Ikenna Azuike started his career as a lawyer, but is now a sought-after journalist, presenter, speaker and filmmaker. Ikenna was born in Lagos, Nigeria, grew up in the UK, studied law in the UK and France and has been living in The Netherlands with his family since 2004. After working as a lawyer with Shearman & Sterling in London, Singapore and New York, and with Clifford Chance LLP in Amsterdam, he decided to change course and follow his passions for broadcasting and social activism. Together with his wife, Mette te Velde, he co-founded the Strawberry Earth Foundation to fast forward our transition towards a sustainable planet and he created the satirical news show What's Up Africa. Ikenna is regularly invited to host national and international events where he interviews professionally and enthusiastically with his trademark disarming charm and sense of humour. Whether he is talking to politicians and executives or activists and students, and whether the subject matter is humanitarian rights, sustainability, international finance, digital life, or contemporary art, Ikenna is at ease, seeing every conversation as an opportunity to learn something new.

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Jimmy Nelson's life started of accompanying his father on geological explorations across different regions that brought him all over the world. Than he got confronted with boarding school in the UK and a condition that left him without hair. It was his father that gave him his first camera, a Zenit B for photography lovers, and he went to Tibet. The rest is the history we know - he pays tribute to all the people around the world that showed him kindness.

Diederik Samsom is a former party leader of the PvdA, entrepreneur and chief of staff of the Commissioner for Climate Action of the European Commission. With his extensive experience and expertise in the field of sustainability, innovation, energy, climate and with his in-depth knowledge of political relations, Diederik motivates companies, organisations and governments to actively contribute to a more sustainable world.

Jacqueline van den Ende is co-founder and CEO of Carbon Equity, a European climate venture capital and private equity fund investing platform. Carbon Equity was founded with the mission to unlock private capital at scale to power breakthrough climate technologies whilst enabling more equitable ownership through democratised access to venture capital and private equity fund investments. Jacqueline has an extensive background as a private equity investor, venture capital partner and serial entrepreneur. Prior to founding Carbon Equity she was a partner at Peak, a Saas focused European VC fund and a private equity investor at HAL Investments. She spent the other half of her career to date building companies, including De Kleine Consultant, Rocket Internet backed online real estate marketplace Lamudi in South East Asia and Ant Financial backed Fintech scale up TrueMoney. Jacqueline received an MSc in International Economics and Business from the Erasmus University Rotterdam. She is a LinkedIn top voice on sustainable investing and a regular contributor to Quote magazine.

Harald Friedl practiced circular economy, sustainability and business for over 10 years and is now an active innovator who drives growth and circularity in his clients companies. He is the inventor of the Circularity Gap report, Advisory Board Member in several globally leading companies, and advisor to COP and the World Economic Forum. Not simply a theory guy, Harald teaches what he knows from experience and is passionate about sharing his expertise with today’s most dynamic business leaders.

Glory Kabé is a well-kept secret! This young chef is helping to update the landscape of plant-based cuisine with her Afro influences and her gourmet taste. A former flight attendant with a passion for cooking, Glory cultivates her curiosity and her thirst for gustatory experiences around the world. She has developed special links with Brazil and in particular Salvador de Bahia, where she has taken part in several performances and culinary exchanges. Then one day, she took the plunge: destination London where she gave way to her lifelong passion and became an independent chef. Inspired and uninhibited, her cooking tells a spicy, gourmet story that hits the spot and delights. For almost two years Glory has been striving to offer a new taste journey and to make sometimes unknown tastes explode in the mouth, to the delight of her customers. A generous and sensitive culinary experience that has found its audience. The chef's performances were highly acclaimed, and word of mouth quickly did its job, creating a loyal clientele that often gave her recommendations. For example, she became private chef for the singer FKA Twigs for a while. Armed with more experience and certainty, Glory returned to France to complete her experience, notably to manage the teams of some of the most fashionable Parisian restaurants. Once she had acquired stability, the young chef took up her independent career to build and define her culinary universe, vegetal and gourmet, with influences from the different African diasporas of the world.

