
Derek Henderson
Vice President Product Quality Management

Derek discusses strategies for integrating quality at appropriate stages throughout the product lifecycle while understanding stakeholder priorities.



OCTOBER 7 - 8, 2025 • NEW YORK CITY
OCTOBER 7 - 8, 2025 • NEW YORK CITY
Explore how digital tools are transforming quality and food safety management and discover new opportunities for your business. Building on the success of the 2024 executive summit, this year’s event will not disappoint with our upcoming lineup of speakers sharing their insights and experiences.
View the 2024 Executive Summit on-demand sessions
In Partnership with
360 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Don’t miss our networking cocktail reception
at Convene, October 7th at 5:00 PM
2:00 PMAfternoon Masterclass
5:00 - 7:00 PM Cocktail Networking Event
8:15 AMWelcome Breakfast
9:00 AMKeynote Conversation
10:30 - 11:00 AMNetworking Break
11:00 AMPanel Conversations
12:00 PMNetworking Lunch
1:30 PMPanel Conversations
2:30 - 3:00 PM Networking Break
5:00 PMPanel Conversations & Closing
6:00 PMFarewell Cocktail
Berenice Vettore
Global Chief Quality Officer
Berenice is a dynamic leader who has extensive experience overseeing Quality organizations at multinational consumer goods companies. She joined ELC from Danone, serving as Senior Vice President of Quality and Food Safety, and oversaw a team of over 4,500 people covering Quality for all Danone businesses. Previously, she held other senior quality roles at Danone, Unilever, and Reckitt Benckiser.
She has strong international experience having worked in EMEA, APAC, and Latin America, and overseeing quality teams worldwide. She also has a foundational understanding of the end-to-end Supply Chain function—having started her career in plant management. Berenice has relocated from Paris to New York for this role. She is originally from Brazil and has degrees in Food Engineering and an MBA from Universidade Estadual de Campinas.
Gilberto Quintero
Global Chief Quality Officer
Gilberto Quintero is the Global Chief Quality Officer at Kimberly-Clark, where he leads the company’s efforts to ensure top-tier product quality, regulatory compliance, and consumer safety. With a deep understanding of the critical role that quality and compliance play in customer satisfaction, Gilberto is dedicated to upholding the highest standards across Kimberly-Clark's product portfolio. He is known for his passion for tackling complex challenges and finding innovative solutions that protect brand equity while meeting regulatory demands.
In his role, Gilberto is focused on driving continuous improvement within the organization, developing a culture that embraces quality, and anticipating changes in the regulatory environment. His leadership ensures that Kimberly-Clark's products not only meet but often exceed regulatory requirements. He also plays a crucial role in addressing complex manufacturing and regulatory issues and supporting business teams in achieving key goals.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico by parents who were both teachers, Gilberto was instilled with a deep love for learning, which he carries into his leadership approach. He encourages his team to share this passion for knowledge and action. Outside of work, Gilberto is an avid traveler, drawn to exploring different cultures and understanding the diverse ways in which people live, work, and play around the world.
Madhavi Purohit
Interim Chief Quality Officer & Global Head of Quality Personal Care
Madhavi Purohit heads up Unilever’s Quality Personal Care team and is double hatting as interim Chief Quality Officer for Unilever.
Madhavi started her career in Research and Development (R&D) at Unilever from to 2003 to 2019, covering various R&D roles in Packaging, Technical Project Lead and Sustainability at Local, regional, and global level.
Madhavi developed and led the program for Plastics Sustainability for Unilever in Asia working closely as industry and driving change.
From R&D she took role as Quality director for South Asia shaping consumer centric agenda for Unilever before moving to current role.
She took on her current role in July 2022 and is now based in London, United Kingdom.
With over 20 years’ experience at world’s leading FMCG company, Madhavi is an ambassador for innovation and driving change in product, processes and Quality systems. She is driving a culture change across the organisation, overseeing end-to-end Quality, and driving consumers advocacy in the pursuit of superior quality.
She is also extremely passionate about sustainability and Diversity & Inclusion across Unilever and the community. Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Madhavi is married to Jikul and has 2 teenage daughters.
Mahir Bhagia
Vice President , Chief Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) Officer
Mahir is a Master in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and currently is a Vice President at PepsiCo leading Global FSQA (Food Safety and Quality Assurance) Organization based in New York.
