Zach Hotle is the Chief Operating Officer of GoodSport®, a first-of-its kind sports drink with 3x the electrolytes and 33% less sugar than traditional sports drinks that’s been scientifically shown to deliver rapid and long-lasting hydration by harnessing the electrolytes and carbohydrates from milk. Zach has spent the last 10 years partnering with entrepreneurs and investors to launch and scale many first to market innovations, and before that helped build large brands like Nike and Red Bull into new consumer verticals. Prior to GoodSport®, Zach helped launch and grow some of the most innovative beverage brands, including the groundbreaking functional brand Neuro drinks, and the leading caffeinated sparkling water brand Limitless®, which was acquired by Keuirg Dr. Pepper. Zach lives just north of Chicago with his family.

Rocco co-founded Beverage USA in early 2020 and had held various titles and job duties since the company’s inception. Prior to Beverage USA, he had worked in the financial services industry for 25+ years. During his tenure as a stockbroker, Rocco was very active in placing Investment Banking deals including Private Placements, Secondary Offerings, PIPEs, NASDAQ uplistings, SPACs, Convertibles, Bridge Financings and IPOs. He is the founder and CEO of Gurkha Consulting, a business consultancy specializing in start-ups and small companies.

Jim Watson is an Executive Director in Rabobank’s research group covering the beverages sector, based in New York. He studies the big consumer and industry trends that are shaping the beverage world. He leads the research efforts in non-alcoholic beverages in North America, building on Rabobank’s presence from the farm level through the entire value chain, and works with clients on everything from understanding new markets to strategic planning and M&A. Prior to joining Rabobank, Jim spent ten years as an equity research analyst at HSBC covering global beverages companies.

Always striving for better solutions, leading innovation at the frontier of cannabis beverages was an obvious career move for Mel Smith. A successful brand builder, innovator and wearer of many hats, Mel brings with her a wealth of valuable expertise from within the beverage and ready-to-drink industry having worked previously at Labatt Breweries of Canada. Mel is driven by a desire to make things better for all consumers. She believes that building trust in a brand requires getting the simple things right - does it taste good enough; is it consistent; are we creating the best possible experience? Building relationships and bringing people together is Mel’s passion, and an integral skill for a role that is impacted by so many different areas within the organization. Her motto for those new to the team (and industry) is, ‘be prepared to be unprepared’. It encourages her not to get too attached to one idea and to remain nimble in the face of a constantly evolving business and regulatory landscape. In her spare time you’ll find Mel at home with her husband, dogs and a multitude of friends, enjoying good food and great beverages.

Bonnie currently serves as the CMO of L.A. Libations. She began her career leading award-winning sponsorship activations for fortune 500 brands for Advantage International, a leading IPG experiential marketing agency. In 2013, Bonnie returned home to Hong Kong and founded a coconut water business in the Philippines where she oversaw construction and secured the factory’s operational and Organic certifications while establishing a team of 75 employees. In 2018, she built an incubation program for L.A. Libations serving as a launchpad for emerging brands to enter retail. In 2020, she then launched an in-house CPG marketing agency which she passionately leads today. Bonnie has a B.A. degree in Communications and a Business Minor in Consumer Behavior and Marketing from the University of Southern California.

Rachel Arthur is editor of BeverageDaily.com. She has a number of years of experience as a professional NCTJ-qualified journalist in both print and online media. Rachel has chaired events at major industry conferences, covered the rise and fallout of sugar sweetened beverage taxes across the globe and followed business developments in drinks through podcasts, video and online news.