WE HAVE LINED UP SOME OF THE TOP INDUSTRY EXPERTS TO SPEAK AT OUR 2023 CONFERENCE, THEY WILL TACKLE SOME OF THE MOST PERTINENT ISSUES WITHIN THE FOOD, DRINKS, AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRIES.
TAKE A LOOK AT OUR ESTEEMED CONFERENCE SPEAKERS FOR 2023
Purity N. Simiyu
Muenzer Kenya Ltd
Purity N. Simiyu is the Commercial and Country Manager of Muenzer Kenya ltd. She is a MBA Holder in strategic management and B.com Marketing.15 years in hotels Projects Management. Renewable energy and Sustainability expert.
Nancy Lusuli
Heritage Foods Kenya Limited
Nancy is a Certified Public Accountant and a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) Second Class Honours – Upper Division Degree holder currently working as a General Manager for Heritage Foods Kenya Limited.
She provides leadership and management in monitoring the business strategy, policies, and processes in line with HFKL’s vision and values while overseeing various functions to achieve operational excellence.
Wesley Yeaman
Kenya Barista Organization
C.E.O.: Kenya Barista Organization, Director: Arobisca Group Limited, Trainer: Arobisca Training Center, Chief Operations Officer: Tamarbuta Coffee.
A passionate, ambitious, and creative coffee specialist with 13+ years’ hands on experience in specialty coffee brewing, roasting, barista, sensory and green coffee. He has substantial knowledge of various coffee types and their characteristics. He is also a Certified coffee skills trainer.
Prof. Ray Mutinda
Tourism Professionals’ Association (TPA)
Ray Mutinda is an Associate Professor and the Dean of the School of Hospitality and Tourism of Murang’a University of Technology. He holds of a Ph.D in Tourism and Hospitality Management and a Post-Doctorate in Sustainable Tourism Development.
Prof. Ray is currently the National Chairman of the Tourism Professionals Association (TPA), a member of the Association of Hospitality Professional of Kenya (AHPK), a member of the UN Roster of Consultants, and a member of the Tourism Panel of Experts at the African Union Commission (AUC) and UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).]
Besides teaching and research in the tourism sector, Prof. Mutinda has extensively been involved in tourism planning and development within Kenya and the African region at large for the over 15 years. At the regional level, Prof. Ray has offered professional and technical support in tourism development focusing on both the entire African region and individual countries. Key among these include: Formulation of African Tourism Strategic Framework for the African Union; Formulation of the Sustainable Tourism Master Plan (2015-2025) for Ethiopia; formulation of Sustainable Tourism Master Plan for the IGAD region (2013-2023); Tourism for Rural Economic development in Ethiopia; Republic of Burundi Tourism Policy and Implementation Strategy, Tourism Bill, and Tourism Investment Guide; Tourism Product Development in Sierra Leone; the EAC Tourism Barometer; Policy Research on African Air Transportation and Tourism Sectors’ Regulatory Convergence for the UN Economic Commission for Africa; and the Hanga Ahazaza Project (2020) for development of competency-based curriculum in hospitality and tourism for Rwanda. Prof. Ray is also leading the proposed Tourism Human Capital Development project for the Republic of Djibouti.
In Kenya, Ray has offered his expertise in various National and County tourism development initiatives including being the lead expert in supporting County governments of Makueni, Kitui and Meru in planning and developing their tourism sector; Reviewing of the Strategic Plans for both Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) and the Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA); and leading the transaction team on the proposed privatization of hotels owned by the former Tourism Finance Corporation (TFC). He has also been a lead expert in a number of research projects at the Tourism Research Institute (TRI).
Nixon Munga
Sommelier, Architecture Major
A sunny Saturday afternoon February 2018, good company, a bottle of Torres Altos Ibericos Crianza 2014, goat biryani and five years later a sommelier - that summarizes the odyssey of an architecture student into sommellerie.
Nixon hads a dream; to be the first master of wine and master sommelier in my country Kenya, to always learn more and educate more Kenyans on the subject wine and beverage and to open more Kenyans to appreciate wine He is a passionate sommelier currently resident at Movenpick Hotel and Residences Nairobi.
He is experienced in:
- Wine and beverage selection to seasonal menus and guest preferences
- Curating custom private wine and beverage experiences and food pairings.
- Excellent knowledge of wines and spirits. Intermediate knowledge of beers and cider.
- Budgeting, stock management and control
With a background in Architecture, in his 6th year of study, He is currently pursuing WSET 3 in Wines and holds.
- WSET 2 in Wines, Hospitality Competence Center East Africa Pass with Distinction, Issued March 2022
- Certificate for World of Wine: From Grape to Glass, edX/ University of Adelaide Issued February 2022
- Wine Tasting: Sensory Techniques for Wine Analysis, Coursera/ UC Davis
He enjoys art more specifically sculptures, impressionism, expressionism and hyperrealism.
