Ambitious People, Impactful Ideas.
.webp)

Founder & CEO
Plant Futures
Indy Kaur is the Founder and CEO of Plant Futures, the UK’s leading organisation representing the plant-based food category. She brings together industry, retailers and brands to accelerate the adoption of plant-rich diets through cross-sector strategy, innovation and collaboration.
Through Plant Futures, Indy has convened more than 200 industry leaders across 90+ organisations and spearheaded the high-impact Meat-Free Made Easy! campaign. This pioneering initiative set a new benchmark for food marketing, uniting 30+ food brands and the UK’s leading retailers behind a single, powerful message to drive category growth and lower barriers to behaviour change.
With nearly 20 years’ experience in FMCG, including senior roles at Tesco, Nestlé, Mondelēz, Kerry Foods and Gü, Indy combines deep commercial expertise with a sharp understanding of consumer behaviour. Her work is focused on building the roadmap for a healthy, successful and scalable plant-rich food future—unlocking commercial opportunity through shared purpose and collective action.

Innovation Lead Protein Shift
Foodvalley
Jeroen Willemsen is Lead Protein Shift at Foodvalley NL. In this position, he brings people and brands together and advises farmers, citizens, companies and politicians on smart ways to make the protein transition a success for everyone. On behalf of Foodvalley NL, he was also the initiator of the Bean Deal (part of the governments’ green deals) that was signed in the summer of 2022. He sees that the Netherlands is gradually moving towards a more plant-based future and is positive about knowledge and opportunities. “The Netherlands has a golden position as a protein country that we can use even better.”

Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Ecology
Wageningen University & Research Center
Louise Vet is Professor Emeritus of Evolutionary Ecology at Wageningen University & Research and former Director of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), a role she held from 1999 to 2019. She is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and internationally recognised for her pioneering research into multi-trophic interactions, knowledge that underpins more sustainable and resilient agro-ecosystems.
Louise Vet has dedicated her career to translating ecological science into action. She sees it as her mission to highlight the critical role of ecological knowledge in building a sustainable economy, engaging politicians, business leaders and society at large. She is a leading advocate of nature-based, integrated sustainability principles, spanning biodiversity, circularity and energy systems.
These principles are not only reflected in her research and governance work, but also in practice. Under her leadership, the award-winning NIOO-KNAW laboratory and office complex in Wageningen was realised as a showcase of integrated sustainability, earning the Gouden Piramide (Golden Pyramid) Award in 2012 for inspiring commissioning in architecture.
Today, Louise Vet is founder and chair of the Deltaplan Biodiversity Restoration, chair of the board of Urgenda, and a board member of Commonland, alongside advisory roles across policy and business. She also provides scientific advice to the European Commission through the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC). Her contributions have been widely recognised, including being named number one in the Sustainable 100 by Trouw (2018), receiving a Knighthood in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Geneva.

Business Development Manager
Invest-NL
Michiel Strijland is Business Development Manager at Invest-NL, where he is the know-it-all about the novel food investor framework that he co-wrote. Furthermore he focuses on financing and scaling up innovation in agri-food, biotech, and the protein transition. He works on developing new financing structures that enable growth, supporting shared infrastructure for scaling up, promoting knowledge sharing around new food technologies, such as novel foods, and strengthening collaboration throughout the chain. His focus is on bringing together public and private capital to bring sustainable innovations to market faster.

Specialist Culinary Innovation
De Efteling
A sociologist with remarkable taste and fearless vision, he has transformed De Efteling — the theme park where everyone eats — into a true plant-first experience. With deep roots in the hospitality industry, he is an experienced culinary advisor known for creating innovative restaurant concepts and elevating the dining experience.
His expertise spans fine dining, catering, restaurant and hotel management, and food & beverage strategy, making him a driving force behind sustainable and forward-thinking culinary innovation. Before stepping into advisory roles, he honed his craft as a chef in renowned establishments such as De L’Europe and Apollo Hotels.
A bold thinker with both creativity and courage, he continues to shape the future of food — one plant-forward plate at a time.

