Howard Telford is the Senior Industry Manager of soft drinks research at Euromonitor International, a world leader in strategic research solutions and business intelligence. In his role on Euromonitor’s syndicated research team he provides insights on consumer trends and market performance in the beverages industry across 100 markets.

Jen Wu is a Managing Director and Partner in L.E.K. Consulting’s New York office. She is a member of the firm’s Food & Beverage (F&B) practice, where she has deep expertise in branded and high growth F&B growth strategies and M&A. In her ten years at L.E.K., Jen has advised corporate and private equity clients on 120+ strategic projects ranging from investment screens and buy- and sell-side due diligence to new market entry and corporate growth strategies. Previously, Jen spent several years at General Mills in marketing and general management, focused on ecommerce and on natural and organic foods strategy. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Demir Vangelov is an executive known for scaling consumer businesses. He has 25 years of diverse experience that spans premium, natural, plant-based beverages, protein, mass-market food products, and other industries. In his corporate career, he has turned around financial distress, delivered top and bottom-line growth, raised capital, and built supply chain and manufacturing operations. Demir is a strategic board director for Starco Brands, a public consumer goods company. Previously, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Soylent, the original food tech company acquired by Starco Brands in 2023. Prior to joining Soylent, Demir was the first CFO and COO of Califia Farms, a privately held, founder-led maker of innovative non-dairy beverages. He contributed to 5x revenue growth by raising capital, steering domestic and international expansion, and establishing a scalable infrastructure. Demir is a member of the Fortune CEO Initiative, a global leadership collective committed to enacting meaningful social change. He is also an active member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).

Vasa is the founder & CEO of growthbuster, a remote marketing agency that services food & beverage brands for humans and pets. With nearly a decade of CPG experience working with and consulting for some of America's fastest-growing companies, Vasa is a proven strategic thinker and integrated marketer. His ingenuity, passion, and tenacity make him an invaluable partner for emerging and established brands. Most recently, Vasa has played a significant role as the CMO for Outer Aisle, one of fastest-growing companies in America (Inc. 500, 2020, 2021). Concurrently, Vasa has established growthbuster as a CPG marketing powerhouse (#15 Fastest-Growing, AdWeek, 2021 / #43 Overall Inc. 500 Pacific Regionals, 2022) with successful clients like Outer Aisle, Magic Spoon, Sundays, and more. Vasa launched his own low-sugar soda company, Perfy, in February 2022, where he is on a mission to support metabolic and cognitive causes in America and beyond.

Jennifer Ross is the co-founder and co-CEO of Swoon, the zero sugar beverage brand reinventing the classics, like lemonade and iced tea. Swoon uses the wildly sweet properties of natural monk fruit to sweeten your favorite drinks, without all the sugar. Jennifer co-founded the brand alongside her friend and former Harvard Business School classmate, Cristina Ros Blankfein. The brand was founded after Jennifer’s lifelong experience with Type 1 diabetes, and the realization that she was far from the only one looking to lower their sugar intake. Now, she’s on track to take one billion grams of sugar out of the supply chain with Swoon as the brand’s velocity grows rapidly in retail including presence in Whole Foods Market, Target, and more.

Ryan Daily is a B2B journalist who has served niche and diverse audiences for nearly seven years and has covered the food and beverage, flavor and fragrance, skincare, communications and collaboration technology industries. In her role as a senior correspondent with FoodNavigator-USA, she focuses her writing on consumer insight and trends, innovative food and beverage ingredients, CPG startups, and omnichannel grocery shopping experiences. She holds a Master's from DePaul University in Writing and Publishing and a Bachelor's in English from Northern Illinois University.