Mahir has four years of work experience in Unilever, India and then 28+ years of experience with PepsiCo. He has worked in supply chain operations, EHS (Environment, Health and Safety) , R&D, Digitization and most of all in food safety and quality assurance across three continents – India, Dubai and USA. He is currently responsible for formulating and implementing strategic plans for all Food Safety and Quality initiatives across the entire product portfolio (snacks, beverages, dairy, bread and meat snacks in over 1300 company-owned and third-party manufacturing sites around the globe.
With deep-rooted knowledge across product categories and differing regulatory and cultural environments, he plays a pivotal role in establishing rigorous standards and systems. He has shared countless lessons learned during his career. His innovative approaches ensure that PepsiCo consistently delivers products that not only meet stringent safety guidelines but also resonate with consumer expectations and satisfaction. Under Mahir's guidance, the company's commitment to food safety, quality assurance, compliance, and consumer trust remains unparalleled.
Thanh Nguyen
Chief Quality Officer
Thanh Nguyen is a seasoned food industry executive with over two decades of global leadership experience in Food Safety, Quality, and Innovation. He currently serves as the Global Food Safety & Quality Officer at Kerry Group, a role he has held for the past 1.5 years. Thanh brings a strategic vision and a deep commitment to excellence in food safety and quality standards across Kerry’s global operations.
Prior to his current position, Thanh was the Chief Operating Officer for Kerry APMEA (Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa) for 2 years, where he led operational performance and growth initiatives across diverse markets. He also held the role of APMEA Vice President for Quality, Health, Safety & Environment (QHSE) at Kerry, driving transformative improvements in compliance and safety culture.
Before joining Kerry, Thanh spent 7 years at Keystone Foods, where he led Food Safety, Quality, and Innovation for the APMEA region. His leadership was instrumental in enhancing product integrity and fostering customer trust across a wide portfolio of clients and markets. Earlier in his career, Thanh held various global and regional roles in Food Safety and Quality at Wrigley/Mars, where he developed deep expertise in global quality systems and cross-cultural team leadership. He began his career in Canada with Campbell Soup, laying a strong technical foundation in food manufacturing and safety. A Canadian national, Thanh resides in Bangkok and is known for his collaborative leadership style, operational expertise, and passion for building high-performing teams that deliver on Kerry’s Vision “To be our customers’ most valued partner creating a world of sustainable nutrition”.
Maryam Mellatdoust
Senior Vice President and Global Head of Quality
Maryam Mellatdoust is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Quality for International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) Corporation.
She is a Global Quality leader who is an expert at developing and implementing quality systems designed to exceed customer and consumer expectations and at driving continuous quality improvement. Prior to joining IFF, Maryam served as Senior Quality leader for the Estee Lauder Companies, Shiseido, and Coty, , leading End to End quality for brands such as La Mer, Clinique, MAC, Tom Ford , Calvin Klein, and many more!
Maryam has a Master of Science in Technology from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Ege University in Turkey.
Additionally, Maryam is adjunct professor at Rutgers University teaching the “Quality Science Program” and serves as an Executive Sponsor and Mentor for the Women in Supply Chain Network Group.
Pawel Rudzinski
Senior Vice President Global Quality
Pawel is Senior Vice President and Global Quality at Reckitt. His career expands over more than 25 years in various R&D, technology, operations and Quality positions in Food, Pharma, Functional Food & Medical Nutrition industries.
Prior to his current role, he was Head of Global Quality for the Nature’s Bounty Co, where he was instrumental in building global expert teams, Quality Systems, and processes for the organization. Before joining KHC, Pawel has held several positions at Danone, Reckitt Benckiser, Nature’s Bounty and Nestle Health Science US in different geographic and functional areas.
He also held various leadership and advisory roles in NGO`s like Dietary Supplement & Probiotics Expert Committees with USP, also FARRP, GRMA, CHPA & CRN. Pawel is an expert in various Quality Management Systems from GMP`s through HACCP to ISO and laboratory management. Chemist by background, he is black belt in Six Sigma and Engineering Statistics, always focused on continuous improvement and cutting-edge technology. Pawel Has proven track record in Quality transformation and remediation. He has a passion for his family, great food, traveling and exploring and the world. Pawel actively trains mixed martial arts for relaxation and to sharpen the mind and body.
