Sustainable and Healthy Food for All

Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer, the UNESCO Chair in Food, Biodiversity and Sustainability Studies is the founding Director for the Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and a Professor in Geography and Environmental Studies. She has been a fellow at Balsillie School of International Affairs since 2015 when she was named as a Centre for Innovation in Governance Chair. Alison's research and teaching combine her passions for sustainable food systems and community viability through civil society engagement and innovative governance. Her publications include more than 40 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and books most recently as the lead editor for the 2020 open access book; Sustainable Food System Assessment: Lessons from global practice;.

Allan Lim is the Founder and CEO of Alpha Biofuels, the company pioneers sustainability and circularity in cities with sustainable biofuels made from waste and serves global logistic companies with clean burning biodiesel. He is an alumni of Nanyang University and a member of the World Cities Summit Young Leaders Program.    

Marcia DeLonge is the Research Director and Senior Scientist in the Food & Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, where she works primarily on agroecology, sustainable food systems, and intersections between agriculture and climate change in the context of science and US policy.  She has a Ph.D. and M.S. in environmental science from the University of Virginia, where she developed expertise in atmospheric science, hydrology, ecosystem science, and numerical modeling, as well as a B.A. in environmental science from Northwestern University.  Following her PhD, she worked as a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley.

Marco Kamiya leads global operational and normative work on urban economy and municipal finance, working with cities he supports financing methodologies related with planning, participatory approaches and infrastructure finance.   Previously, he occupied senior positions at CAF Development Bank of Latin America, the Inter-American Development Bank, and PADECO Co., Ltd in Tokyo. He studied Economics in Lima and Tokyo, and International Development at Harvard University.

Dr. Marguerite Nyhan is a tenured faculty member (US equivalent - Assistant Professor) at the National University of Ireland - University College Cork and a Visiting Scientist at Harvard University in Boston. Prior to joining University College Cork, she was a Research Scientist at United Nations Global Pulse at the United Nations in New York City. She has a background in environmental engineering, urban analytics and public health and is interested in informing the design of healthy and sustainable cities of the future. Nyhan has published research on using large ICT datasets for evaluating urban dynamics at a city-wide scale, evaluating emissions and exposures to pollution, and determining their human health impact. Her current work focuses on harnessing emerging technologies for sustainable development and humanitarian efforts.

In support of SAP’s commitment to close the digital skills gap, Marita is leading the SAP Training and Development Institute and overseeing all capacity build initiatives across EMEA South. During her 13-year tenure with SAP, she has held several other leadership positions. Before being appointed as the Lead for EMEA South Digital skills, Marita led the Middle East & North Africa strategic investments, supported SAP’s China Growth plan and was the HR Business Partner Lead for SAP’s ex-Co-CEOs, Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe.

Nalini Saligram, Ph.D. is founder & CEO of Arogya World (arogyaworld.org), a global health non-profit committed to helping people lead healthier lives by preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through health education and lifestyle change. She is an Ashoka Fellow. Under Nalini’s leadership, Arogya World designs and implements scalable, science-based NCD prevention programs in India, taking prevention to people where they live, learn and work. The non-profit has reached more than 5 million people on diabetes prevention and having shown proof of concept is now aggressively scaling up.

Named in Time Magazine’s list of 10 Next Generation Leaders. Oscar is a Software Engineer and Founder of Chowberry Inc, a technology driven social business that helps retailers cut food waste and improves access to food and nutrition to households facing food poverty. He is a recipient of the prestigious Rolex Award for Enterprise in Applied Technology for his work on Chowberry which to date has impacted over 52,000 disadvantaged families facing hunger. He founded Africa’s first trans-disciplinary design lab at the intersection of Arts and Technology called Gallery of Code, which works to develop innovative solutions that affect society in partnership with Ars Electronica Futurelab and is a member of the Advisor Board - Digital Communities to Ars Electronica GmBH Austria.

Srdjan has an advanced degree in environmental policy, planning and regulation, and a wealth of professional experience in nature conservation and climate change. He has been a passionate environmentalist with over 15 years of relevant professional experience in leading international political processes in the domains of environmental protection and climate change in the Middle East, North Africa and South and Eastern Europe. He is experienced in management, planning, coordination and execution of activities to support national and local partners by providing policy advice and formulation. 

Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg is the Director of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD). AWARD is working towards inclusive, agriculture-driven prosperity for the African continent by strengthening the production and dissemination of agricultural research and innovation that is more gender responsive. Born in Kenya, Dr. Kamau-Rutenberg holds a PhD and a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics as well as a Doctorate (Honoris Causa) from Whitman College in Washington, U.S.A.