily job, he has completed his research and Ph.D. studies in Microbiological Risk Assessment at the Corvinus University of Budapest between 1999-2004. Since 2016 he has been serving as an Associate Professor at the Szent Istvan University in Budapest at the Department Food Safety and Microbiology supporting the development of educational programs as well as bringing Academia and Industry closer together.