Food Safety Innovation
& Transformation

Imro Birtantie,
Head of Nestlé Quality Assurance Center Zone AOA and GCR Nestlé

Imro Birtantie is leading the Nestle Quality Assurance Centers for Asia Oceania, Africa and Greater China, based in Singapore. In this role he holds operational responsibility for 9 analytical laboratories, in which more than 2.3 million food safety and quality related tests are performed on a yearly basis. These centers also provide technical assistance and competency development in GLP and analytics to teams in over 110 factories.

Imro joined Nestle 35 years ago and over the years held senior operational roles in Food safety and Quality Management across different product categories, business models and socio-economic environments in Asia, Africa and Europe.

Over the years he coached, mentored and developed talents in both emerging and developed markets and harnessed skills in teams to achieving organizational goals related to food safety and quality, creating consumer trust and building reliable brands.

He graduated from Wageningen University The Netherlands with degrees in Food Microbiology, - Chemistry and -Physics.

Gerben Steggink,
VP Quality and Food Safety Specialized Nutrition Unit Danone

Gerben has worked in the food industry for the last 30 years in various roles in R&D, Operations and Quality & Food Safety. He is currently holding the role of Vice President for Quality and Food Safety for the Specialized Nutrition category of Danone. Some of the companies Gerben has worked for prior to joining Danone are Mars, Procter& Gamble and Syngenta.

Julieta Austria,
Co- Chair at Federation of Institutes of Food Science and Technology (FIFSTA) ASEAN and President at Philippines Association of Food Technology ( PAFT)

Kshitij Godbole,
Vice President Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and Sustainability
Suntory Beverage & Food Asia Pacific

As the Vice President of Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and Sustainability at Suntory Beverage & Food Asia Pacific, Kshitij leads the charge in guaranteeing the highest standards across all manufacturing sites in the APAC region, encompassing both company-owned facilities and co-manufacturers. With a deep-rooted passion for the gemba-based approach to problem-solving and operational excellence, Kshitij leverages his wealth of experience to implement robust quality management systems and drive continuous improvement initiatives throughout the organization.

Kshitij is a Chemical Engineer by training, complemented by a Master of Science in Food Safety & Technology from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Prior to joining Suntory, Kshitij held key positions at Kerry Ingredients in Southeast Asia and USA, as well as the Dr Pepper Snapple Group in the USA. With a focus on continuous improvement, he is committed to maintaining the highest standards in product integrity, regulatory compliance, and sustainability within the beverage and food industry.