- Events
- 17th Global Dairy Congress
17th Global Dairy Congress
The premier industry event devoted to marketing and brands, consumers and innovation, designed for industry leaders, innovators, suppliers, customers and advisers worldwide. The 17th annual Global Dairy Congress will feature two days of conference sessions, a visit to UK's largest dairy, extensive time for networking and discussion, and presentation of the World Dairy Innovation Awards 2024.
Sponsors
About the event
Zenith Global's annual Global Dairy Congress is a high-level forum for senior leaders of dairy businesses, suppliers, customers and advisers to ensure they are fully up to date with market trends, policy issues and product innovation around the world to ensure their strategic plans take full account of the latest developments.
The 17th annual Congress will offer its attendees two days of insight-packed conference sessions, extensive networking, a visit to Arla's Aylesbury facility - the largest dairy in the UK, and presentation of the FoodBev Media World Dairy Innovation Awards. Conference sessions will take place on 25 and 26 June, with the Arla visit commencing on the morning of 27 June.
This year’s theme of ‘Healthy People, Healthy Planet’ reflects an emphasis on the greatest challenges and opportunities, with sessions on the global market, leading company vision, world trade, nutrition and sustainability, in addition to covering a wide range of innovation including cultivated milk.
Speakers include
Tuesday 25 June
Bas Padberg, Managing Director UK of Arla Foods
Dr Judith Bryans, Chief Executive of Dairy UK and former President of International Dairy Federation
Questions and discussion
Tom Hole, Consumer Insight Director for Kantar Worldpanel
Ananda Roy, International Senior Vice President – Strategic Growth Insights for Circana
Joshua Self, Senior Commercial Executive at NielsenIQ
Questions and discussion
Refreshment and networking break
Kristen Coady, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer of Dairy Farmers of America
Sylvie Borias, Director of Engagement and CSR for Bel Group, France
Jayen Mehta, Managing Director of Amul, India
Dr Zhanyou Yun, Vice President of Yili Group, China
Questions and discussion
Networking lunch around exhibitor stands
Rick Ortman, Senior Vice President – Strategic Insights for U.S. Dairy Export Council
Jim O’Toole, Chief Executive Officer of Bord Bia, Ireland
Questions and discussion
Nguyen Quang Tri, Executive Marketing Director for Vinamilk, Vietnam
Refreshment and networking break
Dr Ian Givens, Professor – Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health at University of Reading, United Kingdom
Alan Bjerga, Executive Vice President – Communications and Industry Relations for National Milk Producers Federation, United States
Questions and discussion
Dr Timothy Robinson, Industry Adviser to Global Dairy Platform
Richard Hall, Vice President and General Secretary for Danone UK & Ireland
Questions and discussion
Presentation of 2024 World Dairy Innovation Awards
Cocktail and canapé reception
Close
Wednesday 26 June
Richard Walton, Senior Adviser - Research and Development for Meiji Holdings, Japan
Dr Xu Guang Zhang, Associate Group Vice President of Mengniu, China
Timo Pajari, Senior Vice President of Valio, Finland
Questions and discussion
Panel discussion sponsored by Yili Group, China
Dr Zhanyou Yun, Vice President of Yili Group, China
Dr Carolien Van Loo-Bouwman, Senior Manager – Innovation & Nutrition at Yili Innovation Center Europe
Dr Judith Bryans, Chief Executive of Dairy UK
Tom Hole, Consumer Insight Director for Kantar Worldpanel
Refreshment and networking break
Stéphane Mac Millan, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bon Vivant, France
Romain Chayot, Co-founder and Managing Director of Standing Ovation, France
Dr Svenja Dannewitz, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Senara, Germany
Questions and discussion
Natasha Bowes, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Biotiful Gut Health, United Kingdom
Toby Hopkinson, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of All Things Butter, United Kingdom
Questions and discussion
Networking lunch around exhibitor stands
Close
Thursday 27 June
Attendees are invited to visit Arla Foods UK's Aylesbury facility - the largest dairy in the UK.
Coach to depart from outside of the Congress Centre at 08.30, returning at 14.30.
