Originally from Manchester in the United Kingdom, Belinda May Ball serves as the head of Global Sourcing for the ALDI South Group at the global headquarters in Salzburg, Austria.

Prior to working at ALDI, she had experience in the financial and hospitality sectors. After several years at ALDI in both Operations and Buying, Belinda relocated to Europe to establish a new central food procurement department, that operates on behalf of all 11 ALDI countries, pooling buying in a centre of excellence, focused on providing products with appropriate quality, price and sustainable credentials for all ALDI South customers. With a focus on long term secure an sustainable supply partnership, supply chain mapping and understanding is critical to current and future operations. Throughout her career, Belinda has been focused on people, leadership, development and employee engagement and she is keen to promote diversity and inclusion in her expanding team, with over 65 nationalities currently working in the operation. 

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Meir Shemla is Professor of Organizational Behavior at EBS Business School in Germany and formerly Associate Professor at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM). His research explores how diversity, leadership, and emotions shape collaboration, innovation, and performance in organizations, and examines the intended and unintended consequences of DEI policies. His work and research on diversity are regularly featured in key outlets such as Forbes, Newsweek, and other leading academic and business publications.

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Van Tran is an accomplished senior leader in the global food and nutrition sector, known for driving business transformation, building high-performing multicultural teams, and delivering sustainable growth. Over her 20-year career at FrieslandCampina, she has held strategic leadership roles across Europe and Asia, including Director Growth Markets and International Marketing Director. She has led large-scale restructurings, spearheaded successful market expansions, and delivered significant commercial turnarounds in diverse regions from China to Nigeria and Southeast Asia.
Van holds an MSc in Business Administration from Erasmus University Rotterdam and has trained at IMD, London Business School, and Ashridge Executive Education. She is passionate about developing talent, fostering inclusive leadership, and empowering women to grow bold and fulfilling careers.

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Mark joined Expana in February 2023, following a well-established career in high-growth organizations, including the ‘Big Four’ and other FTSE-listed groups. With a passion for solving problems, breaking things down and making them simple, he is passionate about working in businesses that provide high-quality data at scale, globally. Mark is proud to oversee the operation functions at Expana and enjoys winning, collaborating, and hearing just how much of a difference his functional leaders have made to the success of the business.

Mark has an M.A in Mathematics from Cambridge University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. In his spare time, he prioritizes his family and otherwise pursues an eclectic list of interests, such as languages, history, astronomy, cricket, snooker, hiking, offroad driving, travel, fine dining, creative writing, poetry, film, comedy … and lawn mowing.

Anna Fensel is Full Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands). Previously, she held positions at the University of Innsbruck (Austria), FTW – Telecommunications Research Center Vienna (Austria), and the University of Surrey (UK). She earned her habilitation and PhD in Computer Science from the University of Innsbruck and her Specialist Diploma (MSc-equivalent) in Mathematics and Computer Science from Novosibirsk State University (Russia). Her research focuses on knowledge graphs, FAIR data management, semantic interoperability and data sharing, particularly in and across domains of agri-food, health, sustainability, energy efficiency, production, and social sciences. She has coordinated EU and national projects and served as principal investigator in 20+ projects. She has contributed to 100+ scientific events, chaired major conferences, serves as journal editor and reviewer, and evaluates research proposals. She has co-authored ~170 refereed publications and received several best paper awards.

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Anne-Kristine Øen is Chief Strategy and Development Officer at Kvaroy Salmon, a third generation, family-owned salmon farmer located right smack on the Arctic circle in Norway. Anne recently took up that position after returning from a five-year tenure in Boston, USA as Director for the Norwegian Seafood Council in America.

In her previous roles Anne has been CEO of the Salmon Group and of the organization Maritime Bergen. Her whole career has been focused on ocean industries. Anne has broad communications and management experience from global shipping and -fish farming industries, having also worked for listed companies such as Odfjell, Grieg and Marine Harvest.

Christine has over 20 years of experience in Animal Production across various domains. She is

graduated in Veterinary Medicine, has an MBA in Business Management and a Master in Animal

Science. She began in Brazil, as a Technical Responsible in the field, eventually transitioning to

corporate roles where she dedicated more than 8 years. During this time, Christine actively participated

in various projects, revamping chain models, and focussing on business sustainability, with high interdependence roles.

In 2014, Christine took on leadership responsibilities, traversing through all levels of animal production chains. Her focus extended beyond technical aspects, encompassing management, team dynamics, and strategic planning. Working closely with high-performance teams, she maintained a direct connection to the company board, academic institutions, and industry entities.

Christine’s journey continued as a Regional Operations Director in Brazil, overseeing a workforce of

over 1500 individuals and activities Animal Production chain and feed business in Poultry and Swine

chains. Seeking broader horizons, she relocated to another country, assuming leadership of a larger,

multicultural team and expanding her knowledge whereas includes processing. This opportunity allowed her to deepen her knowledge across all facets of the industry while leading more than 5000 people in 3 different countries in Middle East region.

