What’s trending today? Find out what’s making waves in finished products. Additionally, we’ll look at trending food ingredients and how they’re positioned to inspire the product pipeline. We’ll also explore the latest in packaging. Is sustainable packaging really possible? Put your packaging know-how to the test as you’re challenged to identify the pros and cons of popular food packaging options.
Underwritten by:
Underwritten by:
Date & Time
Thursday October 26th, 2023 12:45pm PDT
End Date & Time
Thursday October 26th, 2023 2:00pm PDT
Location
Booth #1350
| MODERATORS |
 Sandy AlmendarezVice President, Content, SupplySide Sandy Almendarez, vice president, content, Informa, is a skilled strategic content leader with nearly 20 years’ experience in developing and executing compelling, relevant content for targeted markets. She leads the content team for Informa Market’s SupplySide, serving the healthy, sustainable, conscientious consumer packaged goods industry. Her leadership spans community, editorial, content marketing and conference programing for the health and nutrition industry. In the past, she’s led content that helped prisoners, African American businesses and jazz enthusiasts. She an advocate for diversity and inclusion of women, people of color and LBGTQ individuals in business. LinkedIn |
| Audarshia Townsend Content Director, Food & Beverage Insider A lifelong Chicagoan, Audarshia Townsend is a veteran food and beverage journalist who serves as the content director for Food & Beverage Insider. She also appears regularly on local and national media outlets to discuss food and beverage trends. When Townsend's not on the eats beat, she's an avid yogi and meditation practitioner. |
| SPEAKERS |
 Paul AntoniadisCEO and Executive Chair, Good Natured Paul Antoniadis helms one of North America’s leading public earth friendly product companies and has grown the company’s revenue 20x from $5 million to $100 million over the last 5 years. Before being appointed as CEO in June 2015 and Executive Chair in 2018, Paul was an active investor and member of the board of directors for good natured Products Inc. Starting in 2011, Paul co-founded and acted as CEO of Scenario Ventures, a boutique Vancouver-based investment and advisory firm focused on commercializing sustainable retail concepts and consumer goods. In 2012, he co-led an investment round in the predecessor of good natured Products Inc. Prior to Scenario Ventures, Paul was CEO of Best Buy Europe. As Senior VP of Best Buy International Operations before taking on the CEO position, he was instrumental in leading the international expansion strategy and operational plan that delivered 4x revenue growth from $3.4 billion to $13.1 billion over a 5-year period. Paul also spent 10 years at Best Buy Domestic (US) business unit, ultimately holding the role of VP of Sales Development. As one of the youngest appointed officers in Best Buy history, Paul was deployed as an intrapreneur with responsibility for 180 corporate team members who developed business strategy that was then executed by a 12,000-strong field team. Paul received several Chairman awards in recognition of his leadership and business model advancement that led to revenue growth from $15 billion to $27 billion in the 5 years he held that position. Paul is a dynamic entrepreneur with over 20 years international experience building and scaling large multi-channel business start-ups, joint ventures and acquisitions. His passion in building growth companies is centered on bringing together a team of leaders and funding providers that can capitalize on emerging macro trends to create long term value for investors. Paul holds a Bachelor of Science with a minor in finance & psychology from Syracuse University. |
| Cat Barnes Consultant, PIC Agency Cathy Barnes is a Consultant of CPG Strategy for the PIC Agency and an advocate for the growth of small businesses. With nearly 10 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, Cathy has engaged with a wide array of brands, contributing her expertise to areas spanning marketing, branding field development and sales. Prior to PIC Agency, Cathy worked at Soupergirl, where she orchestrated the successful launch of the brand’s first Fair Food certified U.S. packaged goods. Cathy maintains an unwavering commitment to discovering innovative solutions that empower her network of CPG brands, facilitating their expansion beyond regional boundaries. Furthermore, Cathy's involvement with the Black Women in Food organization as a committee member underscores her dedication to fostering diversity and empowerment within the industry. |
| Amanda Hartt Senior Manager of Data and Insights, NEXT, New Hope Network Amanda is on a mission to build healthy communities by transforming food systems. She does this by combining her research expertise with over a decade's worth of studying and analyzing food systems to inspire sustainable innovation through data-driven insights. Amanda believes that building ethical and sustainable food systems is complex; questioning and curiosity are the tools she brings to the marketplace. Amanda is particularly passionate about mission-driven brands working to create agency among small-holder farmers around the world that have historically been disadvantaged. |
Category FiNA Theater