Chairman
Robin Food Coalition
Volkert Engelsman is a pioneer of sustainable and regenerative food systems and the founder and former CEO of Eosta and Nature & More, Europe’s market leader in organic fruit. He is currently Chair of the Robin Food Coalition, a network of SME frontrunners accelerating the food transition through health, social inclusion and regenerative agriculture. After studying Business Administration at the University of Groningen, Volkert began his career at Cargill (USA) before choosing a different path—building a business model that puts transparency, ecology and fairness at the heart of global food supply chains. At Eosta, he has been a driving force behind the development of organic and regenerative agriculture, particularly in the Global South and tropical regions.
A defining element of his work is radical transparency. Every Eosta product carries a Nature & More QR code, giving consumers direct insight into the grower’s story and the product’s ecological and social impact. The underlying 5M sustainability model—Materiality, Measuring, Managing, Marketing and Monetising—has since become a guiding framework for the wider sector. Volkert is also a leading voice in redefining food economics. He initiated the True Cost of Food movement, translating the principles of full cost accounting into everyday business practice, and founded the Business Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture to accelerate financial incentives for ecosystem services. His international Save Our Soils campaign, launched with the FAO during the UN Year of Soils, mobilised hundreds of partners and global cultural leaders.
Recognised for his impact and leadership, Volkert has co-founded multiple purpose-driven food and agriculture enterprises and received numerous awards, including #1 in the Trouw Sustainability Top 100 and the King Willem I Award for Sustainable Entrepreneurship. His work continues to shape a food system that is regenerative by design, transparent by default, and economically viable at scale.
Past Speakers

Afro Vegan Chef
Glory Kabé is a well-kept secret! This young chef is helping to update the landscape of plant-based cuisine with her Afro influences and her gourmet taste. A former flight attendant with a passion for cooking, Glory cultivates her curiosity and her thirst for gustatory experiences around the world. She has developed special links with Brazil and in particular Salvador de Bahia, where she has taken part in several performances and culinary exchanges. Then one day, she took the plunge: destination London where she gave way to her lifelong passion and became an independent chef. Inspired and uninhibited, her cooking tells a spicy, gourmet story that hits the spot and delights. For almost two years Glory has been striving to offer a new taste journey and to make sometimes unknown tastes explode in the mouth, to the delight of her customers. A generous and sensitive culinary experience that has found its audience. The chef's performances were highly acclaimed, and word of mouth quickly did its job, creating a loyal clientele that often gave her recommendations. For example, she became private chef for the singer FKA Twigs for a while. Armed with more experience and certainty, Glory returned to France to complete her experience, notably to manage the teams of some of the most fashionable Parisian restaurants. Once she had acquired stability, the young chef took up her independent career to build and define her culinary universe, vegetal and gourmet, with influences from the different African diasporas of the world.

Photographer
Jimmy Nelson Studio
Jimmy Nelson's life started of accompanying his father on geological explorations across different regions that brought him all over the world. Than he got confronted with boarding school in the UK and a condition that left him without hair. It was his father that gave him his first camera, a Zenit B for photography lovers, and he went to Tibet. The rest is the history we know - he pays tribute to all the people around the world that showed him kindness.

former Head of Cabinet
European Commission
Diederik Samsom is a former party leader of the PvdA, entrepreneur and chief of staff of the Commissioner for Climate Action of the European Commission. With his extensive experience and expertise in the field of sustainability, innovation, energy, climate and with his in-depth knowledge of political relations, Diederik motivates companies, organisations and governments to actively contribute to a more sustainable world.

Co-founder & CEO
Carbon Equity
Jacqueline van den Ende is co-founder and CEO of Carbon Equity, a European climate venture capital and private equity fund investing platform. Carbon Equity was founded with the mission to unlock private capital at scale to power breakthrough climate technologies whilst enabling more equitable ownership through democratised access to venture capital and private equity fund investments. Jacqueline has an extensive background as a private equity investor, venture capital partner and serial entrepreneur. Prior to founding Carbon Equity she was a partner at Peak, a Saas focused European VC fund and a private equity investor at HAL Investments. She spent the other half of her career to date building companies, including De Kleine Consultant, Rocket Internet backed online real estate marketplace Lamudi in South East Asia and Ant Financial backed Fintech scale up TrueMoney. Jacqueline received an MSc in International Economics and Business from the Erasmus University Rotterdam. She is a LinkedIn top voice on sustainable investing and a regular contributor to Quote magazine.

Circular Economist
Harald Friedl practiced circular economy, sustainability and business for over 10 years and is now an active innovator who drives growth and circularity in his clients companies. He is the inventor of the Circularity Gap report, Advisory Board Member in several globally leading companies, and advisor to COP and the World Economic Forum. Not simply a theory guy, Harald teaches what he knows from experience and is passionate about sharing his expertise with today’s most dynamic business leaders.

