Archives: Speakers

Brews beer. Like really good beer. Like brewed with relaxing nootropics, but without alcohol kind of good beer.

See boring stuff below: 👇

📺 Featured on Dragons’ Den | 🍺 Founder at IMPOSSIBREW | 🇬🇧 GB Food and Drink Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 | 🇫🇷FWS, French Wine Scholar (Highest Honours) | 🍷WSET Level 3 | ⚗️GC in Brewing – Institute of Brewing & Distilling | 📖 Durham University First Class Philosophy Graduate

A Marketing professional with 15 years of experience across the most competitive FMCG and FMCD space across multiple geographies/cultures. Proven track record of delivering long-term sustainable growth with an ideal mix of strong strategic thinking skills coupled with deep cross-functional understanding

An innovation specialist and scientist with a wealth of experience in successful product development across a number of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages categories in Europe and Africa. This is drawn from my work with global corporates and leading brands. I have strong technical expertise in beverage, supported by deep knowledge of consumer insights, strategy and commercial execution. At Britvic, I’m excited to be part of our drive to innovate at scale, grow exciting brands and demonstrate the strategic importance and commercial impact of a courageous and successful R&D Innovation strategy.

Holly leads DV’s search agenda in identifying the next generation of founder-led spirits brands for potential investment, by staying on the pulse with evolving drinking trends and culture. Before DV she worked in food and drink retail, working on a wide range of insight projects for the UK’s leading grocers and FMCGs. Her experience gives her a great understanding of changing consumer trends and unique founder ideas which meet the lifestyles of today’s consumers.

Russell is a senior commercial leader with over 20 years’ multi-channel brand-building experience in FMCG and Retail. In his current position as Managing Director of Breakthrough Brands at Britvic PLC, Russell is responsible for leading the company’s new innovation incubator division where he uses his entrepreneurial skillset and big picture thinking style to bring challenger brands to market. This includes leading London Essence from seeded launch to £12m RSV in four years; establishing it as the main challenger to Fever Tree and the fastest growing premium mixer in the UK market. He is now also responsible for the recent addition to Britvic’s portfolio- Plenish. The brand offers great alignment with Britvic’s long-term sustainability strategy Healthier People, Healthier Planet and Russell will help to grow Britvic’s offering in the fast-growing plant-based segment.

In addition to being a strong commercial leader, Russell is also passionate about supporting employee wellbeing, promoting self-care in the workplace and being a mindful leader. In 2019, he led a global Britvic project to reposition and relaunch Britvic’s culture and values and he is currently Chair of Britvic’s B-Seen network which champions employees with diverse abilities and disabilities.

Karlijn van Ruiten has worked in the drinks industry for more than 15 years; starting at soft drinks firm Vrumona, where she found her passion for marketing. After multiple commercial roles on cider and beer brands for HEINEKEN she is now responsible at HEINEKEN Global for growing the non alcoholic beer category as Brand Development Lead of Heineken® 0.0.

With a wealth of experience in product development – in both alcohol and non alcohol category- she now leads a portfolio of H® 0.0 innovation projects; from brief to ideation and consumer validation, finalized concept, supply solution, commercial and marketing plan and eventually global launch.

Prior she worked as Marketing Manager Vrumona, where she learned that the beauty of brand building lies within adding value in the life of people; by changing behaviour towards more healthy choices for her brand’s consumers or by adding value to her own team by being a true connecting people manager.

Kerttu Inkeroinen is Marketing Director of Lucky Saint, the UK’s #1 dedicated alcohol-free beer brand and a certified B Corporation on a mission to reward those who are no drinking with the beer they deserve.

Kerttu has worked in consumer goods for over 15 years, starting her career working with household-name brands of Kimberly-Clark (Kleenex, Andres and Huggies) before moving on to journey through drinks sector: from the FMCG giant The Coca-Cola Company leaping into the world of scale up at Union Hand-Roasted Coffee, UK’s leading ethical speciality coffee roaster, leading the brand’s repositioning and launch into consumer markets, before joining Lucky Saint in 2022. Having been a fan of the brand already, Kerttu was inspired by the vision and energy of Emma Heal and Luke Boase, Lucky Saint founder, to join them on a mission to build the world’s defining alcohol free brand.

Kerttu is an avid lover of nature, spending time hiking, cycling, trail running and skiing, and passionate about building sustainable, mission-led businesses