Speakers
Jayen Mehta
Managing Director of Amul, India
Dr. Jayen Mehta is Managing Director (MD) at Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (Amul), which is India's largest FMCG company with annual brand sales turnover of USD 9.6 billion (INR 80,000 Crore).
He has been working with Amul for the last 33 years. He is a member of the Standing Committee of Marketing of the International Dairy Federation (IDF). He is also a member of the 'Committee on International Trade Policy' of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). He has also served as a member on the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) Events Oversight Board.
He has been selected as a member of the Campaign Asia’s “Asia Pacific Power List 2024” which represents the most influential and purposeful markers in the Asia Pacific region.
Toby Hopkinson
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of All Things Butter, United Kingdom
Bas Padberg
Managing Director UK of Arla Foods
Sylvie Borias
Director of Engagement and CSR for Bel Group, France
Natasha Bowes
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Biotiful Gut Health, United Kingdom
Growing up, Kefir and other cultured milk products were a regular part of Biotiful founder Natasha Bowes’s life due to their gut health benefits.
Educating the UK about the importance of gut health and creating the perfect Kefir became her big dream. Combining the best of all worlds; ancient recipes and modern palates, Natasha blended with specialist production methods to create Kefir that is authentic, natural, and exactly as it should be.
In 2016, Natasha braved the Dragons’ Den and gave an impressive pitch to the investors. She wasn’t prepared to give away a larger stake in the business, but she didn’t leave empty handed. Her Kefir was brought into the spotlight and she walked away with an even bigger determination to expand her range of products and ensure gut health is accessible to every family, every day.
Her innovative range of drinks, yogurts and Plant Based Oat Kefir helped Natasha to propel Biotiful Gut Health to the UK’s #1 Kefir brand. In 2020 she was named #3 in the Top Ten Female Founders by The Sunday Times, with Biotiful Gut Health being awarded #10 on their Fast Track 100 list.
In 2022 Biotiful Gut Health celebrated its 10-year anniversary and Natasha is still dedicated to raising awareness of the benefits of good gut health. She continues to help people live healthy lives by providing delicious gut healthy products for every family.
Stéphane Mac Millan
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bon Vivant, France
Jim O’Toole
Chief Executive Officer of Bord Bia, Ireland
Ananda Roy
Senior Vice President – Thought Leadership Europe for Circana
Ananda supports top corporate executives in FTSE-100 organisations identify & capitalise on growth opportunities, sharpen marketing effectiveness & optimisation, & use the power of analytics and data-driven inputs to make smart commercial decisions.
Kristen Coady
Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer of Dairy Farmers of America
In her current role as senior vice president and chief communications officer, Kristen is responsible for overseeing the Cooperative’s communications strategy, marketing, brand and messaging development and ensuring effective communication with ...
Dr Timothy Robinson
Independent Adviser to Global Dairy Platform
Timothy Robinson is an independent consultant, based in Devon, UK, working with the Global Dairy Platform (GDP) to support their Pathways to Dairy Net Zero (P2DNZ) initiative.
Prior to 2017, Timothy had spent four years working as a Principal Scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was involved in several projects and programmes – latterly acting as focal point for antimicrobial resistance work carried out by the Institute, estimating antimicrobial consumption in the livestock sector and exploring the links between this and the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance in public health.
Trained originally as a biologist at the University of Oxford, he carried out his PhD research at the University of Reading in spatial ecology. He has thirty-four years of post-doctoral experience working in the field of spatial analysis in relation to agriculture, food security and poverty alleviation. During this time he has had residential contracts in Kenya and Zambia and has worked within the United Nations, the CGIAR system, UK universities and government departments.
Richard Hall
Vice President and General Secretary for Danone UK & Ireland
During a 30-year career at Danone, Richard has held various commercial leadership positions and is passionate about the role business plays in delivering economic and social benefit.
Dr Judith Bryans
Chief Executive Officer of Dairy UK and former President of International Dairy Federation
Dr Judith Bryans is the Chief Executive of Dairy UK. She took over the running of the organisation in October 2013. Prior to that she was Director of The Dairy Council, a position she held from 2006.
Tom Hole
Consumer Insight Director for Kantar Worldpanel
Joshua Self
Senior Commercial Executive at NielsenIQ
As a skilled analyst and commercial executive with 5 years of experience at NielsenIQ, Josh has developed expertise in various areas of the business, including analytics, insight presentation, product solutions, and account management.