Carla Serpa
Chief Quality Officer,
Ice Cream
Carla Serpa is a dynamic and accomplished executive with a distinguished track record in transforming Supply Chain, R&D, and Quality functions. She brings deep expertise in both strategic and operational leadership, technology innovation, and quality systems, consistently driving sustainable growth, operational excellence, and long-term profitability across complex global organizations.
Renowned for her ability to build and lead high-performing, cross-functional teams, Carla fosters a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation. She is a persuasive communicator with exceptional interpersonal skills and a passion for aligning business strategy with diverse, forward-thinking perspectives.
A champion of continuous improvement, Carla blends analytical rigor with decisive action. She engages effectively with stakeholders at all levels—from executive boards to frontline teams—placing consumer-centricity and quality at the heart of every initiative.
Adaptable and future-focused, Carla thrives in dynamic environments. She proactively challenges the status quo, drives transformative change, and cultivates a learning-oriented culture that empowers individuals and organizations to grow.
Derek Henderson
Vice President Quality & Compliance North America
Derek Henderson leads Kenvue’s Quality & Compliance organization for the North America region which represents 50% of Kenvue’s revenue. He is responsible for ensuring quality and compliance for products sold into North America across development, commercialization, manufacturing, distribution and post market surveillance. Derek sits on the Kenvue North America Supply Chain, North America Commercial Leadership and Global Quality Health and Safety teams. Kenvue is a recent spin off Johnson & Johnson’s Consumer Product division in May 2023.
Derek has been with Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue for almost 25 years spending 17 years within the medical device segment and the last 7 in the consumer segment before Kenvue was spun off from Johnson & Johnson in May 2023. Derek has held positions in a variety of functions including technology transfer, plant management, procurement, supply planning, program management, supplier quality, manufacturing quality, R&D quality and process excellence (six sigma/lean). Derek has had the opportunity to lead new product introductions, plant start ups, multiple organizational implementations and acquisitions & divestures living in both the US and Switzerland. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, he worked for The Xerox Corporation in process engineering and lean/six sigma roles.
Jorge Hernandez
Vice President Global Quality Assurance
Jorge is Vice President of Quality Assurance at The Wendy’s Company, responsible for Food Safety, Quality Assurance, and Regulatory Compliance Programs that affect suppliers, distribution centers, and approximately 7,300 restaurants across 34 countries.
With over four decades of experience in quality assurance, Jorge has held various roles focusing on regulatory compliance, food safety, and training development, progressively advancing into leadership positions. Before assuming his current role, he served as the Chief Food Safety Officer at Wholesome International, a restaurant company in the U.S. fast casual dining sector. There, he played a key role in expanding a single proof-of-concept restaurant into a chain of six and establishing a processing facility for the brand. Prior to his tenure at Wholesome, Jorge was the Senior Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance at US FOODS, the second-largest distributor in the U.S., a $23 billion organization with over 95 distribution centers and 14 food processing facilities, along with a $5 billion private label brand portfolio responsible for ensuring food safety, quality, and compliance with regulations.
Additionally, he has held various leadership roles in Training Development and has experience as a regulator for state and county public health agencies in the United States.
Loan Ngô
Vice President of Quality, Adhesive Technologies Americas
Loan Ngô is the Vice President of Quality for Adhesive Technologies at Henkel Americas, a role she assumed in 2025. She leads quality operations across 33 manufacturing sites, 1,800 suppliers, and a team of 430+ professionals. As a member of Henkel’s Adhesive Technologies Americas Leadership Team, and Global Quality & Product Compliance Leadership Team, Loan drives the quality transformation for the Americas region, serving customers in Packaging & Consumer Goods, Mobility & Electronics, and Construction & Professional markets.
Her leadership focuses on operational excellence, innovation, digitalization, and sustainability. Prior to joining Henkel in 2023, Loan held diverse technical and management roles across aerospace, automotive, electronics, medical devices, and chemical industries, including division-level leadership.
Loan holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, Financial Management, Strategic Analytics, and an Executive MBA. She actively supports leadership development and serves on nonprofit boards. Outside of work, she enjoys time with her husband and son.
customers’ most valued partner creating a world of sustainable nutrition”.