Archives: Speakers

Ritesh is the Regional Account Director Nordics at Verint Systems, bringing over 20 years of experience in IT sales and business development. He helps organizations across the Nordics accelerate digital transformation by delivering both Customer Experience (CX) automation and Verint Financial Compliance solutions. Working closely with C‑level stakeholders, Ritesh focuses on aligning innovative technology with strategic business goals to enhance customer engagement, improve operational efficiency, and meet regulatory requirements. At Verint, he leads strategic discussions with enterprise customers, shaping tailored strategies that support seamless adoption of the Verint Open Cloud Platform. Driven by a passion for innovation and collaboration, Ritesh is committed to empowering organizations to unlock their full potential and achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes.

Senior Technical Support Engineer (Central and Eastern Europe, German speaking and CIS countries).

Currently based in Czech Republic. He is a Graduated Chemical Engineer specialized in water treatment technologies. He has more than 16 years of experience in the water treatment industry. Since 2014, he is with Hydranautics focusing mainly on membrane technologies for water treatment and process separation. Has extensive working experience in different natural and cultural environments. He is passionate to develop and deliver advanced membrane technologies that minimize negative impact on the environment and bring various benefits to the clients.

Born in the Czech Republic. Graduated in the International Business at University of Economics Prague.

In 2025, successfully completed Nitto Regional Business Academy held at Vlerick International Business School. Experienced professional in sales, strategy and marketing

Communicating in seven languages. 14 years in membrane industry focused on F&B, especially Dairy market segment

More than 10 years at Hydranautics – A Nitto Group Company developing Process Separation Membrane Business within EMEA region focusing on big accounts as well as new applications

Relaxes during sports and hiking (record to mention is 44 km trail run at Menorca in 2019), loves good food, fashion, design, cinema and opera.

Remy Nohar is a Process Engineer with a background in Chemical Engineering and Food Technology, specialized in sustainable food process engineering. He has worked extensively with membrane filtration both at pilot scale and industrial scale. As a Process Engineer at CFR, he supports the design and implementation of membrane filtration systems. As part of the engineering team, Remy is involved in developing mass balances, system sizing, and process design. His work also includes creating functional descriptions and control logic (PIN charts), supporting FATs and system startups, delivering operator training, and conducting technical service and system audits.

Veronica Martinelli is a Junior Account Manager at Vinhood, a company operating globally to help F&B brands understand and activate consumer taste preferences through data-driven insights.

In her role, she manages relationships with complex international clients, translating business needs into clear and actionable projects and ensuring seamless execution across teams. She oversees timelines, priorities, and deliverables, contributing to the successful delivery of data-driven strategies that align products and experiences with evolving consumer tastes.

With a background in Economics and Management, she brings a strong client-centric approach, combining analytical thinking with a focus on delivering measurable results.

Fosca Vezzulli holds a degree and a PhD in Food Technology, with a focus on coffee supply chains and sensory analysis.

She is part of Vinhood, a company operating globally to help F&B brands understand and activate consumer taste preferences through data-driven insights. Over the past year, she has been working on translating sensory data into actionable strategies, supporting companies worldwide in product development and consumer understanding.

With over a decade of experience in sensory analysis of food and beverages, she contributes to bridging scientific research and real-world applications, enabling brands to better align their products with evolving consumer tastes.

She is also an internationally certified Q-Grader and the author of several scientific publications on sensory analysis, and currently serves as adjunct professor of Sensory Analysis at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

Chas is the current Director of Finance & Commercial at Glencore Technology. He has extensive experience across finance, commercial, strategy and operational leadership within large-scale mining organisations. Chas currently oversees financial performance, capital allocation, and strategic growth initiatives for Glencore Technology. He brings a strong track record in driving disciplined investment decisions, improving financial systems, and supporting executive teams through complex commercial and global environments. Chas has a particular interest in resource sector investments, with a focus on value creation, risk management, and long-term portfolio performance.

Cristi Stark serves in the role of Associate Director for the Office of Science (OS) within the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this capacity, she focuses on application review management as well as leading high-priority cross-cutting regulatory and policy efforts. Cristi has over two decades of regulatory experience at FDA and has been with CTP since 2009. Within her time at CTP, Cristi has assisted with the establishment of TPSAC, served as the first TPSAC DFO, assisted with development and implementation of all premarket (PMTA, SE, EX REQ) and modified risk pathways, aided in establishment and reporting of performance metrics, served as a regulatory health project manager, Associate Director for Science Policy in OS, and more recently as the Director for the Division of Regulatory Project Management in OS. Prior to CTP she worked in two other FDA Centers, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) and the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). Prior to FDA, she worked as a biologist for the National Cancer Institute. Cristi received her B.S. from the University of Maryland at College Park, and her M.S. from Johns Hopkins University.

Christer Hedström is Regional Sales Director Nordics at OutSystems, with more than 25 years of experience working closely with banks and financial institutions across the Nordics. Throughout his career, he has been driven by a genuine passion for helping clients navigate change and unlock new opportunities through technology.

Before joining OutSystems, Christer spent four and a half years as Country Manager at Anaplan, partnering with organizations such as EQT, NOBA Bank, and OP Bank. He also held the role of Director of Financial Services at Nets, where he worked with leading banks including Handelsbanken, SEB, Swedbank, Nordea, Resurs, and Skandiabanken. Earlier, at IBM, he was responsible for the Nordea account as Client Executive.

Today, Christer focuses on helping organizations move beyond simply running their business—empowering them to innovate, improve customer experiences, and drive meaningful transformation through automation and AI.