Theme: Food is the Climate!

We are excited to announce TEDxThought For Food, taking place November 8th in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This event is organized by TFF Southeast Asia Regional Hub and is part of the global movement of Countdown events that aim to amplify and demonstrate climate solutions and turn ideas into action. Our goal is to build a better future by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 in the race to a zero-carbon world – a world that is safer, cleaner, and fairer for everyone. It’s time for all of us to take back power on climate.

TEDxThoughtForFood
Virtual
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, 50480
Malaysia

Blessyn Kure

Voice Over Artist & Media Consultant, Blessyn Kure Media

A Multimedia Personality, Traveler, Entrepreneur, Spoken word and Voice actor leveraging social media in advocacy for mental health, girls/women rights and the advancement of the very natures of humanity.

Christine Gould

Founder & CEO, Thought For Food Foundation

Christine is the founder and CEO of Thought For Food (TFF) where she supports the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs everywhere in the world with the mindset, skills, connections and investments they need to build locally relevant solutions which can be scaled for global impact. Christine is a global leader in agri-food-tech innovation. In 2020, Christine was invited by the UN Deputy Secretary-General to serve on the Advisory Committee for the UN Food Systems Summit. She also sits on various boards, including on reNature Foundation's Board of Advisors. Christine holds an MPA in Science and Technology Policy from Columbia University, and is the author of the book “The Change-makers Guide to Feeding the Planet” (2021).

Christoph Langwallner

Co-Founder & CEO, WhatIF Foods

After two decades working for some of the biggest names in the agriculture and food industry and a successful entrepreneurial career as the founder of one of the leading food ingredients businesses in Asia, Chris initiated the Nutritional Paradox which aims to bring people from all walks of life to resolve the quadruple burden of hunger, obesity, micronutrient deficiencies and the destruction of our planet caused by the current food system. Inspired to alleviate the Nutritional Paradox, WhatIF Foods was born. Chris believes we need to reinvent the food industry category by category; and we need to make food based on regenerative principles. WhatIF Foods offers an authentic, nutritious basket of regenerative foods – foods that replenish the nutrients we need throughout an active day; foods that regenerate lands and reconnect us with our values and communities; foods that appreciate the interdependency of our wellbeing.

Dan Scarcelli

Head of Live Programming, Monstercat

Dan Scarcelli is the Head of Live Programming at a leading independent electronic music label, Monstercat. Since 2013, he has built two globally recognized radio shows, "Monstercat Call of the Wild" and "Monstercat Silk Showcase," which reach a collective of 3+ million listeners per month. Dan also oversees a 24/7 live stream network on major platforms - Twitch, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Huya, etc. Dan has taken his passion for climate action and integrated it into his work with Monstercat. Utilizing the label’s collaborative community, he hosts annual broadcast events to their 820K+ Twitch followers discussing the importance of innovative climate solutions. These events are aimed to spark discussion amongst young thinkers in their progress towards mobilization. Through this journey, he is most enthusiastic about being a part of the fast-growing network of creative thinkers at Thought for Food that are pushing real and meaningful boundaries towards addressing Climate Change.

Eric Parkin

Digital Business Leader, Cargill

Passionate about leveraging innovation to change the world.

Henry Gordon-Smith

CEO, Agritecture

Henry Gordon-Smith is a sustainability strategist focused on urban agriculture, water issues, and emerging technologies. Henry earned his BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, coursework in Food Security and Urban Agriculture from Ryerson University in Toronto, and an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University. In 2014, Henry responded to a global need for guidance on urban agriculture by launching the advisory firm Agritecture which has now consulted on over 150 urban agriculture projects in over 35 countries. Henry believes in human-induced climate change and is on a mission to help societies adapt to the challenges ahead through agriculture and technology.

Kelvin Ng

Business Development Director, ASEAN, Green Monday

A business professional with over 24 yrs experience working in multinational blue-chip companies and world-renowned think tanks. Tedx Singapore speaker and a UK-trained Chartered Engineer. Commenced appointment as MSC’s Asia Board member in 2012, Kelvin was the former Managing Director of Binca, a leading Farm to Fork Organic Supply Chain Company. He was also the former Regional Director of the Marine Stewardship Council for the Asia Pacific Region. His current role in Green Monday is to lead and scale up the Green Monday movement in ASEAN, driving positive social change and improving the lives of people through plant-based diets. Kelvin has experience in key strategic management positions and has held various Senior Management roles in Singapore Airlines Terminal Services (SATS), Yum! Brands – KFC, Pizza Hut & Taco Bell, Technology company Hewlett Packard and Supply Chain DHL Logistics.