Head of Coolfood
World Resource Institute
Jenny is Head of Coolfood, working with WRI’s Environmental and Behavioral Scientists and the Membership team to offer tailored support to our Coolfood members to reduce their food related emissions. Prior to joining WRI Jenny headed up the Membership and Nutrition areas at Leatherhead Food Research, a global food and beverage consultancy. Running their global membership programme and working on a range of nutrition, regulatory and sustainability related consultancy projects. Jenny is a Public Health Nutritionist and Marketer with both public and private sector experience, having worked for the Health Education Authority delivering the Department of Health’s public health nutrition programme. In addition to being the Health and Wellbeing Marketer and Company Nutritionist at Marks and Spencer and running her own consultancy.

PhD Researcher
TU Delft
Anna-Louisa Peeters is a designer and PhD researcher at TU Delft. Previously, she worked on organizational transformations for global companies like Rabobank, adidas, Danone, and KLM, as well as the Dutch public sector. Passionate about food and systemic design, she now focuses on accelerating the protein transition in the Netherlands. Her research combines design, sustainability transitions, and behavioral science to identify innovation gaps hindering plant-based adoption. Through design, she offers practical insights to drive change.

Advisor Sustainability & Health
LIDL
How do we make the sustainable and healthy choice really easy for our customers? I deal with this question every day in my work at Lidl. My work varies from further developing our strategy and policy to coordinating projects in the field of sustainability and health and representation and communication about these themes to the outside world. At Lidl we make a sustainable and healthy lifestyle affordable and accessible for everyone. And we do not do this alone, but together with our suppliers, social organizations and other partners. Sustainable progress together!

Moderator
Ikenna Azuike started his career as a lawyer, but is now a sought-after journalist, presenter, speaker and filmmaker. Ikenna was born in Lagos, Nigeria, grew up in the UK, studied law in the UK and France and has been living in The Netherlands with his family since 2004. After working as a lawyer with Shearman & Sterling in London, Singapore and New York, and with Clifford Chance LLP in Amsterdam, he decided to change course and follow his passions for broadcasting and social activism. Together with his wife, Mette te Velde, he co-founded the Strawberry Earth Foundation to fast forward our transition towards a sustainable planet and he created the satirical news show What's Up Africa. Ikenna is regularly invited to host national and international events where he interviews professionally and enthusiastically with his trademark disarming charm and sense of humour. Whether he is talking to politicians and executives or activists and students, and whether the subject matter is humanitarian rights, sustainability, international finance, digital life, or contemporary art, Ikenna is at ease, seeing every conversation as an opportunity to learn something new.

Senior Vice President
Redefine Meat
Edwin Bark is Senior Vice President at Redefine Meat, leading the EMEA-region. Building on 25 years+ of experience in Consumer Goods Industry, both at big corporates like L’Oréal and Nestlé (former Managing Director of Nestlé’s European division for plant-based food/Garden Gourmet), as well as through Private Equity. During the past decade, Bark has engaged with several Food&Agri-tech companies in Israel and The Netherlands as an advisory board member and is startup mentor at StartLife | Wageningen University). Most recently he joined the Advisory Board of Kale Growth Fund as well.
Bark has an international business mindset, speaks 6 languages and has lived and worked 10 years abroad - from different European countries, parts of Africa to the US. He is passionate about health & sustainability, “food is the new medicine” and enjoys several sports, good food and wines (especially Italian cuisine). Motivated to make an impact on the food system and drive the protein transition Edwin is also a member of the Board of the True Animal Protein Price Coalition (TAPPC).

Director
Urgenda
Marjan Minnesma (1966) is the director and founder of the Urgenda Foundation since 2007. Marjan studied business administration, philosophy, and law, and worked at Novem (now RVO), Greenpeace, and various universities for more than ten years. Marjan and the Urgenda Foundation became best known for winning the climate case against the Dutch government in 2015, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2019. For this, Urgenda received an honorary doctorate from the University of Brussels, and Marjan won the Goldman Environmental Prize (also known as the Green Nobel Prize). However, the climate case was only a small part of her work. Urgenda focuses on concrete solutions in the areas of climate and biodiversity to help accelerate sustainability. She collaborates with businesses, governments, farmers, and citizens.

Founder
SUE & The Alchemists
Klaas Dijkhoff excels at making complex ideas click. As co-founder of Sue & The Alchemists, he combines political experience with behavioral insights to drive real impact in policy, change, and reputation management. He co-hosts the podcast Wat Gebeurt er Eigenlijk in je Hoofd?, exploring the psychology of decision-making. His mission: turning bold ideas into real-world change.