Jenny is Head of Coolfood, working with WRI’s Environmental and Behavioral Scientists and the Membership team to offer tailored support to our Coolfood members to reduce their food related emissions. Prior to joining WRI Jenny headed up the Membership and Nutrition areas at Leatherhead Food Research, a global food and beverage consultancy. Running their global membership programme and working on a range of nutrition, regulatory and sustainability related consultancy projects. Jenny is a Public Health Nutritionist and Marketer with both public and private sector experience, having worked for the Health Education Authority delivering the Department of Health’s public health nutrition programme. In addition to being the Health and Wellbeing Marketer and Company Nutritionist at Marks and Spencer and running her own consultancy.

Anna-Louisa Peeters is a designer and PhD researcher at TU Delft. Previously, she worked on organizational transformations for global companies like Rabobank, adidas, Danone, and KLM, as well as the Dutch public sector. Passionate about food and systemic design, she now focuses on accelerating the protein transition in the Netherlands. Her research combines design, sustainability transitions, and behavioral science to identify innovation gaps hindering plant-based adoption. Through design, she offers practical insights to drive change.

How do we make the sustainable and healthy choice really easy for our customers? I deal with this question every day in my work at Lidl. My work varies from further developing our strategy and policy to coordinating projects in the field of sustainability and health and representation and communication about these themes to the outside world. At Lidl we make a sustainable and healthy lifestyle affordable and accessible for everyone. And we do not do this alone, but together with our suppliers, social organizations and other partners. Sustainable progress together!

Redefine Meat™ Co-Founder and CEO, Eshchar, is a technology strategist by day, and a passionate foodie and aspiring chef by night. After practicing law in the Supreme Court of Israel, Eshchar pivoted into the world of technology. As a product manager at HP Indigo and VP Marketing at Highcon Systems, he led the development and launch of leading digital platforms, achieving accelerated innovation and creating new global businesses. In 2018, he began the pursuit of his dream—to create the advanced technologies required to solve the most significant problem within the food supply chain: To completely transform the way meat is produced. Eshchar co-founded Redefine Meat™ with the mission to harness advanced technology, not animals, to build the world’s biggest meat company. Today, the company leads the new-meat revolution, with over 280 employees in Israel and Europe, and category-defining products endorsed by chefs and loved by meat-eaters and vegans alike.

Marjan Minnesma (1966) is the director and founder of the Urgenda Foundation since 2007. Marjan studied business administration, philosophy, and law, and worked at Novem (now RVO), Greenpeace, and various universities for more than ten years. Marjan and the Urgenda Foundation became best known for winning the climate case against the Dutch government in 2015, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2019. For this, Urgenda received an honorary doctorate from the University of Brussels, and Marjan won the Goldman Environmental Prize (also known as the Green Nobel Prize). However, the climate case was only a small part of her work. Urgenda focuses on concrete solutions in the areas of climate and biodiversity to help accelerate sustainability. She collaborates with businesses, governments, farmers, and citizens.

Klaas Dijkhoff excels at making complex ideas click. As co-founder of Sue & The Alchemists, he combines political experience with behavioral insights to drive real impact in policy, change, and reputation management. He co-hosts the podcast Wat Gebeurt er Eigenlijk in je Hoofd?, exploring the psychology of decision-making. His mission: turning bold ideas into real-world change.

Bas Michel is the Country Manager at Flora Food Group Netherlands, bringing 20 years of experience in the FMCG industry. Having worked within global companies like PepsiCo, Reckitt, and JDE Peet’s, he now focuses on making plant-based eating more accessible and appealing. He is dedicated to driving the plant-based transition through practical solutions and consumer-focused innovation. At PlantFWD, Bas will share insights on sustainable food solutions, offering a grounded perspective based on years of FMCG expertise.

