Dr. Vimal Katiyar is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Dean of Research and Development at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, India. He is an Honorary Senior Fellow at the Kyoto Institute of Technology, Japan, and a Visiting Professor at GIFU University, Japan. He earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from IIT Bombay and holds a prestigious professorship at Numaligarh Refinery Limited & Hindustan Gums Co. Limited. Dr. Katiyar's research focuses on sustainable polymers, polymer nanomaterials, food packaging, green energy technologies, and biodegradable plastics. He has spearheaded multiple projects and Centers of Excellence (CoEs), including the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Polymers and the NRL-Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Materials at IIT Guwahati. He is leading efforts to establish India's first heat-stable biodegradable polymer production pilot plant. With over 160 peer-reviewed publications, 250 conference papers, and 90 book chapters, Dr. Katiyar is a co-inventor of 30 patents, with more than 10 technologies transferred to industries. His research group has received numerous awards for innovations in bio-based polymers and nanomaterials. Dr. Katiyar is dedicated to developing cost-effective, bio-based, and biodegradable plastic products and advancing clean technology. than 25 projects in the area of sustainable biopolymers, agriculture, food processing, and related technologies. He also secured grants from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Govt. of India to work on food packaging, migration, and its characteristics. He serves as Chairman/member of various committees on biodegradable plastics and packaging including NITI Aayog, SERB, TDB, DBT, CPCB, DCPC and FSSAI, India.

Mr. Varinder serves as the Sr. Director R&D for India & SEA (Chocolate), and Global Technical Centre lead at Mondelēz International. In his current role at Mondelēz, Varinder is responsible for driving BU and Global R&D agenda to deliver Innovation, Renovation, Margin management and Future technology platforms. Additionally, he oversees operations at the Global Technical Centre in Thane, which employs 200 scientists & engineers engaged in supporting India, AMEA and Global growth imperatives. With over twenty years of experience, Mr Varinder has worked in multiple regional and global roles across different parts of business covering multiple FMCG categories, gaining exposure to diverse geographical locations and cultures in both developed and emerging markets. Mr. Varinder has played a crucial role in leading significant transformations at Mondelēz, including changes to the operating model, the design and establishment of the Thane Technical Center, and its cultural transformation into one of the company's global strategic technical sites. Additionally, he has spearheaded programs related to supply chain reinvention, open innovation, and margin management. Varinder's educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in food technology from the University of Delhi, India.

Shashidhar’s expertise is in the area of product development, innovation management & design thinking. At Bühler, he is involved in a variety of initiatives including local innovations in emerging markets, engaging with the start-up ecosystem in India, steering the activities at the Application and Training Centre, furthering the Innovation Culture through employee engagement events, and developing support functions for global R&D teams in Bühler India. He holds a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering, a Master's in Applied Mechanics and Masters in Product Design. He has been associated with Bühler since 2014. Before joining Bühler he has worked as a programmer for performance prediction of Gas Turbine Engines. His professional experience of 13 years is spread across manufacturing and engineering services, with brief stints in design studio & start-up teams.

Prof. Shetty currently serves as the Dean of the School of Life Science and is a Professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at Pondicherry University. He possesses extensive experience in the microbiology of fermented foods and the utilization of fermentation microbiome as bio-resources for sustainable production of commercially viable products with applications in food and health. Throughout his career, Prof. Shetty has worked at premier Institutions both in India and abroad. He has successfully mobilized numerous R&D and consultancy projects, published a significant number of high impact scientific publications and holds two patents. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Prof. Shetty is actively involved in advising various government agencies, including the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Science and Technology (DST-SERB) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Ms Ophira Bhatia serves as the Senior Director of Corporate and Government Affairs (CGA) Lead, India, Asia, Middle East & Africa (AMEA) at Mondelēz International comprising of six business units including China, India, Australia, New Zealand and Japan (JANZ), Southeast Asia, Sub Saharan Africa and Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan (MENAP). Ms Bhatia is also a member of the Global CGA Leadership Team and Mondelēz International Extended Leadership Team. With over 28 years of expertise in corporate communications industry, Ms Bhatia has consulted and worked with a range of both Indian and multinational clients in multiple markets. Prior to joining Mondelez in 2011, Ms Bhatia served as the Director for Edelman in Mumbai and was responsible for the agency’s growth and development in India. Ms Bhatia was identified as one of the ten global Rising Stars by The Holmes Report and named one of the Top 25 Most Important Professionals in Indian Public Relations and Corporate Communications by Reputation Today in 2020. Additionally, she was listed among the Top 100 Influential Game Changers in Public Relations and Corporate Communications by exchange4media and recognised as a Powerful Influencer in Public Relations by Ad Gully India TV.

Mr Jeevaraj Gopal Pillai has been a pivotal figure at UFlex Limited for the past 26 years, bringing over 35 years of extensive experience in the packaging industry. His expertise encompasses the full spectrum of packaging technology including pre-press and cylinder making, various types and grades of film production, and high-end conversion of flexible packaging materials. Throughout his career, he has contributed to the industry by presenting papers on significant topics including plastic packaging and the environment, the application of E-beam technology, anti-counterfeiting solutions, and antimicrobial films. Mr Pillai holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, which have equipped him with a strong foundation to excel and drive innovation within the packaging sector.