Alan Bjerga
Executive Vice President – Communications and Industry Relations for National Milk Producers Federation, United States
Alan Bjerga leads NMPF’s communications efforts with a focus on digital storytelling, media relations and marketing while expanding NMPF outreach to its members and the broader dairy industry.
Bjerga previously worked at Bloomberg News as its lead writer on national farm-policy issues, covering topics including the Farm Bill, agricultural trade, rural economics and politics, and publishing a book on global hunger and food security, “Endless Appetites.” He also worked at Knight-Ridder Newspapers, extensively covering defense and intelligence issues. Bjerga is a past president of the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., as well as the North American Agricultural Journalists. He grew up on a sheep farm in central Minnesota.
Dr Richard Walton
Senior Advisor - Research and Development for Meiji Holdings, Japan
Dr Xu Guang Zhang
Associate Group Vice President of Mengniu, China
Prof. Xuguang (Felix) Zhang had his PhD in Human Nutrition (Medicine) in the Rowett Institute of Nutrition & Health, Scotland, UK. Currently,
He also works as a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a visiting professor at the School of Life and Marine Sciences, Shenzhen University. Before he joined Mengniu Dairy Group, Dr. Zhang Xuguang successively served for over 20 years in medical/functional food development and innovation for By-Health Group(China), FRDC Fonterra (NZ), University of Aberdeen (UK), Science in Sport Plc (UK), and Provexis Plc (UK). Between 2006-2015, Prof. Zhang also led scientific research projects in areas of CVDs and metabolic health when he worked as a Research Fellow in Rowett Institute. In Provexis Plc, worked as a Senior Research Scientist for 6 years, Prof. Zhang and his team successfully delivered their core functional ingredient ‘FruitFlow’, which won the first new health claim in Europe under the Article 13.5 EFSA. Prof. Zhang is a Registered Nutritionist (Nutrition Science) in the UK. And he is also the national expert committee member of Health Aging, Healthy China Research Center and executive committee member of Chinese Nutrition Society.
Dr Svenja Prosseda
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Senara, Germany
Romain Chayot
Co-founder and Managing Director of Standing Ovation, France
Before co-founding STANDING OVATION, Romain was Head of Metabolic Engineering at Global Bioenergies for 14 years, leading 5 research groups.
Dr Ian Givens
Professor – Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health at University of Reading, United Kingdom
Professor Ian Givens has a background in biochemistry and nutrition and is a UK Registered Nutritionist.
Rick Ortman
Senior Vice President – Strategic Insights for U.S. Dairy Export Council
Rick serves as the Senior Vice President of Strategic Insights for the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC).
Timo Pajari
Senior Vice President of Valio, Finland
Timo Pajari has been working with global and local B2B companies for 20 years. He has an extensive experience in plant-based and dairy ingredient applications and market.
Nguyen Quang Tri
Executive Marketing Director for Vinamilk, Vietnam
Nguyen has been the Executive Marketing Director for Vinamilk since July 2021, having previously worked within the organisation between 2009 and 2014 as Category Marketing Director.
Dr Carolien Van Loo-Bouwman
Senior Manager Nutrition & Innovation for Yili Innovation Center Europe
Carolien has been working in the R&D of global dairy companies and was involved across all the scientific, product development and regulatory activities for 22 years.
Dr Zhanyou Yun
Vice President of Yili Group, China
Dr. Yun Zhanyou got his PhD from Osaka University and has rich experience in food and dairy R&D.
Tour
Arla Aylesbury
On 27 June, attendees will have the opportunity to visit Arla Foods UK's Aylesbury facility - the largest dairy in the UK.
Home to some of the UK’s leading dairy brands, including Cravendale, Anchor, Lurpak and Castello, Arla Foods UK supplies a full range of fresh dairy products to the major retailers and foodservice customers.
Not only is Arla the UK’s number one dairy company, by milk pool, it is the largest supplier of both butter and spreads and cheese in the country. The business has a yearly combined milk pool of circa 3 billion litres and a turnover in excess of £2 billion.