Country Manager Netherlands
Flora Food Group
Bas Michel is the Country Manager at Flora Food Group Netherlands, bringing 20 years of experience in the FMCG industry. Having worked within global companies like PepsiCo, Reckitt, and JDE Peet’s, he now focuses on making plant-based eating more accessible and appealing. He is dedicated to driving the plant-based transition through practical solutions and consumer-focused innovation. At PlantFWD, Bas will share insights on sustainable food solutions, offering a grounded perspective based on years of FMCG expertise.

Vice President Commercial
HMSHost International
Bastiaan van Asten is the Senior Vice President Commercial Food Service for Avolta NCE, bringing 30 years of F&B experience within the airport industry. Having first pursued jobs in hotels and various F&B brands, Bastiaan commenced his career with HMSHost (now Avolta) in operations at Schiphol Airport. After overseeing the operations within the terminal complex, Bastiaan turned his attention to growing the company beyond the boundaries of The Netherlands, establishing the first international locations in Sweden, Ireland, Denmark and the UK. Over the past decades, Bastiaan has been instrumental in expanding and professionalizing the company’s presence across 19 countries spanning from Finland to New Zealand. Today within Avolta’s Northern, Eastern and Central Europe region, he spearheads Business Development, Concept Creation, Franchise and Supply Partners, Social Responsibility as well as Quality Assurance and Food Development. Bastiaan is conscious in sustainable lifestyle choices and is committed to the transformation of the foodservice industry.

Professor Consumer Behaviour
Wageningen University & Research
Professor dr. Marleen Onwezen studied social psychology at Tilburg University and received her PhD on emotions and sustainable consumer choices in 2014. She works at Wageningen University and Research as theme ambassador of consumer science and as expertise leader she sets the research agenda for consumer behaviour. Since 2024 she is professor at Wageningen University in behavioural economics in enduring sustainable food choices. Additionally, she manages large scale projects that focus on consumer choices for sustainable and healthy food, aiming to answer how consumer choices can be explained and guided. Topics she works with are for example alternative proteins, emotions, social norms. Besides her function at WEcR, she is figure head of the Dutch Scientifc Agenda (NWA) competent consumers, she takes place in the scientific board of LVMH, she is part of the advisory board of the FoodEducationPlatform, and she is part of the core team healthy and safe food systems of WUR.

Unit Manager Fruit, Vegetables & Protein
Jumbo Supermarkten
Menno Wigtman is Unit Manager at Jumbo Supermarkets and is responsible for Category Management in Vegetables, Fruit and Protein groups, basically all animal and plantbased chains. In previously roles, Menno was active as Buying Manager and therefore in various commercial roles at C1000 and VION Food Group. An important part in his job is providing commercial guidance on important sustainability topics such as chain cooperation in fresh categories and the protein transition. At PlantFWD, Menno will share insights how Jumbo gives substance to this.

Science Director
EAT
Dr. Fabrice DeClerck is the Chief Science Officer at EAT. In this role, Dr. DeClerck leads the development of EAT’s research and synthesis science. He holds a joint position with the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT of the CGIAR where he is a senior scientist. Fabrice is a member of the Earth Commission. He works closely with EAT’s partners and programs as the interface between science and practice. Dr. DeClerck’s professional background is in agricultural and environmental sciences with more than a decade focusing on sustainable development in Latin America, Africa, and South East Asia.

Chef & Founder
The Jollof Club
Nicolas Aquaa is a young, 26-year-old chef who grew up in the north of the Netherlands, surrounded by beautiful flora and fauna. With a deep love for both French and Dutch cuisine, he has always sought the intense, vibrant flavours of his own cultural roots. Over the past years, Nicolas has devoted himself to bringing the bold tastes of West African cuisine to life in the Netherlands. This culinary journey is as much about discovering his heritage as it is about his passion for food. Through his dishes, he blends tradition with innovation, creating memorable experiences that celebrate his roots.

Commercial Director
Circana
Joost is the Commercial Director for Circana in The Netherlands. Circana is the leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior. Through unparalleled technology, advanced analytics, cross-industry data and deep expertise, Circana provides unprecedented clarity that helps clients take action and unlock business growth. Joost is an entrepreneurial Business Driven Commercial Leader who is able to create and sustain long-term trust based relationships, growing the business of both his clients and Circana.

Chef & Owner
Horváth **
Sebastian Frank's innovative concept of emancipated vegetable cuisine harnesses the power and aroma of vegetables and fruits, seamlessly incorporating them with meat-based flavours and seasonings to achieve a harmonious blend of taste, texture and consistency. A fully vegetarian menu is also an integral part of our vision for emancipated vegetable cuisine.

