5th Annual Roundtable: A World Free of Hidden Hunger

Published on 06 November 2019

The 5th instalment of the annual Asia Roundtable on Food Innovation for Improved Nutrition (ARoFIIN) Roundtable will take place in Bangkok, Thailand on 1 August 2019.Good nutrition is vital for optimal growth, development, health and well-being of individuals in all stages of life and increasingly people around the world are afflicted by multiple burdens of malnutrition.

Themed A World Free of Hidden Hunger, this roundtable aims to catalyze stakeholder relationships by bringing together regional experts to create and execute a collective global effort to transform diets and food production and to ensure accessible and affordable for everyone.

What we are hoping to achieve at this roundtable:

To understand the rationale behind engaging local stakeholders, to enable positive change in health and wellness and how that presents opportunities to broaden national outreach
To explore the challenges and opportunities that exist to make healthy and nutritious food widely available, accessible and affordable to all individuals
Recognising the role of philanthropies, social and impact investors in a collaboration that seeks to enrich communities with good nutrition
Launch of the rebranded ARoFIIN

ARoFIIN Rebranded: Evolve
ARoFIIN is a multi-stakeholder platform that continually seeks to initiate and sustain dialogue and action across sectors to tackle the dual burden of malnutrition in Asia.

Five years since its inception, ARoFIIN has made significant progress in address the magnitude of malnutrition problem and has created a platform with regional experts to discuss and execute collective actions, particularly linked to strengthening nutrition education among children across Asia.

ARoFIIN is looking to grow into a stronger catalyst to champion efforts and push for actions that create social impact by driving health and wellness within a population.

The rebranded ARoFIIN will continue existing efforts to increase action and work with a fresh brand and perspectives to drive a positive change in delivering good health and well-being.

Expected attendee(s)

Academia
FIA Members
Funders/Impact Investors
Government Bodies
National Industry Associations
NGOs/IGOs

For further information, please contact Evolve Secretariat at sabeera.ali@foodindustry.asia

SPEAKERS

Ravi K Menon Country Director, Indonesia, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Ravi Menon is the Indonesia Country Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). He holds a masters in international business and has worked in the development sector for the past 11 years. Prior to that he worked 17 years in the corporate sector in the USA, Indonesia and India. He set up GAIN’s Indonesia operations in 2012 and has managed programs totalling USD 25 million till date. GAIN designs and implements innovative, evidence based programs in alliance with the private sector, academia, civil society and the government. GAIN Indonesia pioneered the use of ‘emo-demos’ for nutrition social behaviour change interventions in East Java, with significant results and they are now being replicated in other regions and countries. Prior to joining GAIN, he worked with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and the Clinton Foundation.

Anthea Webb Deputy Regional Director, Asia & Pacific World Food Programme Anthea Webb is the Deputy Regional Director for the Asia and Pacific Region of the United Nations World Food Programme. The region includes 14 countries from Afghanistan to Timor Leste, plus a Pacific regional office, with operations valued at US $3 billion to assist 30 million people. Previously, Webb was Representative of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Indonesia, managing a $14 million programme focused on food security, nutrition and emergency preparedness. She worked with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on hunger, nutrition and climate change from 2011 to 2014. This included collaboration with governments and private sector organizations such as the World Economic Forum, McDonalds, Walmart and Kelloggs. In 2014 Webb assisted the UN’s Special Envoy on Ebola shape its response to the outbreak in West Africa.‬From 2007 to 2011 she was Director of the World Food Programme in China, where she worked with the government, private sector, civil society and foundations to raise $47 million in cash plus human and technological resources for hunger and disaster relief projects. She also managed two earthquake relief operations. At WFP’s headquarters in Rome (1998 to 2007), Webb specialized in building relations with new partners, such as incoming members of the European Union. As a spokesperson she wrote speeches and editorials for the UN Security Council, World Economic Forum (Davos) and European Parliament in addition to managing media training and advertising campaigns.Prior to joining WFP Webb worked for the Australian Government’s aid programme, the Jesuit Refugee Service and the Society of St Vincent de Paul. Over the past 25 years she has responded to crises in China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Sudan, Vietnam, and the former Yugoslavia.