Making 4,000 deliveries to stores and regional distribution centres each day, Arla has including 2,500 farmer owners, spread geographically throughout the country.
Behind this leading business is a team of circa 3,500 colleagues across the UK located at its dairies, distribution centres and head offices.
Arla Aylesbury is located approximately 1 hour - 1 hour and 30 minutes from central London. Coach transport will be arranged to and from the facility.
| Pay by 22 Mar Super saver rate | Pay by 10 May Early booking rate | Pay by 25 Jun Standard booking rate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Congress | Per delegate | £840.00 | £890.00 | £990.00 | |
| Concession | £440.00 | £490.00 | £540.00 | ||
| Separate elements | 25 June only | £590.00 | £690.00 | ||
| 26 June only | £490.00 | £590.00 |
*A concession rate is offered to start-ups and early-stage entrepreneurs. To be eligible, you must have annual sales below £1 million. For more information and to book at this rate, please contact events@zenithglobal.com
Substitutions will be accepted at any time. Cancellations will be subject to £150 + VAT administration charge per delegate and cannot be made after 10 May. Bookings are subject to Zenith Global Event Terms and Conditions, available here.
All delegates must pay VAT at the prevailing rate in the UK, currently 20%. The rate may be subject to change.
Visas may be required from some countries. Zenith Global will be happy to help with visa support and document where possible.
Venue
The Congress Centre is an ideally located and contemporary venue in the heart of London's West End. It is situated close to Tottenham Court Road underground station, from which you should use exit 3. This station serves the Central and Elizabeth line, which runs directly to Paddington station.
Congress Centre, 28 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS
t +44 (0)20 7467 1318 f +44 (0)207 467 1313
For further details, visit www.congresscentre.co.uk/location
Dress code: Business suit or smart casual
Accommodation
The event venue, the Congress Centre, is located in the heart of London's West End, within close walking distance to Tottenham Court Road Underground Station (Elizabeth Line and Central Line). Several accommodation options are available nearby or within easy access by public transport.
We have a preferential 15% discounted rate available at the nearby Numa London Bloomsbury (11-13 Bayley Street, London WC1B 3HD), subject to availability.
Bookings can be made in writing via corporate@numastays.com or by booking online with the personalised voucher code ZENITHEVENTSTAYSNUMA.
Sponsorship
Our event and awards sponsorship packages offer a unique and effective opportunity to showcase your brand and services to a highly relevant audience.
You can choose from our Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsorship packages, or we can create a custom sponsorship package to suit your specific needs and budgetary requirements.
Sponsorship opportunities include:
- Presentation within the main event programme
- Opportunity to host a workshop, roundtable or drinks reception
- Exhibit display in the networking area
- Distribution of marketing material / product samples
- Delegate passes
- Discounted delegate access for your clients
- Branding across event collateral, including stage backdrop, lectern and programme
- Logo on event webpage hyperlinked to your website
- Sponsored email communication to all attendees
- Sponsored social media posts
- Regular mentions in Zenith Global's event marketing and press releases
For information and pricing, please contact Francesca Hall, Events Director
e fhall@zenithglobal.com t +44 (0)1225 327900
Awards
We're thrilled to announce that the annual World Dairy Innovation Awards is returning in 2024, celebrating excellence and innovation in the global dairy industry.
Now in its 17th year, the awards recognise and honour the companies, products and services that shape and disrupt the dairy industry, setting a new standard of ingenuity and showcasing a commitment to delivering extraordinary consumer experiences.
The award winners will be announced during the Global Dairy Congress, in a special awards ceremony hosted by FoodBev Media.
Visit www.foodbevawards.com or contact awards@foodbev.com for further details.
2024 Categories
Best Product 2024
- Artisan dairy
- Cheese
- Children’s dairy product
- Dairy alternative
- Dairy drink
- Dairy protein product
- Dairy snack
- Ice cream/frozen yogurt
- Functional dairy
Best Innovation 2024
- Dairy alternative Innovation
- Intolerance-friendly Innovation
- Manufacturing/technology innovation
- Health innovation
Best Business 2024
- Marketing campaign
- New/start-up business
- Packaging design
- CSR/sustainability initiative
Attendees
Attendees of the 2022 and 2023 Global Dairy Congress included:
