21st Global Water Drinks Congress

Events
21st Global Water Drinks Congress

21st Global Water Drinks Congress

28th-30th Oct

Frankfurt, Germany

The highest level and most influential event for the global water drinks industry. Designed for industry leaders, suppliers, customers and advisers, this 21st annual Congress will provide a complete overview of the latest market trends, innovations and issues alongside networking opportunities with key industry figures. Insights will be shared by leading international and regional businesses on the latest market and strategic developments, as well as by innovators and entrepreneurs bringing new ideas and taking up new challenges.

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About

Zenith Global's annual Global Water Drinks Congress is regarded as the highest level and most influential forum for the global water drinks industry.

Designed for industry leaders, suppliers, customers and advisers, the Congress offers attendees a complete overview of the latest market trends, developments, innovation and issues, alongside extensive networking opportunities.

The event will feature two days of conference sessions, a tour of Gerolsteiner's bottling facility, extensive networking opportunities, a gala industry dinner and presentation of the Global Water Drinks Awards 2024, highlighting the best in global water drinks innovation worldwide.

Leading international and regional manufacturers, industry suppliers and advisers will present on the latest market and strategic developments, as well as topical issues ranging from packaging and sustainability to water stewardship and innovation.

To view details of the 2023 Global Water Drinks Congress, please click here.

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles IDS Ukraine 31

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Coca Cola Company 22

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles First Discussion 3

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Fourth Discussion 14

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Second Discussion 34

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20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Coffee Break 90

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Evening Mingles Meals and Awards 38

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20231128 Zenith Gleneagles First Discussion 14

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20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Essentia Water 24

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Evening Mingles Meals and Awards 44

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Evening Mingles Meals and Awards 48

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Evening Mingles Meals and Awards 70

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Evening Mingles Meals and Awards 50

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Evening Mingles Meals and Awards 150

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Kantar Spokesman 9

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Fourth Discussion 47

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Third Discussion 8

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Essentia Water 3

20231128 Zenith Gleneagles Coffee Break 72

Speakers

Jamie Douglas-Hamilton

Founder and Director of ACTIPH Water

Jamie founded ACTIPH water after rowing from Australia to Africa when he realised mixing small amounts of sea water with their water hydrated them faster than ordinary water.

This inspired him to research water all over the world to see what else was possible with enhancing water. He found alkaline ionised water in Japan and with this technology was the first to market in Europe and is now pioneering the growth of this new category.

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Ross Colbert

Managing Director, Investment Banking – Beverages for Capstone Partners

Ross is a Managing Director in Capstone Partners’ Consumer Investment Banking team and brings 35 years of Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets experience to the firm.

Ross is exclusively focused on advising Beverage sector clients including suppliers, processors, brand owners and distributors across the value chain in beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks and coffee/tea.

His cross-border transaction experience includes leading M&A advisory engagements across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Ross is a recognized beverage industry thought leader and is a frequent guest speaker at industry events and in news media including CNBC, Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times.

Prior to joining Capstone Partners, Ross was Managing Director /Global Head of the Beverage team at KPMG Corporate Finance from 2019 - 2023. Prior to KPMG, Ross spent 9 years as Managing Director and Global Sector Head - Beverages at Rabobank, a leader in Food & Agriculture finance where he had responsibility for US$9.0 billion in commitments across nearly 90 large & mid-cap beverage clients. Ross was at Rabobank from 2011 until 2019.

Ross was Managing Director and COO at Beverage Marketing Corporation from 1999-2007, and President of Haas Financial Corporation from 1987- 1999. Ross spent the first five years of his career in operating roles at Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Miami and Cadbury Schweppes plc.

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Clovis Thaumoux

Packaging Market Manager of Carbios

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.

In a career over 25 years leading strategy teams in client-side, consulting and agency roles; he focuses now on Circana's clients in FMCG, Retail and Media categories. He is often invited to industry events to share foresights that shape these categories.

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Connie Ang

Senior Vice President – Water for Groupe Danone, France

Neil Kimberley

Chief Commercial Officer of Electrolit, United States

Nicholas Reichenbach

Chief Executive Officer of Flow Beverage Corp, Canada

Roel Annega

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gerolsteiner Brunnen

Born in the Netherlands, Roel Annega can look back on an international career in the FMCG market that turned him and his family into true European citizens.

After starting his career at Baars Kaas in the Netherlands (now Bel Group), he worked for Nestlé in the Netherlands for 8 years for the confectionary and culinary business. He then moved to The Coca-Cola Company, where he successfully spent 20 years, living in 8 European countries. He spent most of his tenure at Coke in senior marketing roles, but also acted as Managing Director. As New Business Development Director he successfully developed several water businesses across Europe.

