Speaker Information:
Nicolas Bordenave, Associate Professor, University of Ottawa (Canada)
Nicolas Bordenave, PhD, currently is an assistant professor in the School of Nutrition Sciences and in the School of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Ottawa (Canada). Prior to joining uOttawa, he held various research positions in PepsiCo’s R&D centers in Chicago and Leicester (UK), supporting well-known brands such as Quaker, Tropicana and Gatorade.
Abena Opokua Foli, Founder & Chief Spice Officer, POKS Spices
Abena Opokua Foli is Founder and Chief Spice Officer of POKS Spices, a multi-award winning West African food company, where she leads product development, collaborates with external stakeholders, and manages product packaging and labeling. Most recently, she led regulatory affairs for cultured meat products at Orbillion Bio. Previously, she held various regulatory roles at Merck KGaA and Borden Dairy Company, as well as R&D at General Mills and Reily Foods.
Steve Marko, Senior Director, Research & Development, Tillamook County Creamery Association
Prior to leading research and development for the past five years at Tillamook, Steve Marko has held leadership roles in product development, brand management and technology at a range of CPG and foodservice companies, including Pacific Foods, Nestle, Fresh Express, and Jamba Juice.
Christine Bunting, Senior Director of Food Applications, Perfect Day
Christine Bunting leads development of a range of animal-free, alternative dairy, bakery and confectionary products at Perfect Day, which uses fermentation to create whey protein from microflora. Previously, she has held R&D, technical support, regulatory and QA roles for leading food manufacturers, such as Cliff Bar, Rich Products, Nellson Nutraceutical, ConAgra, Kellogg’s, Nabisco and M&M/Mars. She has a master's degree in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a Master of Jurisprudence in Global Food Laws and Regulations from Michigan State University.
(Moderator) Bill McDowell, Vice President of Content Strategy and Editor in Chief, Food Technology magazine
Bill has spent his entire career as a business journalist, most of it covering various segments of food and hospitality. Most recently, he was Vice President/Editorial Director at MTG Media Group, where he oversaw a suite of print and web publications serving meat and poultry processors, global hoteliers and foodservice professionals. Before this, he was a pioneer in online B2B journalism, as editorial director of the Food, Beverage, and Retail Group at VerticalNet, and an editor at Cahners Business Information.
Speaker Information:
Nicolas Bordenave, Associate Professor, University of Ottawa (Canada)
Nicolas Bordenave, PhD, currently is an assistant professor in the School of Nutrition Sciences and in the School of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Ottawa (Canada). Prior to joining uOttawa, he held various research positions in PepsiCo’s R&D centers in Chicago and Leicester (UK), supporting well-known brands such as Quaker, Tropicana and Gatorade.
Abena Opokua Foli, Founder & Chief Spice Officer, POKS Spices
Abena Opokua Foli is Founder and Chief Spice Officer of POKS Spices, a multi-award winning West African food company, where she leads product development, collaborates with external stakeholders, and manages product packaging and labeling. Most recently, she led regulatory affairs for cultured meat products at Orbillion Bio. Previously, she held various regulatory roles at Merck KGaA and Borden Dairy Company, as well as R&D at General Mills and Reily Foods.
Steve Marko, Senior Director, Research & Development, Tillamook County Creamery Association
Prior to leading research and development for the past five years at Tillamook, Steve Marko has held leadership roles in product development, brand management and technology at a range of CPG and foodservice companies, including Pacific Foods, Nestle, Fresh Express, and Jamba Juice.
Christine Bunting, Senior Director of Food Applications, Perfect Day
Christine Bunting leads development of a range of animal-free, alternative dairy, bakery and confectionary products at Perfect Day, which uses fermentation to create whey protein from microflora. Previously, she has held R&D, technical support, regulatory and QA roles for leading food manufacturers, such as Cliff Bar, Rich Products, Nellson Nutraceutical, ConAgra, Kellogg’s, Nabisco and M&M/Mars. She has a master's degree in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a Master of Jurisprudence in Global Food Laws and Regulations from Michigan State University.
(Moderator) Bill McDowell, Vice President of Content Strategy and Editor in Chief, Food Technology magazine
Bill has spent his entire career as a business journalist, most of it covering various segments of food and hospitality. Most recently, he was Vice President/Editorial Director at MTG Media Group, where he oversaw a suite of print and web publications serving meat and poultry processors, global hoteliers and foodservice professionals. Before this, he was a pioneer in online B2B journalism, as editorial director of the Food, Beverage, and Retail Group at VerticalNet, and an editor at Cahners Business Information.
