SPEAKER BIO

Hans Kuijpers is Director Investment Projects Americas and North East Asia at the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA). For 40 years, the NFIA has served as one-stop-shop for successful European expansion, supporting over 4.000 companies from some 50 countries to establish or expand their business in the Netherlands. Together with our regional partners, we form the Invest in Holland network: a collaborative team providing free, confidential support services to foreign investors.



Barbara Mutsaers is lawyer at AKD Benelux lawyers, specialized in Agri & Food. She heads the Agri & Food team at AKD, which is ranked Tier 1 by Legal 500 EMEA 2020 in the area of Food in the Netherlands. Barbara Mutsaers itself is also ranked by Legal 500 EMEA 2020, as a Leading Individual in Food and is amongst others on the editorial board of the magazine Commodities & Law (in Dutch: Waar & Wet).

 

Esther Vissers is Managing Director, at Anderson Advanced Ingredients B.V.
Anderson Advanced Ingredients is an Irvine, California based innovator and provider of the world’s best nutraceutical and functional food ingredients. The experienced Anderson team works with manufacturing partners from around the globe to develop and bring unique, efficacious ingredients to the marketplace, and has recently opened an office in The Netherlands.

Esther is passionate about healthy food, has a Wageningen University master-degree in Nutrition, and has been in business development roles in national and international food companies in the Netherlands.

Gisella Frijlink is CEO, at Contract Research powerhouse NIZO. NIZO is a private and independent company, assisting companies worldwide to optimize manufacturing of ingredients, with their expertise on protein transition, food safety, health benefits and smart processing. NIZO builds on over 70 years of experience. Gisella has ample experience in C-level roles in food and pharma, and is a proud alumnus of Wageningen University.

 

Willem Spigt heads the plant-based department at Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat. From the beginning he was involved with the launch of Beyond Meat in Europe and the Middle East and has overseen Beyond’s growth over the last 3 years. Willem is also involved in the expansion of Zandbergen’ s plant-based portfolio which now also includes Good Catch’s, with more brands yet to come.