Technical Project Leader
Unilever
Will Greenwood has an academic background in biochemistry and started his career in 2015 working as a Formulation Scientist at Unilever's prestigious Port Sunlight research and development centre. Then moving to the Netherlands to follow his passion for sustainability and food, at the Vegetarian Butcher. Where for the past 5 years Will has been leading innovation and renovation projects for the brand, focusing on improving the taste and texture of next generation of plant-based meat, making them the meatiest ever. He has a strong desire to ensure great tasting and nutritious food can be sustained for generations come.

Co-Founder
ProVeg International
Tobias Leenaert is strategic, effective altruist as he identifies himself. He’s also one of the founders of ProVeg, and he wrote :How to Create a Vegan World: a Pragmatic Approach" (Lantern Press, 2017), which has been published in twelve languages. He really thinks about the best ways to achieve a compassionate society. Tobias thinks about strategy and gives presentations world-wide about the plant based movement and about vegan advocacy, both to companies and to activists.

Head of Sustainability
Compass Group
Debbie Rooms is a passionate advocate for sustainability and plant power. As Head of Sustainability at Compass Group Nederland, she is committed to the making the entire chain more sustainable. Debbie focuses on innovative solutions to reduce the company's carbon footprint to zero while generating a positive social impact. Compass Group, a high-impact company that annually serves 20 million guests serves, feels a strong responsibility to integrate sustainability into all their operations.
With a sharp focus on collaboration and challenging the chain, but always with a realistic view of practice and feasibility, Compass Group Netherlands works closely with suppliers, clients, guests and employees to jointly achieve sustainability goals. Debbie's energetic approach and passion for plant-based nutrition make her a powerful
connector in the movement towards a more sustainable future.

Manager BioScience
Wageningen University & Research Centre
Ingrid van der Meer gained a PhD in plant molecular genetics at the Free University in Amsterdam and has subsequently ca 35 years research experience. She is currently heading the department Bioscience at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). The research at her department is focused on gaining a better understanding of plant processes. An important focus is on the biosynthesis and health aspects of plant metabolites and proteins for food and nutrition. Ingrid initiated and coordinates a large research program on duckweed (water lentils) as new plant food source, including cultivation, product development and consumer acceptance, already for 10 years. She submitted a Novel Food dossier to the European Food Safety Authority to get their approval for this plant to be used as a very sustainable and healthy vegetable, which has been granted recently.

Founder
Plant FWD
Meet Marcel van der Heijden, the visionary co-founder propelling the Plant FWD initiative forward. After spending more than a decade building digital advertising agencies and working on top 500 brands, Marcel co-founded the plant-based start-up Karma Kebab in 2020. Realising the importance and the impact of the protein transition for both consumers and our planet as a whole, Marcel co-founded Plant FWD together with Maartje Nelissen and Tom van Duijn in 2022. With a wealth of experience in developing and scaling companies, a passion for sustainability paired with a strong marketing background, Marcel ensures Plant FWD flourishes by crafting impactful branding and fostering partnerships to advance our mission.

Co-founder
Plant FWD
Maartje kick-started her career in sales and marketing at de Librije***, then delved into pastry and gastronomy at Bijenkorf HQ conceptualising innovative food concepts and campaigns. After attending the Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) Academy, she co-founded The Food Line-up in 2013, revolutionising event catering through sustainability. Leading the charge, she introduced groundbreaking concepts like Brasserie 2050 and DGTL’s Circular Foodcourt. The Food Line-up earned the first B-Corp certification for event caterers in Europe in 2020. Since 2021, Maartje has ventured into startups like Snack With Benefits and co-founded Plant FWD, driven by her commitment to sustainable impact in business.

Manager
The Protein Community
During his study, Leo saw the potential and need for climate positive business. He graduated in 1994 on the topic "Green products for growth in business". Now, this topic on sustainability and healthy business is hotter than ever. In his role as manager of The Protein Community - powered by Foodvalley - he facilitates >150 companies in the Protein Transition to innovate faster. His focus is on collaborations through the whole value chain, from farm to fork. Leo also loves playing tennis and dj-ing.

Head of Program
Plant FWD
Lotte Sluiter is on a mission to make sure everyone on this earth has access to a healthy, affordable and sustainable meal. That's where the love of plants comes in! She is partner & program director of Plant FWD, and loves to set up good conversations that bring people's hearts and minds in places they haven't been. Furthermore she is on the advisory board of the Barth Misset Fund for the better welfare of livestock. She works freelance across the country as a moderator, researcher and content creator for live food events ranging from farmers, politicians and CEO's to NRC Media and De Voedselbank.

