Next-gen snacking

Adam Sopher is Co-founder and CEO of Gourmet Popcorn brand Joe & Seph’s. Officially the best tasting popcorn around with over 100 Gold Great Taste Awards, Joe & Seph’s is revolutionising the UK popcorn market with its air popped corn in a range of innovative flavours, from Goats Cheese & Black Pepper to Gin & Tonic to Marmite. After studying Economics at the University of Nottingham, Adam joined Deloitte as a Management Consultant then Dixons Retail (Currys, PC World) to work on more business turnaround projects for the large electrical retailer before taking his first step to becoming an entrepreneur and setting up a digital film service for their KNOWHOW brand. Once launched Adam resigned to work alongside his family and focus full time on the Joe & Seph’s business. Since launching in October 2010, Joe & Seph’s has grown significantly. They launched launch the first official Marmite popcorn in partnership with Unilever, with other brand collaborations also including BrewDog, James Bond, Disney and Laurent Perrier.

Marion Nestle is Professor Emerita at NYU. She is the author, co-author, or co-editor of 17 books about the politics of food. Her next book, Sugar Coated, will appear September 8. She writes an (almost) daily newsletter at www.foodpolitics.com.

Flora Zwolinski, Insight Lead at Lumina Intelligence works closely alongside some of the biggest brands across FMCG and Nutrition, interpreting data, generating insight and helping businesses with their key strategic decisions. Fuelled by a passion and curiosity for consumer behaviour, Flora crafts compelling narratives to tell a story from complex data sets. Specialising in nutrition, health, food and drink, Flora has spoken at leading industry events including Positive Nutrition, Future Food Tech and MCA’s Pub, Food to Go and Restaurants Conferences as well as contributing to articles in MCA News, hosting panels and hosting the Market Pulse podcast.

Mike is Director, Marketing Global Category CoE, Bakery & Snacks Lead, and Marketing Excellence for Ingredion’s Global Texture & Healthful Solutions business. A member of the Global Marketing Leadership Team, Mike leads global category growth and innovation strategies, identifies new growth opportunities, and helps build brand leadership. Before joining Ingredion, Mike held senior marketing and business development roles in the communications and chemical industries. Mike earned a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science & Engineering from Penn State University and an MBA in Business Management from Pepperdine University.

Dr. Kirstie Canene-Adams is a nutrition scientist whose career bridges academic research and innovative industry leadership. Currently the Director of the Nutrition Center within Global Scientific and Regulatory Affairs at Ingredion Incorporated, she brings expertise in clinical research, regulatory strategy, and science communications to her role. Driven by a passion for improving public health through evidence-based nutrition, she continues to shape policy, regulations, and the future of food via strategic collaborations. Dr. Canene-Adams’ degrees are from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with postdoctoral training from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Dave Pirazzini is Director of R&D and Applications Development at The EVERY Company, where he leads efforts to bring precision fermentation-derived proteins to market across food and beverage applications. With more than 17 years of product development experience spanning ingredients, CPG, and emerging food technology — including roles at ARYZTA, Plum Organics, REBBL, and Kerry — Dave brings a formulator's perspective to the intersection of nutrition, functionality, and consumer appeal. At EVERY, he focuses on demonstrating how animal-free egg proteins perform in the applications formulators care about most, including bakery, where the bar for taste and texture is unforgiving.

As Editor of the industry title Bakery&Snacks, Gill brings more than 30 years of publishing expertise to the global bakery and snacks sector. A skilled journalist and content strategist, she covers market trends, regulatory shifts, innovation, and brand strategy with clarity and authority. Gill is frequently called on to moderate panels, judge industry awards, and contribute thought leadership across food and beverage platforms. Her career spans senior editorial roles at titles including SA Jewellery News and SA Food Review, combining deep trade knowledge with storytelling finesse shaped by a parallel career as a professional chef.

Abby Evans is Senior Insights Manager, Enterprise Insights at Hormel Foods, where she leads work focused on consumer trends, innovation, growth strategy, and brand equity. She partners across the organization to translate changing consumer behaviors into actionable opportunities for growth. Before joining Hormel Foods, Abby advised Fortune 1000 companies on innovation and consumer-centered transformation at The Garage Group. She previously spent more than a decade at General Mills, helping lead innovation for brands including Pillsbury and Betty Crocker. Across her career, Abby has been dedicated to turning deep consumer understanding into strategies that drive meaningful business impact.