Mr Deepten Chatterjee is the Head of Corporate Affairs and Government Relations for South Asia at Tetra Pak overseeing company’s government affairs, public policy and regulatory developments, emerging trends, and other political or public issues in the region in the areas of environment, sustainability, food, and consumer health. He also leads the food systems initiative for Tetra Pak in India, focusing on creating and an enabling ecosystem for sustainable food systems. Before joining Tetra Pak, Mr. Deepten spent 20 years as a management consultant in the Government and Public Services arena. He worked with KPMG India and Ernst & Young LLP advising the Government of India and various State Governments on diverse policy issues. He has also delivered several engagements funded by multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, New Development Bank (NDB), and British International Investment (BII). Mr. Deepten holds a post-graduate degree in management from Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University and a bachelor's degree in commerce from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. He is also a World Bank-certified public procurement professional.

Dr. Aradhana Srivastava is the Head of Unit for Gender, Inclusion and Women Empowerment at the UN World Food Programme (WFP), India. With over 20 years of experience in social science and public health research and programme implementation, she has developed a multi-disciplinary approach specializing in gender and vulnerability analysis, women’s health and nutrition, food security and livelihoods. In her role at WFP, Dr Aradhana's core responsibilities include technical assistance and capacity strengthening support to the Government for more inclusive and gender-integrated food and nutrition programmes. She also supports gender-transformative women empowerment initiatives that focus on skill building and livelihood support, while advocating for more inclusive food security and nutrition strategies. Dr Srivastava holds a PhD in Social Sciences, which underpins her extensive expertise and commitment to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in different sectors.

Mr Ajith Dharan is a Senior Management Professional with 30 years of experience in Sales, Marketing, Business Development, Customer Supply Chain and Aftermarket functions of Capital equipment, Minerals and Metals. Currently heads the Consumer Foods & Human Nutrition Business at Buhler (India) Pvt. Ltd., South Asia Region. He holds B. Tech, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from XLRI. He has further enhanced his leadership and sales skills through the Advanced Leadership Program & Advanced Sales Training at Ashridge University, United Kingdom. With his extensive International Business experience, Mr Ajith has successfully managed operations in Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia and Australia. He also played a crucial role in establishing operations for Indian companies in select countries. Prior to his tenure at Bühler, he held key positions at Elgi Equipments Ltd., Carborundum Universal Ltd., and several other companies.

Dr. S. Gautam joined BARC in 1994 through the esteemed BARC-Training School Program, later joining the Food Technology Division. He earned his doctorate from the University of Mumbai and completed post-doctoral studies at the University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey, USA (2005-07). Dr. Gautam has made significant contributions to food preservation, particularly in fruits and vegetables, developing ready-to-eat meals for disaster response using radiation technology, and exploring the nutraceutical potential of food products. He has also conducted pioneering research on cell death mechanisms in stressed bacterial cells. As the Chief Scientific Investigator for the IAEA Coordinated Research Project on irradiated foods for immuno-compromised patients, he played a key role in establishing a litchi treatment plant in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. Dr. Gautam has published 135 papers in peer-reviewed journals and books and has numerous conference abstracts to his name. His accolades include the prestigious DAE-Homi Bhabha Science & Technology Award (2016) and two DAE Group Achievement Awards (2009, 2011). He is a Fellow of the Maharashtra Academy of Sciences. In the Past, he has served as Chairperson, Scientific Panel on Sweets, Confectionary, Sweeteners, Sugar and Honey and Scientific panel member in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Mr. Anand Subramanian serves as the Director of Sales for Food and Beverage in the APAC region and is also the Country Leader at Pall India since 2022 after spending 9 years in various managerial positions at Pall. In his current role, he leads a diverse commercial organization across the APAC region, working closely with other functions to drive projects that advance Pall’s commercial strategy and business priorities for Food and Beverage Business Unit. Additionally, he oversees Pall India’s statutory, financial, and legal obligations while managing engagement and site administration. Mr. Anand has 25 years of experience in delivering strategic solutions and driving cost efficiencies. He is recognized for his ability to reduce operational costs and footprint through rationalization. As a decisive leader and an effective communicator, he excels in building high-performance teams across all organizational levels. Before joining Pall India, Mr. Anand held position at 3M, Millipore, and PepsiCo. Mr. Anand holds a postgraduate degree in Microbiology, a PGDBA, and a Senior Management Certificate from IIM Kozhikode.

Mr. Amit Shah is an industry veteran with over 26 years of experience in both domestic and international B2B marketing and sales, product development and launch, and business turnaround. He began his career at Sharp Industries and subsequently worked with India Foils and Paper Products Ltd prior to joining ITC Limited, where he spent nearly a decade as the SBU Head of Sales. Currently he serves as the Joint President at UFlex Limited. Amit holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from the Himachal University.