Nutrition & Health Expert
ProVeg Netherlands
As the Nutrition & Health Expert of ProVeg Netherlands, Martine van Haperen delves into the latest developments in plant-based food daily. With her academic background, hands-on insights, and broad knowledge of the plant-based market, she revolutionizes our food system—making it more sustainable, healthier, and animal-friendly. Her innovative approach to promoting plant-based options made her a force in accelerating the protein transition. Martine has supported dozens of companies and organizations successfully expanding their plant-based range.

Co-founder
RESPECTfarms
Ira van Eelen has many hats as a founder, and very happily made her work her passion! Her father, Willem van Eelen, was one of the pioneers of the idea and research into cultivated meat. With her legacy as "daughter of the godfather of cultivated meat" and a huge network in this field, she supports food system innovation at large. More than 40 years of Cultivated Meat history is part of her and since 2017 has been converted into speaking, lobbying, organizing, researching, and working on the potential - and the general understanding of the urgency of these innovations. By founding KindEarth.Tech, she lets people encounter and embrace the huge potential of the future foods industry.... that is here today. She finds it important to take the role agriculture and farmers can play into account. She does so as a co-founder of RESPECTfarms.com and as a board member of Cellulaire Agricultuur Nederland.

Founder and Executive Chef
Restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel
Emile van der Staak is the founder and head chef of restaurant De Groene Winkel located in Nijmegen. Awarded with 2 Michellin Stars and 1 Green Star it is the worldwide frontrunner on plant-based foods and taste. Furthermore they have an in-house lab where they develop the most amazing new products and tastes. In November 2022 they were named the best vegetable restaurant in the world in early November 2022. With his unique view on cooking Emile is developing more than just a kitchen with his botanical gastronomy, it’s a philosophy.

Nutritionist, Best-Selling Author & Vegan Trailblazer
By Any Greens Necessary
Meet Tracye McQuirter, MPH, a visionary leader. She’s a vegan activist, best-selling author, award-winning public health nutritionist, international speaker, and vegan trailblazer. In January, Tracye was featured in the Netflix docuseries “You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment.” The New York Times has cited her work as a critical factor driving the rise in veganism among African Americans, the fastest-growing vegan demographic in the U.S. Tracye founded 10 Million Black Vegan Women and was an advisor for the Black Women’s Health Imperative and Spelman College. That’s all? Certainly not. Tracye co-created the free African American Vegan Starter Guide, with nearly 500,000 copies ordered. She directed the first federally funded vegan nutrition program in the U.S., the Vegetarian Society of DC Eat Smart program. She has received the Compassionate Vegan Living Award from Farm Sanctuary and was inducted into the U.S. Animal Rights Hall of Fame.

Writer
De Correspondent
Let’s be real: a book closet without a book by Rutger Bregman is hard to find these days. As a historian and writer, Rutger gained international recognition with his bestseller Utopia for Realists (Gratis Geld Voor Iedereen). In early 2019, he delivered his viral speech at Davos, which had over 30 million views. His book Humankind (De Meeste Mensen Deugen) has been published in 46 languages, selling more than one and a half million copies worldwide. A documentary series and a Hollywood movie are still on the way. His new book, Moral Ambition - Stop Wasting Your Talent and Make Work of Your Ideals, will be released on 19 March 2024. In this book, Rutger argues that the biggest waste of our time is the waste of talent. He pleads for us to strive for a new kind of success.

Founder & CTO
Meatable
Molecular biologist Daan Luining has beef with beef! In 2013, the world got its first taste of something groundbreaking – the cultured hamburger. And from the very start of the project, Daan was involved with actualizing this remarkable idea: cultivating meat. His journey led to the creation of Meatable. With this company, Daan is on a mission to make the production of cultured meat widely available, allowing us to feed the world without harming any animal. Will he change the way we consume meat forever?

Moderator
Marieke Eyskoot, presenter and writer, has an incredibly natural way of connecting people. You might know her as the writer of ‘This is a Good Guide’ and we can promise you, she is equally as good a host. And, not coincidentally, she knows a thing or two (or twenty) about sustainability. For many years, Marieke has been campaigning for sustainable lifestyles and has written books for both kids and adults to help her in that mission. She has also been a presenter and host for NPO, Netflix, the Dutch Design Week, and NRC Media.