After his last position at Coca-Cola as Vice President Marketing for Central and Southern Europe in Vienna, Annega moved back to Nestlé in Frankfurt am Main. Here he led the culinary business of Nestlé Deutschland AG as Chairman and Business Executive Officer, responsible for the brands “Maggi” and “Thomy”.

In June 2019 Annega returned to the beverage industry as Chairman and CEO of Gerolsteiner Brunnen. Annega is convinced that we are witnessing a pivotal time in the mineral water industry and is exited to help shape the future for both for the Gerolsteiner brand and for the category.

He is a member of the Board of both Verband Deutscher Mineralbrunnen as well as Natural Mineral Waters Europe.

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Alessandro Pasquale

Executive President of Mattoni 1873, Czech Republic

Alessandro Pasquale was born in Padua, Italy, and now lives alternately in the Czech Republic and Switzerland. He took over the management of Mattoni 1873 (then Karlovarské minerální vody) from his father Antonio in 2007.

He thus represents the second generation continuing the Czech-Italian heritage of the company’s original founder, Heinrich Mattoni. Under his management, Mattoni 1873 became the leader on the mineral- and spring-water soft-drinks market in Central Europe. Today it operates 11 production plants and operates in 8 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. It produces local and global brands, e.g., from the PepsiCo portfolio. His long-term interest is in the area of sustainability and the circular economy. He strives to make the entire beverage industry circular and sustainable in the long term, not only in the Czech Republic, but as president of the European association Natural Mineral Waters Europe (NMWE) within the EU as a whole.

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Sandeep Bakhshi

Managing Director of Indo Nissin Foods, India

Jesus Nuñez Sanchez

Director General – Water for Mahou San Miguel

Jesús joined Mahou San Miguel in 2001 and has headed the Waters Business Unit since 2013.

At the same time, he is a member of the Executive Committee in ANEABE (Spanish Water Association) and ADECA (San Telmo International Institute), as well as Professor in the CSR Master's Program at the IE Business School, member of the board of Aguas del Valle de la Orotava (Canary Island) and certified coach.

Prior to that, he held various positions, Director of Labor Relationships, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and General Manager of the Mahou San Miguel Foundation.

He is a lawyer and holds a Master's Degree in Human Resources Management from the IE Business School. In addition to other qualifications, he completed the Executive Development Program in Business Administration and Management in the IESE Business School at the University of Navarra, also holds a diploma in CSR from the Harvard Business School and a Higher Degree in Occupational Risk Prevention.

He started his professional business career in 1997 at Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira as an associate attorney in the labour area, moving two years later to Garrigues (Andersen Legal), where he worked before joining Mahou San Miguel.

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Alexander van ’t Riet

former Chief Executive Officer of Mai Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Andy Peykoff II

Chief Executive Officer of Niagara Bottling

Family owned and operated since 1963, Andy’s humble beginnings at Niagara started in manufacturing as a teenager.

By 26, he became CEO and since then has worked to build the largest privately held beverage company in North America supplying global and local retailers in addition to contract manufacturing for some of the country’s most recognized beverage brands.

Andy continues his commitment to world-class manufacturing and supply chain by investing in industry leading software and the fastest, most technologically advanced PET bottling lines in the world. Niagara has grown to over 50 manufacturing facilities in four countries producing a diverse range of beverages including still, sparkling and alkaline water as well as teas, sports drinks, ready-to-drink coffee, protein drinks and non-dairy milk products.

Andy’s entrepreneurial spirit and passion for innovation has built a unique family culture that drives Niagara’s success. Andy values giving back to the community through Niagara Cares which supports families in need, helps provide access to water in underdeveloped countries and seeks to find a cure for follicular lymphoma. The company’s numerous awards include Beverage Forum’s Large Company of the Year, Ernst & Young’s National Entrepreneur of the Year for Family Business, Deloitte’s Best Managed Company and Walmart’s Sustainable Supplier of the Year.

Andy is a graduate of Southern Methodist University and lives in Southern California with his wife Jaime and their six children.

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Damodar Mall

Chief Executive Officer – Grocery Retail Business Reliance Industries, India

Damodar leads the largest grocery retail business in India. He has been a creator of multiple retail formats and has also been a supermarket entrepreneur. He is a Retail CEO; CPG marketer, Author; Entrepreneur; Consumer market Specialist for India.

