Speakers 2019

Lisa is a passionate Food Scientist with extensive local and global experience working in a variety of multinationals from Unilever, Pioneerfoods, Mars Inc and Woolworths and across the food FMCG environment (ingredients, manufacturing and retail).  She has a particular interest in ensuring the application of science and technology is meaningful for both people and planet.  Lisa recently returned to South Africa after working for Mars Inc in Europe and is currently the R&D Executive for Mane Flavours – South and East Africa.  Lisa is completing her PhD studies through the University of Stellenbosch Food Science faculty, exploring the impact of major shifts in food consumption patterns since 1994 on the South African food and beverage industry.

Doug currently heads up Professional Services for SYSPRO Africa. He has been a Scotsman in Africa for 30 years. He spent 14 of them at SAP through their initial to recent SCM solution growth. His last role there was Head of Africa Pre-Sales. He has worked in SADC, East, West and Francophone Africa. At heart he’s a manufacturing/logistics business professional – rather than an IT techie. His passion is to help companies discover and implement innovation using people, processes and appropriate business IT. Doug enjoys writing, traveling, mountain bike riding and drinking Malt Whisky.

Francois Knowles is Registrar of the Agricultural Produce Agents Council (APAC). A statutory body regulating the occupations of fresh produce, export and livestock agents in South Africa (an industry worth more than R100 Billion per year) in terms of the Agricultural Produce Agents Act (APA Act), 12 of 1992. He has 24 years’ experience in the fresh produce market environment backed up by a degree in accountancy & economics, a post-grad qualification in management and a Masters Degree in Environmental Management from the University of Pretoria. He has a passion for agriculture in SA and believes that “the best is yet to come”.

Steve has many years’ experience of innovating business and operating models. His CV includes strategy consulting with A.T. Kearney in London before coming to South Africa to be GM: Group Business Change at ABSA. Other roles include leading PwC’s strategy & transformation practice for Africa.

Steve holds a Masters degree in the Design of Information Systems, an Honours degree in International Politics and, as a former Major in the British Parachute Regiment, was trained in leadership and strategy at Sandhurst and the Army Staff College.

Hema is the Director of the Food Evolution Research Laboratory (FERL) and Senior Lecturer at the School of Tourism and Hospitality (STH), in the College of Business and Economics at the University of Johannesburg, where she supervises postgraduate research projects and lectures on Research Methodologies, Culinary Studies and Nutrition. She is a key contributor in the Research Collaboration between Penn State University and the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) in food service and nutrition. Hema has recently been appointed as an area consultant representing the Southern African regions of EuroChrie, the official federation for Europe, the Mediterranean basin and Africa of the International Council for Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education.

Ms. Matlou Setati is the FSI Executive. She oversees advocacy and liaison of sustainable initiatives, forums, projects and/or programmes within the precincts of food science, safety, quality, nutrition, health & wellness, regulatory and related matters for the consumer goods and retail industries.

Matlou has 18 years of experience in the South African food and agricultural industry, which includes various food production companies, and ten (10) years’ service in public office at the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, where she served as Chief Agricultural Food and Quarantine Technician (Food Quality Inspector) and Chief Food Safety & Quality Assurance Officer (Food Regulations).

Matlou actively participates in national and international food regulatory bodies such as the Food Legislation Advisory Group and the Food Safety Forum of the National Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. She has also participated at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, where she was Vice Chairperson of the Dry and Dried Produce Committee from 2014 – 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Matlou has in-depth knowledge of the food industry from raw material, processing, quality control and assurance, and food legislation. Her public service experience has equipped her with a vast understanding of the national and international food law spheres such as national food control, Codex Alimentarius and World Trade Organisation agreements such as the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS).

She holds a National Diploma in Food Technology from Pretoria Technikon, a Bachelor of Technology in Food Technology from the Tshwane University of Technology and a Post Graduate Diploma Applied Science from the Lincoln University, New Zealand.

As Co-Founder and Director at Daily Fruit and Bledid, Justin has been involved in the food and beverage space for the past decade, helping a team grow from a 3 man band in the basement, to close on a hundred employees out of two regional offices. Getting healthy food to customers conveniently is what we do.

Solly Molepo is a Deputy Director at South African Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), under Industrial Development Division (IDD). He is responsible for agro-processing sector and specifically is spearheading industrial development of niche industries. Prior to joining the dti, he was the Senior Agricultural Economist at Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and Western Cape Provincial Department of Agriculture. At DAFF Solly worked on Africa bilateral trade issues and also involved in agricultural trade research. He spearheaded the market access of both smallholder and commercial agricultural producers in the Western Cape Province.

Solly was involved in graduate programme with Cargill South Africa and Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). He qualified, at the top of his class, as an agricultural economist at the University of Limpopo (UL). He completed Masters of Agricultural Economics at the University of Limpopo and is currently completing Masters of Industrial Policy (IP) with the University of Johannesburg.