Co-founder & CEO
Crisp
Tom Peeters is the co-founder and CEO of Crisp. While studying Business Administration in Amsterdam, Tom co-founded RestaurantWeek.nl, a platform with annual international success for fifteen years, making culinary experiences accessible to a broad audience. His career started in London as an M&A advisor, but the desire to create something of his own reignited within him. In 2012, he and his partners established Westwing Home & Living, a digital home and living store that went public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 2018. Later that year, he created app-only supermarket Crisp together with two of his best friends Eric Klaassen and Michiel Roodenburg. With a shared love for good food and a schedule that didn’t leave them much time to search for that, they built a more sustainable solution. Crisp: the shortest route to better food.

Founder
THIS™
Andy Shovel is the co-founder & co-CEO of THIS™, the UK’s fastest-growing food brand making hyper-realistic plant-based meat alternatives. (And great news: they just became available in The Netherlands!) Andy oversees the creative side of THIS™, creating ridiculously clever innovation while driving brand awareness. Being born with an entrepreneurial spirit, Andy set up his first business in recruitment fresh out of university before he went on to found, run, and then move on from the successful burger business, Chosen Bun. Andy believes plant-based eating plays an essential role in changing our food system for the better. And he is here to offer you a taste of the future.

Futures-anthropologist, columnist and president
Dutch Future Society
Dr. Roanne van Voorst is a futures-anthropologist, writer, columnist and president of the Dutch Future Society. Recently, she joined Next Nature, where she investigates how we can get closer - not further - to nature. She’s currently affiliated with the University of Amsterdam as an assistant professor. Roanne has conducted research worldwide — from Inuit villages in Greenland to Jakarta's slums, refugee camps in Greece, and Austrian brothels. You might also know her from her book ‘Once upon a time we ate animals’. As an ‘anthropologist of the future’, her core research focuses on what she has coined ‘sustainable humanity’. In times of robotification, digitisation and big-data lead decision-making, she tries to answer the big question: What makes us human? And how does society remain humane?

CEO
Royal Cosun
Since joining Cosun in 2021, Hans has led the organisation’s new strategy: Unlock25. With this strategy, Cosun aims for a structurally better financial return, establishment of a future-proof sustainable chain and strong, profitable growth in four core areas. Those include a portfolio transformation of plant-based and health-promoting ingredients. Before his position at Royal Cosun, Hans worked in various international executive leadership positions at DSM and dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina.

Chief Marketing & Creative Officer
La Vie™️
Romain Jolivet worked in sales, marketing & creative functions at Danone across the UK, France, Mexico, and Scandinavia, before becoming Global Marketing Director at Danone in 2020. And then he decided to do it all differently. Romain shifted his career and dedicated his talent (mostly a kind of sense of humor) to joining two plant-based entrepreneurs in creating La Vie from scratch. Two years later, La Vie is in the middle of a wild rollercoaster ride of internationalisation in Europe and beyond.

Founder & CEO
Farmless
Back in 2017, Adnan Oner discovered something no one else seemed to be focusing on: brewing food independently from agricultural land. Farmless is a world-first technology to ferment renewable energy into delicious food using full biomass fermentation, potentially becoming the most affordable protein source in the next decade while decoupling food production from agricultural land. And with a 4.8 million investment last year, Adnan is ready for take-off!

Food Designer & Futurist
Chloé Rutzerveld
Can we predict the future? Chloé Rutzerveld tries every day. Being a visionary in the realm of food design, she creatively explores new ways of food production and consumption. Chloé translates multidisciplinary research into speculative future scenarios. Through prototypes and interactive installations, she helps others fathom both the desirable and undesirable ‘What if’ food futures. Beyond the work in her Food Design studio, Chloé serves as a curator, guest teacher, consultant, and inspirational speaker. In 2018, she authored ‘Food Futures’, and in 2019, she curated the innovative exhibition ‘Food of Tomorrow’ at the NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam. From 2020 to 2022, Chloé held the role of curator at the Embassy of Food.

Regional Minister
Province of North Holland
Jelle Beemsterboer (BBB) is the Regional Minister of the province of North Holland, overseeing Housing, Agriculture, Fisheries, Nitrogen Trade Systems, and the Provincial Rural Area Program (PPLG). Focussing on addressing the nitrogen issue, Jelle looks for solutions that connect agriculture and nature. A key priority on his agenda is the Protein Transition, including his search for local, efficient and sustainable food chains that provide a good income for farmers in North Holland.