Warren T K Lee Senior Nutrition and Food Systems Officer Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Bangkok, Thailand Dr. Lee co-ordinates FAO’s nutrition and food systems policy and programmes in the Asia and Pacific region. He has recently moved to join the FAO Regional Office in Bangkok from the FAO headquarters in Rome. While at FAO headquarters, Dr. Lee headed the Nutrition Assessment and Scientific Advice Team at the Nutrition and Food Systems Division. He coordinated programmes on nutrition assessment, human nutrient requirements, Codex scientific advice on nutrition, and the impact of food losses and waste on malnutrition. He was responsible for developing dietary assessment tools and nutrition indicators, and building country’s capacity to collect dietary information and indicators for informed policy. Before joining FAO, Dr. Lee has served as faculty member at universities and health care institutions in Australia, Hong Kong, and the U.K. He has pioneered research in calcium and vitamin D requirements, bone growth and calcium bioavailability using the stable isotopic techniques. He has also coordinated clinical and community-based projects on growth and nutrition of infants, children and adolescents; bone growth and osteoporosis, and research into the patho-etiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Dr. Lee has served at executive and scientific committees of food and nutrition related organizations. He has been the President of the Hong Kong Nutrition Association (1994-95, 1996-97, 2002-03) and council member of the Asian Federation of Dietetic Associations (1994-99). Dr. Lee has published over 55 scientific papers in peer reviewed journals, 7 book and book chapters and over 170 conference papers.Dr, Lee holds a BSc in Human Nutrition & Dietetics from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and a PhD from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is also a practicing Registered Dietitian and Registered Nutritionist (Public Health), U.K.

Emorn Udomkesmalee Associate Professor Institute of Nutrition Mahidol University Dr. Udomkesmalee is the Associate Professor/Former Director of the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand, as well as Adjunct Associate Professor in Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. She is a Board member of the Micronutrient Forum; The New York Academy of Sciences/Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science; International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI); and Sight and Life Foundation. In addition, she is the former Co-Chair of the Independent Expert Group for Global Nutrition Report; member of the Scientific Council – Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD)/France and Scientific Director of ILSI South East Asia; Advisory Panel for Nutrition Association of Thailand; Ajinomoto Foundation/Thailand.Her research interests include micronutrient assessment, bioavailability and metabolism; efficacy of food-based interventions to address micronutrient deficiencies; maternal and child nutrition policy and program implementation.

Ralph Graichen Director Food & Nutrition Biomedical Research Council, AStar Dr. Ralph is currently Director, Food and Nutrition, Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), Singapore. In his current position with A*STAR, Ralph is working with strategic partners to administer and develop new initiatives and programmes in the research areas of food and nutrition. He has a co-appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor with Nanyang Technological University, School of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering. He also sits on the advisory panel of the Food Innovation & Resource Centre, Singapore Polytechnic as well as multiple grant review committees. Ralph has over 12 years of experience in the local and global biomedical and nutrition industry. He was previously Research Operations Manager for Abbott Nutrition in Asia, establishing the R&D infrastructure and managing the research portfolio for Asia. Prior to joining Abbott Nutrition, Ralph was Research Director for ES Cell International, the first organization to provide clinical grade embryonic stem cell lines to the world’s research community (now a subsidiary of Bio Time Inc). Preceding ES Cell Ralph was part of the regional business development team at Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific.Ralph graduated with a master in Biology from the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany and attained his PhD from the National University Singapore through the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology. Ralph attended the Food System Leadership Institute, a program of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Massimo Reverberi Founder Bugsolutely Massimo Reverberi has a University degree in business administration and owned a marketing agency for nearly 20 years. In 2015 he founded Bugsolutely Thailand, which produces the unique Cricket Pasta and in 2017 he started Bugsolutely China, which designed Bella Pupa, the first silkworm flour-based snack. He is a founding member of AFFIA, the South East Asian edible insect association and a co-founding member of Woven Network, the British edible insect association.