Margarita Naming

Senior Research Officer, Sarawak Biodiversity Centre

The Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) is a state government agency that regulates research and promotes the sustainable use of biodiversity. It has a program on documentation of traditional knowledge (TK) and is well-equipped with facilities for natural product research. SBC maintains a Natural Product Library (NPL) consisting of local plant and microbial extracts for bioprospecting. The NPL is a core discovery platform for screening of bioactive compounds by researchers through a formal agreement with clear benefit-sharing obligations. https://www.sbc.org.my/about-sbc/management-team/738-margarita-naming

Merijn Dols

Global Director, Open Innovation & Circular Economy for Food at Danone

An activist for the Circular Economy for Food, a system thinker, a designer, and an intrapreneur with over 15 years of experience in systemic design and innovation in the food industry. ‘I made it my mission to be a driving force in a food revolution, a paradigm shift, and the source of regenerative food future. I believe in a future of food as a force for good. I want to leave a world, in which economic, social, and ecological interests are aligned. Food can fuel this system-level shift through innovation, the adaptive power of the system, towards a regenerative and resilient food system with a positive social and positive ecological impact, by design.’ ‘I strive to further the understanding and catalyze the adoption of Circular Economy principles in food and the food industry, every day, leading Open Innovation and Circular Economy at Danone.’.

Nigel Teh

Founder, Next Billion Burgers

Nigel believes in a food system that is equitable, sustainable and nutritious for all. He has at times been a palm oil farmer, a coffee trader and more recently, a neurotic father scrutinizing food labels on baby food packaging. Nigel currently works with the team at the Center for the Spread for Affordable Wellness as a program manager, overseeing the firm's various investments, advisory projects and occasionally telling bad jokes. Prior to his current role, he was part of Rainmaking Innovation’s corporate venture studio, where he helped MNCs launch new ventures. Before that, he was with the Singapore Economic Development Board, managing foreign inbound investments in the food and agriculture space and developing the Republic’s national strategy.

Sayed Azam-Ali

CEO, Crops For the Future

After his PhD in Environmental Physics, Sayed Azam-Ali worked as a Physiologist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in India and then as Chair in Global Food Security at the University of Nottingham, UK. In 2008, he was appointed as Vice- Provost for Research and Internationalization at the University of Nottingham in Malaysia, and in 2011 became founding CEO of Crops For the Future Research Centre (CFFRC), the world's first centre dedicated to underutilized crops. In 2020 he became CEO of Crops For the Future (CFF) UK. Sayed is a past Chair of the Association of International Research and Development Centers for Agriculture (AIRCA) and in 2021 was awarded an OBE in the Queens New Year's Honours List for ' services to underutilized crops and increasing food security.' His book `The Ninth Revolution; transforming food systems for good’ shows how diversified food systems can help meet the challenges facing humanity and the planet.

Sharon Cittone

Founder & CEO, Edible Planet Ventures

Sharon understood early on that her passion for healthy food was part of a much larger picture, and that challenges like climate change, food insecurity, waste, water conservation and soil regeneration were intimately related and ripe for disruption. Her work with start-ups, corporations, investors, policymakers, institutions and youth landed her the title of one of Forbes’ most powerful women shaping the future of food. In 2021 Sharon founded Edible Planet Ventures, a systemic platform that aims to reshape our food system by convening leading voices and visionaries to collaborate and innovate around the most pressing challenges of today, and the future. Recognized also by Food Tank as one in 14 women to change the future of food, Sharon is active in several other roles. She currently sits on the Advisory Board of the World Food Programme in Italy, is an advisor to two funds and is a Mentor for both Rockstart Agrifood and the FoodTech Accelerator.

Tati Lund

ORG Bistro

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Utsav Soni

CEO, AdventureBuddha & ManaliSwing

I’m a crafty Engineer turned entrepreneur who was not fitting into the university coz I was looking for a universe. Which made me studied Science, engineering, Calligraphy, Mathematics, Rock Climbing, Robotics, building communities all with pretty much the same Fascination that drove me as a kid. From designing Static Mixers to Building state of the art Windmills, From Engineers to Farmers, from Leaders & CEOs to Government & NGOs I’ve worked with diverse people from various vibrant sectors of 50+ Countries. & I’ve loved every bit throughout my short yet wide professional career.