Founder & Landscape Architect
Strootman Landschapsarchitecten
Berno Strootman is a landscape architect and the founder of the Amsterdam-based landscape practice Strootman Landschapsarchitecten. With his team of roughly 20 people, he works on a wide range of assignments. From design research and strategy to development plans for both rural and urban areas on a national, regional, and local scale. That work has won several awards over the years. From 2016 to 2020, Berno was a Government Advisor for the Physical Environment, where he provided solicited (and unsolicited) advice to the National Government on spatial quality in relation to climate adaptation, energy transition, the forest strategy, increasing biodiversity, soil subsidence and the sustainability of agriculture. Additionally, Berno is a teacher, a judge at design competitions, a supervisor, a member of advisory committees and a board member of Natuurmonumenten. Yeah. We also get the feeling Berno has more hours in a day than we do.

Senior Advisor Sustainable Diets
WWF Netherlands
Corné is the human embodiment of the sentence ‘We got the science to back it up’. As an ecological nutritionist, Dr.ir. Corné van Dooren has been part of Wildlife Fund Netherlands (WWF NL), researching systemic change in the food system that could cut the footprint of our consumption in half by 2030. Prior, he was a sustainable food expert at the Dutch Nutrition Centre (Voedingscentrum). Corné published studies on sustainable diets, dietary guidelines, food waste and the protein transition and wrote an award-winning paper on the sustainability and acceptability of the traditional Lowlands Diet in 2016. In 2022 he was, for the third time, listed in Food100 as one of the most influential food pioneers in the Netherlands.

Researcher Consumer Behaviour
Wageningen University & Research
Florine Kremer, researcher at Wageningen University and Research, is a pioneering force moving us plant-forward. With a Bachelor's degree in Consumer Behaviour and a Master's in Sustainable Food Consumption, she combines consultancy and academia to support and promote the protein transition. Her work ranges from creating the National Protein Monitor to assessing protein balance in the Dutch prison system. Besides being an advocate for plant-based proteins, Florine is researching more sustainable animal-based proteins and alternative proteins. As a panellist at Plant FWD 2024, she will offer insights into promoting plant-based foods in retail and food service, contributing to the ongoing dialogue on sustainable and healthy diets.

Head of CSR
Sodexo NL
Marloes van der Have, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Sodexo, is a dynamic force in driving positive change. With a proven track record in sustainability and diversity projects, Marloes leads Sodexo's corporate responsibility program in the Netherlands, spearheading the #BetterTomorrow initiative. Drawing on diverse sectoral experience, including private, non-profit and governmental roles, she brings a unique perspective to the table. Through advisory, facilitation, and leadership roles, Marloes has made significant contributions to diversity and inclusion, climate action, responsible sourcing, and sustainable food solutions. Marloes has a passion for creating a better everyday. Not just within Sodexo, but in the broader community.
.webp)
Secretary-General
The Vegetarian Society of Denmark
With his contagious enthusiasm, Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl is the mastermind and strategic partner behind Denmark’s front-running plant-based policies and funds. Rune-Christoffer is the Secretary-General of the Vegetarian Society of Denmark, Regional Representative for Europe, and Director of Policy Initiatives at the International Vegetarian Union (IVU). He and his organisation brought several strategic initiatives to Denmark, paving the way for a landmark deal between the Government and Parliament, which resulted in almost 200 million euros earmarked for developing the plant-based foods sector from farm to fork. With the deal, Denmark promised to create a National Action Plan for Plant-Based Foods, which the Government launched in October 2023. Rune-Christoffer is also a Board Member of the Danish Government’s Plant-Based Food Grant and the Steering Committee of Plant2Food, a research and development initiative launched by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Economist, Dietician & Researcher
Can plants help us stay or get healthier? Economist, dietician and researcher Wendy Walrabenstein has been digging for the answer to that question. Undoubtedly one of the foremost voices in the field, Wendy researched the effect of plant-based nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and sleep on those with rheumatic diseases during her groundbreaking PhD research. The results? Highly promising! Besides her study, Wendy is a strategic advisor and sparring partner for organisations that want to create impact. At the same time, she works as a director for several organisations that are close to her heart.

Founder
Caring Docters
Living a long and healthy life; It’s what most of us dream of, right? You might not know it, but Patrick Deckers helps us do so. With Caring Doctors, a fast-growing NGO, Patrick and other healthcare professionals support hospitals and universities in moving towards a plant-based food system as a default. A mainly plant-based food system has proven to reduce (preventable) noncommunicable diseases like obesity, heart conditions, diabetes type 2, cancer, and joint diseases. While creating a healthier world as well.

























































.webp)