Regina Moench Pfanner CEO & Founder ibn360 Pte Ltd Dr Regina Moench-Pfanner is an international nutrition specialist with more than 30 years’ experience in the nutrition and health sector. She has and continues to serve as Advisor to governments, NGOs, the food industry and media on areas relating to food fortification, nutrition program interventions, and the complex dual burden of under-nutrition and obesity. Previously, she held regional and country roles with leading NGOs in the emergency and development sector, including the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, Helen Keller International and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition. At the global level, Dr Moench-Pfanner has brokered many noteworthy public-private-civic partnerships, including the implementation of nation-wide staple food fortification in Asia, Latin America and Africa; the introduction of micronutrient powders to the emergency sector; and programmatic research in nutrition. She is a Fulbright Scholar, and holds a master’s of science degree in Human Nutrition from Michigan State University, USA and a Doctorate in International Nutrition from the University of Bonn, Germany.She is the author and co-author of more than 60 articles published in peer-reviewed journals; has presented at numerous conferences and workshops; and is a board member of the Rice Bowl Index and steering committee member of the Asian Round Table of Food Innovation for Improved Nutrition. In her current capacity as CEO of ibn360, Dr Moench-Pfanner works with clients in the public and private sectors to co-create solutions to sustainably improve nutrition, by strengthening linkages, translating ideas into action, and channeling investments into impact, so people around the world can achieve better nutrition.

Prof. Visith Chavasit Professor Institute of Nutrition Mahidol University Professor Visith Chavasit is a faculty member at the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhonpathom 73170, Thailand. He graduated Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science from Department of Food Science and Technology, Oregon State University, USA. During 2007-2015, he was the director of Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University. His research interests are on food fortification and health food product development, which allowed him to be consultants for many international organizations such as ICCIDD, World Bank, GAIN, UNICEF as well as Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration. A number of his innovations and developments have been adopted for commercialization and national policies such as Thailand: trans fat-free country, Healthier Choice logo.

Aaron Hawkins Deputy Project Director Good Nutrition on Tea Estates (Sri Lanka) Save the Children Aaron Hawkins is a public health professional who has worked on many international nutrition, maternal and child health, infection prevention and control, and family planning projects. He has been working as the Deputy Project Director of the Good Nutrition on Tea Estates project in Sri Lanka since December 2017. Before that he served as the technical director for the project. He previously served as the Chief of Party for the Strengthening Partnerships, Results, and Innovations in Nutrition Globally (SPRING) project in Bangladesh, overseeing a team of Save the Children and Helen Keller International staff. He has been working in global health for 12 years and has done so in the former Soviet Union, South Asia, the Caribbean and in many regions of Africa. He also has experience, prior to coming into public health, of working in the private sector in human resources and operations. He has a Master’s of Science in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Master’s in International Affairs from the University of Bath.

Allison Hollowell Chief Strategy Officer Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) Allison is the Chief Strategy Officer at AVPN. Coming to the organisation with a decade of corporate marketing and brand management experience, she has led AVPN’s brand strategy since 2016, helping the organisation to serve the full spectrum of social investors. In September 2018, Allison stepped into the role of CSO, managing the membership services teams throughout the region, as well as marketing and events. She splits her time between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Singapore.Allison previously worked in consumer brand management for Mondelez International (Nabisco Portfolio) and has been a brand strategy consultant for numerous social enterprises. Prior to that, she spent 6 years in the luxury watch and jewellery industry at Richemont and Roberto Coin.Allison has an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a BA in Communications from Villanova University.

Sukiet Kittitammachote Head Corporate Affairs, Thailand Cargill Sukiet lead corporate affairs function in Thailand, bringing his expertise and background to the company to manage Cargill’s reputation and brand by engaging stakeholders that include government agencies, NGO, trade associations and organization, customers as well as connecting with farmers that businesses are working with. He is also leading corporate responsibility and sustainability programs in Thailand to help feeding the world in safe & responsible way. Sukiet also manage corporate communication. Prior joining Cargill, he has background in marketing communication and public relations in food retailing and supermarket chain in Thailand i.e. Tesco Lotus and Central Food Retail. On his early career day, he worked as public relations consultants in several agencies that serving their customers on building image and reputation.Sukiet earns master degree in marketing from Mahidol University and bachelor in communications arts from Assumption University in Thailand.

