Archives: Speakers

Raissa De Haas

Joyce and Raissa de Haas are the dynamic twin co-founders of award-winning UK premium tonic and mixers brand Double Dutch. Since launching in 2015, they have received numerous accolades with Sir Richard Branson supporting their vision by awarding them a coveted Foodpreneur Award. Additional honours include receiving the prestigious 2024 King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade and taking a spot on the prestigious Forbes ’30 under 30’ Europe list. In just a few years they have built a multi-million pound business that has attracted investment from drinks industry titans and experts, including the Heineken family.

Born in the Netherlands, Joyce and Raissa moved to Belgium and studied at the University of Antwerp before taking jobs in finance. After a couple of months, they decided to return to study, moving to London in 2013 to take up a masters in Tech Entrepreneurship at UCL. While the world’s choice of spirits continued to expand during this time, the twins saw a lack of innovation in the market for flavourful, low-calorie mixers. By the end of completing their second master’s degree, the twins had secured funding via UCL’s Bright Ideas Award to found Double Dutch and launched their debut mixers – ‘Pomegranate & Basil’ and ‘Cucumber & Watermelon’ – to rave reviews and numerous accolades. Low-calorie, vegan-friendly and natural, sustainably sourced flavours, the brand now sells to over 45 countries worldwide including Belgium, The Netherlands and the UAE. In the UK the brand is now available in over 5000 bars and restaurants including Soho House, Zuma, Aubaine, Dishoom and The Mandrake.

Beyond business success, Joyce and Raissa are committed to contributing to positive social change, with the brand recently securing B Corporation status, showcasing their commitment to responsible business practices – a distinction unmatched by any other major mixer brand. Double Dutch is also recognised for its work on inclusivity, notably through initiatives like the Female Bartending scholarship program, and its charitable work with the Princes’ Trust.

Ira Sankhayan

Ira joined Otivio in March 2108 and is presently Head of Quality and Regulatory Assurance. Her role has involved CE marking, 13485 cetification, Quality system management, 510K implementation, and preparing for the implementation of the EU Medical Device Regulations

She has previously worked for GEHC as a commodity Supplier quality lead engineer working handling the European Electronic team with head office in BUC Paris for 7 years, which included working with supply chain managing supplier quality and fulfillment issues.

Ira has also had roles such as being a core team member for the major NPIs for medical class 2 equipments and a Lead Auditor doing internal audits, intersite GEHC audits, supplier audits, and she has audited approximately 40 suppliers for ISO 9001 and ISO 13585 qualification.

Ira has several awards and certifications, for example, she was an awarded simplification leader for the EMEA SQEs in 2015 leading to simplification of a lot of production related processes, project management tasks and procedures. Certified in HMS, Foundation and building of leadership, Lean Six Sigma and project Management.