In May 2023 Christine joined Cargill as the Global Strategic Marketing and Technology Director in the

Poultry Segment and relocated to The Netherlands, changing the perspective of operations to innovation and strategy, serving with her team of high technical skills different markets around the globe.

Amel is working since 24 years in Animal nutrition and has successfully directed multiple transformation projects on a global and multicultural scale, often standing out as one of the few women in predominantly male environments. Her career spans multiple areas of the organization, Supply Chain, Information Systems, Sales, Business, allowing her to develop a comprehensive understanding of diverse business functions. With a strong background in transversal management, she brings a collaborative and cross-functional approach to every initiative. She currently leads Strategy and Business Development for Adisseo’s Specialties Products Business Unit. Her focus on growth and innovation shows in her ability to handle complex challenges and motivate teams to reach ambitious goals.

Caroline is a transformational leader in MedTech and Animal Health/Nutrition, known for turning vision into measurable growth. As Regional Director Europe/CIS at Adisseo and former Managing Director at Zoetis, she has delivered double-digit revenue gains, launched market-shaping innovations, and led digital transformations that redefine customer engagement.

With roots in management consulting at Accenture, Caroline blends strategic insight with operational excellence. She thrives on developing people, building competitive organizations, and creating sustainable value. Passionate about innovation and leadership, Caroline brings energy and clarity to every stage—whether driving global strategies or inspiring teams to outperform.

Lori Edwards currently serves as the Head of IT & Digital for Europe.  She grew up in central Illinois, a region known for its abundant corn and soybean production. Lori’s journey into agriculture began after she earned a Computer Science degree from the University of Illinois.

Her professional career started as a technical analyst consultant with Thorp Seed (Golden Harvest) in Clinton, Illinois. In 2001, she transitioned to a full-time developer role within the company.

Following the merger with Syngenta, Lori assumed a variety of IT Commercial positions. She managed several key areas, including Seeds commercial ordering platforms, marketing offers, data analytics, and reporting. As a Business Process Consultant, she led initiatives to improve commercial processes within the Crop Protection division.

In 2013, Lori expanded her experience internationally by taking on an interim delivery lead role in Singapore. This opportunity broadened her understanding of agriculture in other regions.

Upon her return, Lori led the North America commercial platform team, focusing on maintaining and enhancing regional platforms. In 2021, she became Head of IT & Digital for Crop Protection North America. In this role, she strengthened the IT & Digital team and prepared the system landscape for modernization, supporting an upcoming ERP upgrade.

In her current position, she will collaborate with regional leaders to reimagine processes and technology, ensuring the delivery of top products and services to customers in Europe.  A key focus will be on automation and implementation of AI solutions.

Lori is married and has a daughter who also works in agriculture, specifically in the grain industry. In her free time, Lori enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling, and exploring new places.

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Eleonore currently leads procurement & supply chain at Pizza Hut UK & Europe, prior to which she advised numerous organisations in the food industries & beyond as a consultant. Her focus has been on delivering results that combine commercial excellence and sustainability improvement all along the food value chain. – demystifying the perception that sustainability is expensive. 

Eleonore is also a strong advocate of women’s leadership in the supply chain and is dedicated to empowering individuals to build impactful careers, shaping the future of a more resilient and sustainable global food system.  

Vinay joined Expana in 2023 as CPO and is, currently, also the interim CTO. As a leader of Expana’s Product and Technology team, he leads product strategy and execution, including development of Expana’s user friendly SaaS platform. Vinay has 25+ years of experience in product development and leadership, including Motorola (Symbol), Qlik and Interos. He is skilled in developing successful products that delight customers, having helped scale startups as well as transform product organizations at large enterprises. In particular, he has focused on helping companies find product market fit and deliver against key business goals and metrics. Vinay holds a Masters degree from Harvard University as well as a BE in Computer Science and Engineering.

Vinay is a supporter/volunteer for WeSeeHope, helping create sustainable change for vulnerable children in East Africa through education, child rights and economic empowerment initiatives. Vinay is an avid runner and scuba diver in his free time.

Jamie Chadwick is Managing Editor, directing the company’s news division in the Americas. She leads an elite team of writers, analysts, and global correspondents responsible for delivering the latest in breaking agricultural and food industry news to our network of subscribers. Serving previously as a livestock analyst for Urner Barry, she developed the framework for reporting impactful and objective intelligence for those operating throughout the entire agri-food space. Jamie has authored numerous educational resources on behalf of the protein industry and her experience has made her a sought-after speaker at industry events in the U.S., Canada and in Europe. She is a champion of the Women in Food and Agriculture initiative, serving as the Summit Chairman and campaign spokesperson.  

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