Bastiaan van Asten is the Senior Vice President Commercial Food Service for Avolta NCE, bringing 30 years of F&B experience within the airport industry. Having first pursued jobs in hotels and various F&B brands, Bastiaan commenced his career with HMSHost (now Avolta) in operations at Schiphol Airport. After overseeing the operations within the terminal complex, Bastiaan turned his attention to growing the company beyond the boundaries of The Netherlands, establishing the first international locations in Sweden, Ireland, Denmark and the UK. Over the past decades, Bastiaan has been instrumental in expanding and professionalizing the company’s presence across 19 countries spanning from Finland to New Zealand. Today within Avolta’s Northern, Eastern and Central Europe region, he spearheads Business Development, Concept Creation, Franchise and Supply Partners, Social Responsibility as well as Quality Assurance and Food Development. Bastiaan is conscious in sustainable lifestyle choices and is committed to the transformation of the foodservice industry.

Professor dr. Marleen Onwezen studied social psychology at Tilburg University and received her PhD on emotions and sustainable consumer choices in 2014. She works at Wageningen University and Research as theme ambassador of consumer science and as expertise leader she sets the research agenda for consumer behaviour. Since 2024 she is professor at Wageningen University in behavioural economics in enduring sustainable food choices. Additionally, she manages large scale projects that focus on consumer choices for sustainable and healthy food, aiming to answer how consumer choices can be explained and guided. Topics she works with are for example alternative proteins, emotions, social norms. Besides her function at WEcR, she is figure head of the Dutch Scientifc Agenda (NWA) competent consumers, she takes place in the scientific board of LVMH, she is part of the advisory board of the FoodEducationPlatform, and she is part of the core team healthy and safe food systems of WUR.

Dr. Fabrice DeClerck is the Chief Science Officer at EAT. In this role, Dr. DeClerck leads the development of EAT’s research and synthesis science. He holds a joint position with the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT of the CGIAR where he is a senior scientist. Fabrice is a member of the Earth Commission. He works closely with EAT’s partners and programs as the interface between science and practice. Dr. DeClerck’s professional background is in agricultural and environmental sciences with more than a decade focusing on sustainable development in Latin America, Africa, and South East Asia.

Nicolas Aquaa is a young, 26-year-old chef who grew up in the north of the Netherlands, surrounded by beautiful flora and fauna. With a deep love for both French and Dutch cuisine, he has always sought the intense, vibrant flavours of his own cultural roots. Over the past years, Nicolas has devoted himself to bringing the bold tastes of West African cuisine to life in the Netherlands. This culinary journey is as much about discovering his heritage as it is about his passion for food. Through his dishes, he blends tradition with innovation, creating memorable experiences that celebrate his roots.

Jeroen Willemsen is Lead Protein Shift at Foodvalley NL. In this position, he brings people and brands together and advises farmers, citizens, companies and politicians on smart ways to make the protein transition a success for everyone. On behalf of Foodvalley NL, he was also the initiator of the Bean Deal (part of the governments’ green deals) that was signed in the summer of 2022. He sees that the Netherlands is gradually moving towards a more plant-based future and is positive about knowledge and opportunities. “The Netherlands has a golden position as a protein country that we can use even better.”

Joost is the Commercial Director for Circana in The Netherlands. Circana is the leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior. Through unparalleled technology, advanced analytics, cross-industry data and deep expertise, Circana provides unprecedented clarity that helps clients take action and unlock business growth. Joost is an entrepreneurial Business Driven Commercial Leader who is able to create and sustain long-term trust based relationships, growing the business of both his clients and Circana.

Gauri van Gulik is the co-Founder and Chair of Multitudes Foundation, which was created to support political changemakers building better politics in Europe. Previously she built the Europe work at Luminate (an Omidyar foundation), and worked as a human rights leader at Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. She pivoted into the food transition space to explore how funding and ecosystem building can help move the transition forward.

Olivia Hicks has over nine years of experience in public law, policy reform, and applied research across government, the private sector, and NGOs. Growing up on a family farm in Australia, she brings a unique perspective on agriculture and sustainability. She currently supports Mighty Earth in shaping their stance on alternative proteins to drive campaigns that combat issues like Amazon deforestation.

