OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER
HAOMA BANGKOK
Deepanker Khosla
Deepanker Khosla, affectionately known as “DK”, is as passionate about reimagining authentic Classic Indian cuisine which he likes to call Neo Indian, as he is for achieving food sustainability. Haoma is a dream-come-true project that began with an online course in Aquaponics and just a year later had bloomed into a full-blown, functioning urban farm in the heart of Bangkok. But it was a year of toiling in the earth, coaxing fish to grow in new waters and of experimenting through many trials and errors to optimize flavors – all the while working to create a food system that can truly be called sustainable.
OUR SPECIAL GUESTS
THE LANDMARK MANDARIN ORIENTAL, HONG KONG
Richard Ekkebus
President of Future Green (formerly Food Made Good HK). Being born and raised in the south west of Holland in the seaside Fisherman’s village of Vlissingen; a village that is positioned below sea level; Richard’s understanding of the rising sea levels is ingrained in his upbringing. Listening to stories of his grandparents about the floods and extensive loss of life, the proximity to the sea gave him many other life lessons and was confronted from an early age towards the impacts of pollution and over fishing. “Over the years growing up my values towards planet protection were instilled by my hippy mum. We ate more vegetables than meat and fish and segregated waste; basic principles that set the compass towards a more sustainable living and direction in my life and that of my own family.”
OUR BREAKROOM ROOM SPEAKERS
THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Katie Chick
Katie is the Assistant Director of the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at the University of Hong Kong. Her academic expertise covers both heritage and nature conservation. She has been in-charge of various rural revitalization and eco-production projects. She is currently the person-in-charge of Experimental Farm for Sustainable Agriculture, and a licensed food factory LoCoKITCHEN where is the first incubation base in Hong Kong for agro-food product innovation.
Katie is also a qualified coffee Q-grader and a part-time educator teaching coffee production and sustainable value chain.
TASTING THE FUTURE
Mark Driscoll
Mark is Founder and Director of Tasting the Future, a purpose and values driven sustainable food systems consultancy. He is a global expert in and a passionate advocate for the need for food systems change. He has over years 30 experience of working with businesses, governments and civil society organisations on solutions that address some of the key social and environmental challenges confronting our global food system. He has developed and led large sustainable food programmes with organisations including WWF and Forum for the Future, focussing on policy and practice which supports sustainable nutrition – the intersection of health, nutrition and sustainability. Mark graduated from Wye College (London University) with a degree in Environmental science. His clients include WWF, The Global Alliance for the Future of Food, The World Health Organization, and Compassion in World Farming, amongst others. He sits on several advisory boards for business, government and non-profit organisations. He also writes and blogs extensively on issues and trends impacting on the food system.
FORUM FOR THE FUTURE – SINGAPORE
Madhumitha Ardhanari
Madhumitha Ardhanari is Principal Sustainability Strategist at Forum for the Future, with seven years of experience coaching businesses and organisations to adapt to long-term sustainability challenges. She has extensive work experience in areas such as sustainable value chains and livelihoods, and radical decarbonisation. She managed a first-of-its-kind pre-competitive collaboration with five palm oil manufacturers aimed at improving labour rights in the value chain. She has also designed, researched and facilitated projects exploring just and sustainable futures for sectors including shipping, energy, agriculture and textiles, in the Asia-Pacific region. She co-leads the Protein Challenge Southeast Asia programme.
She is also a fellow with the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity, as well as a ‘Environment Award’ winner of the Next Generation Foresight Practitioners Award.
WWF
Kamal Seth
Kamal is the Global Palm Oil Director for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) based in Singapore. His expertise lies in providing strategic direction for mainstreaming sustainable palm oil production, trade and consumption and for organisations to take the necessary actions for UN SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production and UN SDG 13 – Climate Action amongst many others. Kamal has been managing global partnerships and programmes with key stakeholders like companies, financial institutions, civil society organisations, sustainability standards and governments to halt deforestation and to improve the livelihood of smallholders connected to commodities like palm oil. He co-chairs the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s (RSPO) ‘Assurance Standing Committee’ and ‘Shared Responsibility Working Group’ and is a member of the ‘Board of Governors’ and the ‘Standards Review Steering Group’.