Bethany has established herself as a trailblazer in emerging markets, with a focus on cannabis, CBD and wellness. As Managing Director and Co-Founder of Brightfield Group, Bethany's commitment to leadership and storytelling through meaningful data has positioned the company as an industry leader, playing a crucial role in shaping the cannabis, CBD and wellness industries both from a consumer and market perspective. Bethany has been featured and quoted in numerous media outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance and more.

Damian Piedrahita is the Co-Founder and CEO of Mwah!, a startup focused entirely on indulgence and is creating creamy, dairy-inspired experiences that are 100% plant-based. A native of Uruguay, Damian worked for over 15 years as a chef and culinary consultant in some of the world’s leading restaurants and hotel groups. After being named Head Chef at several restaurants in Northern Italy, including the popular winery and restaurant Torre San Marco, he founded and ran his own consultancy – focused on plant-based cuisine and menu development – partnering with luxury clients all over the world. His clients included legacy brands such as Relais & Château and the Shangri-La Group. Damian discovered his love for food after moving to Italy as a young professional, where he initially relocated to complete his master’s degree in visual effects and animation. There, he spent time outside of school working in kitchens and ultimately became interested in exploring gastronomy as an art form – making the pivotal change into food from production. In Italy, he met Claudia Comini and the two found similarities in their passions for plant-based gastronomy and a shared interest in innovating the category of plant-based dairy. Together, they established Mwah! and launched their first product, a gelato made from plants, in March 2023.

Steph’s career has been driven by the possibility of better opportunities for kids. This has taken multiple forms, from working on juvenile justice reforms in Papua New Guinea to education policy in Australia to child welfare in New England. Steph has followed a plant-based diet since her own childhood. Founding Kiddiwinks combines all her passions, and she couldn’t feel luckier. Steph has a LLM from the University of Chicago, a LLB and a BA from the University of Queensland and, fun fact, is a certified yoga teacher. However, her greatest achievement was becoming a mom to Axel. Steph grew up in Brisbane, Australia.

Andrew Yu is a more than 20 year experienced marketing and business development professional. Andrew is the CEO of Armored Fresh, a food tech company developing and manufacturing plant based dairy alternatives based in Virginia. Prior to Armored Fresh, Andrew headed up the Asia marketing and business development efforts for Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), a leading economic development organization in northern Virginia. Prior to joining the FCEDA, he was a product marketing manager at Freescale Semiconductor (a Motorola company) where he was a part of a team that developed the 3G and 4g (LTE) mobile handsets. Andrew also spent a number of years at a start-up software development company where he managed corporate marketing activities and opened the Asia office for the company in Seoul, Korea. From Seoul, he managed the company’s business development efforts for all of Asia, including China, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Andrew’s experiences also include starting his own R&D company, raising capital, mentoring start-up entrepreneurs, and investing in them Andrew received his BS in International Business at Illinois State University, and MBA in Marketing and Finance from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Andre Menezes is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Next Gen, a Singapore-based food tech company with a mission to create delicious and satisfying food products, all with the power of plants. A Brazilian native, Andre has spent his career working in various capacities and multiple countries, creating long-lasting relationships along the way. A passionate learner, he's delved into multiple verticals including energy, private equity, agribusiness, and of course, deeply into the F&B space. Prior to co-founding Next Gen, Andre served as General Manager of Country Foods Singapore, the largest meat distributor and processor in the country, as well as the company responsible for scaling Impossible Foods from a newcomer on the scene, to a household name in the region. Through this work, he met co-founder, Timo Recker, which led to the idea and establishment of Next Gen in Singapore. Andre has worked in food and beverage for nearly a decade, including seven years at BRF, the largest poultry exporter in the world, and has risen in recent years to become a pioneer in the plant-based scene in Asia. His knowledge in distribution and processing F&B products has been recognized by leading food tech companies around the world. Andre is driven not only by the mission of Next Gen, but the potential to leave a lasting, positive impact for future generations to come.

Elizabeth has more than 10 years of experience as a regulatory and business reporter for trade press. She covers the food and beverage industries, including innovation, start-ups, health, wellness, nutrition, FDA and dietary supplements.