Matthijs Germs is a former consultant shifting his career to accelerate the food and protein transition across the public and private sectors. Actively involved in EU policy advocacy for a Plant-Based Action Plan, he aims to drive systemic change by bringing businesses, NGOs and policymakers together. With a strong track record in leading international teams and advising companies of all sizes, he knows how to achieve strategic change.

Sebastian Frank's innovative concept of emancipated vegetable cuisine harnesses the power and aroma of vegetables and fruits, seamlessly incorporating them with meat-based flavours and seasonings to achieve a harmonious blend of taste, texture and consistency. A fully vegetarian menu is also an integral part of our vision for emancipated vegetable cuisine.

Tom Foster-Carter, founder of Cherrypick who hopes to change the trajectory of human and planetary health by using AI to change people’s eating habits when they shop.

Mark Venner is a forward-thinking farmer from Baexem, Netherlands. With deep roots in agriculture, Mark combines traditional farming expertise with innovative approaches to address the challenges of modern food production. Passionate about balancing environmental stewardship with agricultural productivity, he actively contributes to discussions on sustainable practices, circular farming, and the future of rural economies. Mark and his family have transformed their traditional dairy farm into an agroforestry-inspired model farm. By integrating trees, crops, and livestock into a single, harmonious system, the farm combines techniques like alley cropping, silvopasture, and food forestry. This approach improves biodiversity, enhances soil health, and creates resilience against climate challenges. The farm also features a vineyard, a market garden, and a farm shop, making it a hub for innovation and local food production. Mark has become a respected voice in the agricultural sector, known for his hands-on experience and his ability to connect with diverse stakeholders. Through his work, he strives to inspire collaboration and develop solutions that ensure a resilient and sustainable food system for future generations.

Fay is the Plant-based Product Development Manager at Tesco and has been instrumental in maintaining its market-leading position. Recognised by The Grocer in 2024 as 1 of the top 10 women pioneering the plant-based sector. She works collaboratively with product partners and colleagues, to deliver an innovative, plant led own brand range for Tesco customers. She joined Tesco in 2010 and has been working in the Plant-based space for over 5 years. Creative and constantly curious, she is passionate about making it easy and tasty for customers to eat more plants through the creation of delicious products that are made mindfully and sourced sustainably. With 24 years in the food Industry, including time spent in the US she brings a wealth of knowledge from holding different roles throughout her career in both the manufacturing and retail sector.

Jessie van Hattum, a passionate advocate for a sustainable food system, graduated in Sustainable Behavior Change and has since carved out a significant role in driving the Dutch protein transition. With a background at Albert Heijn, the Netherlands' leading retailer, Jessie van Hattum worked on sustainability communication and advancing the protein transition strategy. She has since worked with many more retailers and foodservice companies. Now, as a specialist at the Green Protein Alliance, she has developed de Eiweet methodology together with ProVeg NL for food companies to measure their protein split, set protein split targets, and develop more effective strategies. As a speaker, Jessie van Hattum brings expertise and enthusiasm to the forefront of sustainability storytelling to speed up the protein transition.

How can supermarkets make healthy, sustainable, and fair, the easy choice for your shopping basket? This is Lara Sibbings mission at Questionmark: the European think tank for responsible retail in food. As public and corporate affairs manager, Lara is in charge of Questionmarks exclamation mark: translating data-driven research into impact on the ground. By fostering collaborations and regulations, Questionmark supports supermarkets and A-brands to create impact in boardrooms, stores, and shopping baskets. With a background both in agrifood and in policy and communication, Lara combines technical knowledge on food system issues with knowledge on decision-making and persuasion. A combination that is crucial for changing the retail food game.

Tobias Leenaert is strategic, effective altruist as he identifies himself. He’s also one of the founders of ProVeg, and he wrote :How to Create a Vegan World: a Pragmatic Approach" (Lantern Press, 2017), which has been published in twelve languages. He really thinks about the best ways to achieve a compassionate society. Tobias thinks about strategy and gives presentations world-wide about the plant based movement and about vegan advocacy, both to companies and to activists.