Damodar’ s book ‘SupermarketWala: The secrets of wining consumer India’ is a bestseller. He is an invitation blogger with Forbes India and a known thought leader in the consumer space in India.

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Rahul Narang

Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of The Narang Group/Ocean Beverages, India

A graduate in Entrepreneurship from Babson College in Boston, Harvard Business School’s Owners President Management Program, and several YPO-Harvard Programs, Rahul Narang, under his leadership & business acumen...

....has established The Narang Group as one of the leading premium food & beverage companies in India.

The Narang Group is all about “Crafting Brands”, dating back to 1999, when Rahul’s love for Red Bull led to launching the brand & novel energy drink category in the country. Since then, the group has successfully introduced an entire nation to some of the finest beverage brands over the last two decades, such as Evian, Perrier, Twinings, Monster, Lindt, Fever Tree & several others. The route-to-consumer that was built & developed for these brands in India over the years, soon led to the idea of launching his own portfolio of lifestyle health & wellness beverages.

The Narang Group owns Ocean Beverages. - the No. brand in the fruit water & premium mixer segment in the country, as well as the No. 1 premium natural mineral water – Qua from the Himalayan Foothills. Apart from Ocean & Qua, the group’s current portfolio also comprises of world class brands such as illy & Haribo.

When it comes to inspiring smarter hydration, Ocean Beverages aim to set the benchmark, with Ocean Fruit Water, Ocean Natural Energy Drink & Ocean Natural Mixers, all of which have been crafted as ‘better-for-you’ products, with a focus on sustainable living. The brand’s purpose is to redefine hydration for 350 million consumers in the country, being present in over 100k retail touchpoints across 250 cities with its portfolio of healthy, natural innovative beverages in the hydration+ segment, that are not only good for them, but the environment too (instagram.com/oceanbeverages)

Virat Kohli – internationally renowned Sportsman, has a stake in Ocean Beverages along with several other high-profile investors.

Rahul, being a member of YPO (Young President’s Organization) since 2010, and also serving on the Regional Board of YPO South Asia since 2019, firmly believes in life-long learning, through education, exchange of ideas and meaningful relationships.

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Luc Baeyens

Chief Executive Officer of Sources Alma, France

Fred Mitchell

Senior Brand Director - Topo Chico, for The Coca-Cola Company

Fred Mitchell is the Senior Brand Director for Topo Chico in the North America Operating Unit.

Fred Mitchell has over 13 years of experience in The Coca-Cola Company system, having led multiple brands such as Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Powerade and vitaminwater across Latin America and North America. Most recently, Fred has played a key role in the expansion of the Topo Chico brand, helping in its growth as a leader in the premium sparkling water industry while also strategizing for the brand's imminent expansion into new sub-categories.
On a personal note, Fred is an avid traveler, soccer player and fiction enthusiast. He resides in Atlanta alongside his wife and their Boston Terrier, Cookie.

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Larissa D'Otaviano

Head of Sustainability for Valgroup, Brazil

Larissa is the Head of Sustainability at Valgroup. She is an accomplished Chemical Engineer with a robust background in advanced recycling technologies and sustainability.

Larissa holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from USP, an MBA in Business Management from USP, and a postgraduate degree in Environment and Corporate Sustainability from FGV. With over 5 years of experience in the industry, Larissa has been instrumental in developing and implementing innovative recycling processes that drive sustainability in the sector. She has worked on numerous projects, contributing to significant advancements in chemical recycling.

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Gerrit Smit

Managing Director of the Yili Innovation Center Europe

Gerrit Smit (PhD) is the managing director of Yili Innovation Center Europe, which is based in Wageningen, The Netherlands.

This centre is aiming to bridge Yili’s Innovation Centers in China with strategic collaboration parties in Europe and beyond. Partnerships are closed with academia, CRO’s, strategic suppliers as well as other dairy and food companies.

Before joining Yili he worked as SVP R&D at Valio, Finland; at Unilever (2004-2011) as R&D Director Flavour and Consumer Research; at NIZO food research (1993-2004) in The Netherlands, where he was as board member responsible for the departments Flavour, Nutrition and Ingredients. Moreover, he held for 12 years an endowed professorship at Wageningen University (NL) in Molecular Flavour Science.

He obtained a masters degree (Utrecht University) and PhD degree (Leiden University) in molecular biology.

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Maurizio Patarnello

Portfolio Board Director and Adviser, Former Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Waters

Further speakers to be announced

Speakers include

Monday 28 October

GEROLSTEINER BOTTLING PLANT TOUR