Mansharan Seth Lead, Public Private Partnerships Tata Trusts Mansharan leads the public – private partnerships portfolio for the Nutrition Team at Tata Trusts. She is spear-heading their unique collaboration with MARS Inc., to develop highly nutritious and affordable food solutions to serve those unreached by regular market channels. Her work spans from product development, research and efficacy testing – down to designing the right distribution and marketing channels via innovative solutions. Prior to working at the Trusts, she was the Co-founder and CMO at Yummade. It was a unique venture, offering freshly made, artisanal food products free of any chemicals or preservatives.Mansharan has an extensive career rooted in the FMCG industry spanning nearly a decade at Glaxo SmithKline and also 2 years at Procter & Gamble. At GSK she led brand marketing, working across the Horlicks portfolio for several years, spanning across brands such as Junior Horlicks, Horlicks, Horlicks Lite, Women’s Horlicks and Sensodyne.At P&G – she led portfolio sales for Mumbai region working with their local distributors. It was her career in the FMCG industry, particularly her work on Horlicks that led to a keen desire to work in the area of nutrition where she could make a lasting impact towards the alleviation of malnutrition in India. She is an alumni of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta graduating from the class of 2004.

Kalpana Bhaskaran Head Centre for Applied Nutrition Services (CANS) Glycemic Index Research Unit (GIRU) School of Applied Science (ASC) Temasek Polytechnic Dr Kalpana Bhaskaran is currently the Head for the Centre of Applied Nutrition Services and the Glycemic Index Research Unit at Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore. She championed the design, planning and implementation of Singapore’s and the region’s first accredited Glycemic Index Research Unit (GIRU). She also oversees the Centre’s areas which encompass the Applied Nutrition Research, Food Technology Domain and the Bistro Lab, a Learning Enterprise. She has a diverse portfolio of experience in community nutrition, clinical nutrition research, glycemic index testing, lecturing, project management, food product development, food service management and consultancy services. She is currently the Principal Investigator for five ongoing research studies in the area of Glycemic Index, Applied Nutrition, efficacy testing and dysphagia.She was awarded the “Inaugural Teaching Excellence Award” for outstanding lecturing in 2009 and pedagogy and was conferred the National Day Honours award for recognition of her work and its impact to diabetes management and education in 2014. In September 2017, her team was awarded the Innergy award by the Ministry of Education. This award is to recognise project teams who brought about significant benefits to stakeholders through their innovation efforts.She was invited to be a part of Ministry of Health’s(MOH) citizen’s jury for War on Diabetes. She is invited to sit on the Singapore Armed Forces Feeding and Institutional Catering advisory panel to offer her expertise in the area of food and nutrition. She is also in the Ministry of Health (MOH) working group on “Patient empowerment” which is one the initiatives by MOH to beat diabetes and also the Diabetes Action in the Western Network (DAWN), a multi-stakeholder workshop for key stakeholders to integrate actions on diabetes prevention and management. She is selected as Skills Future Mentor by Enterprise Singapore to look into the learning and development needs of SMEs. She regularly acts as a food and nutrition consultant to local and overseas food companies. A frequently featured commentator for her expert opinion on food and nutrition issues in both print and television media, Dr Kalpana is also invited to speak at local and overseas conferences and seminars.

Pattanee Winichagoon Associate Professor Community/International Nutrition Institute of Nutrition Mahidol University Dr. Pattanee Winichagoon is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand where she has been engaged in both research and teaching position for over 25 years.Her dedicated work in the area of maternal and child micronutrient status, micronutrient intervention and community-based nutrition has been well recognized in Thailand and by the international nutrition community, with numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals. Over the years, Prof. Winichagoon has collaborated with internationally renowned researchers in Switzerland, New Zealand, France, Nederland and Southeast Asia. She provided advice and consultations to various international agencies (e.g., WFP, UNICEF-EAPRO, FAO, WHO and AUSAID) on nutrition related issues in Thailand and the region.She was the Vice Chair of the Scientific Committee for the very successful 19th International Congress of Nutrition (ICN) held in Bangkok in 2009. She was also recognized as an IUNS fellow at the 20th ICN in 2013. Dr. Winichagoon obtained her B.Sc. in Food Technology from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, M.Sc. in Nutrition from University of Hawaii, and her Ph.D. in International Nutrition from Cornell University, USA.

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