Linda is a passionate advocate for social innovation, driven by the inspiring stories of individuals who challenge the status quo. Her relentless pursuit of change has led her to establish influential initiatives like the Slow Food Youth Network, Professional Rebel, and the dynamic video production company, TwentieFour. For the past five years, Linda has served as the director of Innofest, a transformation she successfully navigated from a freelancer-run EU project to a thriving national NGO with a dedicated team of ten. Her leadership reflects her commitment to making the world a more social and sustainable place.

With two decades of experience in moderation, Linda combines sharp insights with a gentle approach, making her an exceptionally effective discussion leader. Her engaging personality, curious mindset, and delightful wit create an atmosphere of collaboration and learning. On stage, Linda's enthusiasm is truly contagious, inspiring those around her to engage and think differently.

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Ingrid van der Meer gained a PhD in plant molecular genetics at the Free University in Amsterdam and has subsequently ca 35 years research experience. She is currently heading the department Bioscience at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). The research at her department is focused on gaining a better understanding of plant processes. An important focus is on the biosynthesis and health aspects of plant metabolites and proteins for food and nutrition. Ingrid initiated and coordinates a large research program on duckweed (water lentils) as new plant food source, including cultivation, product development and consumer acceptance, already for 10 years. She submitted a Novel Food dossier to the European Food Safety Authority to get their approval for this plant to be used as a very sustainable and healthy vegetable, which has been granted recently.

Atoesa Farokhi is an environmental scientist and food enthusiast. On behalf of the City of Amsterdam, she moderates the session "How we eat Amsterdam Healthy, Sustainable, and Fair". In her work, she acts as a bridge between researchers and stakeholders—such as farmers, governments, and consumers—in projects focused on sustainability within the agri-food chain. Beyond her professional role, Atoesa serves as a board member at Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) and EatThis. She is also the host of the podcast Eten is Weten. For her, food is not just work but a passion. With her energetic and interactive moderation style, she brings discussions to life and encourages participants to engage actively. Her deep connection to food dates back to her childhood when she could frequently be found on her neighbouring farms. Now living in the city, she is more determined than ever to put food issues higher on the agenda and drive meaningful change.

Meet Marcel van der Heijden, the visionary co-founder propelling the Plant FWD initiative forward. After spending more than a decade building digital advertising agencies and working on top 500 brands, Marcel co-founded the plant-based start-up Karma Kebab in 2020. Realising the importance and the impact of the protein transition for both consumers and our planet as a whole, Marcel co-founded Plant FWD together with Maartje Nelissen and Tom van Duijn in 2022. With a wealth of experience in developing and scaling companies, a passion for sustainability paired with a strong marketing background, Marcel ensures Plant FWD flourishes by crafting impactful branding and fostering partnerships to advance our mission.

Wieke van der Zouwen is an experienced advisor and facilitator working on circular economy and the food transition. Under the banner of Collab & Co., she drives collaborative initiatives that bring together businesses and governments to create systemic change. With a strong background in facilitation and multi-stakeholder collaboration, she specializes in guiding complex transition processes and fostering effective partnerships. Passionate about transforming the food system towards more plant-based solutions, she has recently been involved in accelerating nature-inclusive agriculture and horticulture. At Plant FWD 2025, Wieke will moderate the panel discussion “How Not to Fail in Retail” discussion with leading supermarkets, drawing on her expertise in stakeholder engagement and cross-sector collaboration to ensure a dynamic and thought-provoking conversation.

Maartje kick-started her career in sales and marketing at de Librije***, then delved into pastry and gastronomy at Bijenkorf HQ conceptualising innovative food concepts and campaigns. After attending the Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) Academy, she co-founded The Food Line-up in 2013, revolutionising event catering through sustainability. Leading the charge, she introduced groundbreaking concepts like Brasserie 2050 and DGTL’s Circular Foodcourt. The Food Line-up earned the first B-Corp certification for event caterers in Europe in 2020. Since 2021, Maartje has ventured into startups like Snack With Benefits and co-founded Plant FWD, driven by her commitment to sustainable impact in business.

During his study, Leo saw the potential and need for climate positive business. He graduated in 1994 on the topic "Green products for growth in business". Now, this topic on sustainability and healthy business is hotter than ever. In his role as manager of The Protein Community - powered by Foodvalley - he facilitates >150 companies in the Protein Transition to innovate faster. His focus is on collaborations through the whole value chain, from farm to fork. Leo also loves playing tennis and dj-ing.

Moderator Suzan Vink gets people moving by putting interaction at the heart of every gathering. She creates an environment where connections are strengthened, knowledge is shared optimally, and ideas truly turn into action. With her energetic and natural moderating style, combined with a diverse range of innovative formats, she fosters creativity, connection, and engagement.

Meet Tom van Duijn, co-founder of Plant FWD. He thrives on forging new partnerships with companies committed to building a Plant Forward future. With a background in retail, business development, and consultancy, Tom navigates the complexities of creating a sustainable food system with creativity and determination.

Wouter Staal, the founder and CEO of the impact-driven organization YB (formerly known as Yoghurt Barn), is a dedicated sustainability strategist. Through his recently founded venture, Climates, he helps organizations in becoming more sustainable businesses. As ‘making an impact’ is his greatest driving force, Wouter knows all about the ups and downs of conscious entrepreneurship. During his interactive talks, he shares all about his successes and the major mistakes to teach others about initiating behavioural change.

Lotte Sluiter is on a mission to make sure everyone on this earth has access to a healthy, affordable and sustainable meal. That's where the love of plants comes in! She is partner & program director of Plant FWD, and loves to set up good conversations that bring people's hearts and minds in places they haven't been. Furthermore she is on the advisory board of the Barth Misset Fund for the better welfare of livestock. She works freelance across the country as a moderator, researcher and content creator for live food events ranging from farmers, politicians and CEO's to NRC Media and De Voedselbank.

Dimitris Karefyllakis is a scientist turned entrepreneur. Materialising his food tech background in green processing of foods into a business case with great potential. On the steering wheel of TTM more than 5 years now, has put, together with his 4 colleagues, TTM within the map of plant creaminess for dairy and plant-based dairy producers. Dimitri's has raised ~2.5M € up to date in dilutive and non-dilutive funding and is keen on fostering innovative partnerships with mutually beneficial outcomes.

Inez van Oord is founder of Fiber Foods, an impact-driven company established in 2020 in Kampala. Together with co-founder Ineke Aquarius, Inez has invented PrimeJack®, a 100% natural, meat-like ingredient derived from dehydrated young jackfruit. This innovative product rehydrates to eight times its weight and serves as a sustainable, fiber-rich alternative in various meat, fish, and vegetarian products. Fiber Foods has expanded its operations from East Africa to the Netherlands, introducing PrimeJack® to the European market in 2023. Since 2024 Fiber Foods actively promotes hybrid meat products to accelerate the transition to a more plant-based diet. Mixing meat with a percentage plant based ingredients makes the meat cheaper, healthier while reducing it’s environmental footprint. PrimeJack® is a winning ingredient to mix with meat due to its neutral taste and meaty texture. Inez’s focus is to reduce the environmental impact of food production while enhancing nutritional value and creating job opportunities for women.

Erik Pentinga is an Investment Manager at Invest International, focusing on NL start-ups and scale-ups. He specializes in early-stage financing for import, export, and investing abroad. Invest International, established in 2021, supports Dutch enterprises in financing innovative solutions that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. The organization offers a wide range of financing solutions, extensive knowledge of international financing, and manages funds from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. Invest International seeks to connect with Dutch companies creating impact abroad and in international supply chains, particularly in emerging markets. We are active in sectors such as Agri & Food, Healthcare, Energy, Sustainable Manufacturing, and Water & Infrastructure. And are open to all markets, from start-ups to established companies.