Mercy Limbua
Food Safety and Agribusiness Sustainability Consultant
Mercy Limbua is a food safety and agribusiness sustainability consultant with seven years industry experience with major in Food Safety along the farm to fork value chain. In reference to her work, Ms. Limbua has developed standard operating procedure for the Aquaculture ATVET curricula, as well as developed Food Safety Manuals for Horticulture and Aquaculture in support of Trademark Africa project on “minimizing the spread of covid 19 on select value chains”. By Profession Ms. Limbua is a Food Science and Technology graduate from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Lorna Kipkosgei
Sip with Lornzie
Lover of all things Vino, and a Wine Content Creator on Sip with Lornzie.
Ken Ochieng’
Wedgehut Foods Limited
Ken is the Head Business Development &Strategy at Wedgehut Foods Limited with 10 years’ experience helping farmers, food processors, developmental organizations, entrepreneurs, and government bodies to catalyze growth in Food & Agribusiness sectors sustainably by offering technical solutions in Business Advisory, Market Strategy, Market Insights, Food Value Addition Practices, Food Product Development and Technologies In Sustainable Farming. He is open to the agriculture & potato value chain discussions and to connect with like-minded individuals.
Adero J. Achola
Sommelier and Writer
She is first and foremost a wine lover and enthusiast. Currently an independent wine professional with WSET Level 3 certification as well as official sommelier certification from the Wine Scholar Guild. She has done sommelier work for The Wine Box (Dion Wines) The Wine Shop, Casks and Barrels and others.
She not only loves wine but other gustatory exploits as well like, food, coffee, whisky, and cigars –She is a junior catador and a team member of the Kenyan team for the La Revue Du Vin’s World Blind Wine Tasting Championship.
Francis Gachagua
OnePulse Kenya
Francis Gachagua is a marketing professional with a global perspective and an aggressive entrepreneurial mind. He has a deep understanding of how various levels of consumers relate with brands across different categories having worked in general business management, experiential marketing, and consumer research for over 15 years. His experience spans across industries; FMCG, banking, airline, consumer electronics, communication just to mention a few.
Francis is part of a global OnePulse team that is spread across markets in Europe, Asia and the Americas. He heads the OnePulse team in Sub-Saharan Africa. OnePulse leverages real-time consumer insights to enable agencies to evaluate the impact of their advertising and marketing campaigns.
Dr Mary L. Mbithi
Women’s Economic Empowerment Hub (WEE Hub) in Kenya at the University of Nairobi.
She is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Economics and development Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya and associate faculty of the Trade Policy Centre in Africa (TRAPCA). She has carried out research and analysis work and capacity building on various trade policy and gender including the WTO trade regime, regional integration and trade policy in East African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the African region in general. Her other research work also informs policy related to MSMEs / SMES; intra- regional trade, trade facilitation, trade and food security, trade policy and food security, trade and climate change, and on trade, poverty and development. She has been a consultant with governments in various African countries, civil society, private sector and with international and regional organization. She has also undertaken extensive work to inform policy and strategies for inclusion and enhanced mainstreaming of gender in economic sectors and in regional and international trade and has carried out extensive training for stakeholders on trade policy and gender, and enhanced participation of women in intraregional trade. She is passionate about international trade policy, development and gender.
Dr. David Gachuru
Association of Hotel Professionals Kenya (AHPK)
A Business Strategy Consultant and Hospitality Industry Practitioner with 26 years’ experience as a General Manager of leading hotels in Kenya, including Welcome Inn Hotels, Alliance Hotel Group, and Sarova Hotels, Resorts & Game Lodges. Founder and Principle Consultant, New Bridges Inspiration (NBI Co.)
David Key's profile showcases a history of providing organizational and thought leadership, coupled with technical expertise, to various Governing Councils, Advisory Boards, Business Committees/Associations, and Hospitality Projects across different organizations and periods.A notable accomplishment is his role as a contracted resource person for the COMESA Business Council's Capacity Building Program in 2016. This program aimed to foster 'Creating Sustainable Partnerships' for MSMEs in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and Madagascar.David's expertise extends to international platforms, having presented a paper titled 'Leadership Challenge in Rising Economies' at an Academy of Management-organized international conference held at IECD School of Management in Bled, Slovenia.
After completing his MBA at Regent Business School, South Africa, he was honored with a Good Fellowship Award, highlighting his academic excellence.In the realm of leadership, David has chaired the Nyeri National Polytechnic Governing Council since March 2023. His role as Director of Hospitality for Ambatana Manor, Nairobi, and Ambatana Mara Safari Camp, from 2021 to the present, underscores his ongoing dedication to projects in this sector. He is the founder and principal consultant of New Bridges Inspiration (NBI Co.) and holds a pivotal position as a member of the CITAM Business Committee since 2019. David's commitment to education and management is evidenced by his role as a Board Member of Mathenge Technical Training Institute from 2009 to 2018.
His academic achievements include: Dip. Hotel Mgt, BSc (Hons) Hospitality Mgt, MBA General Management, & Ph.D. Business Admin. & Mgt (Strategic Management).
He maintains active memberships in esteemed professional bodies, including the Academy of Management (AOM) and the Africa Academy of Management (AFAM) since 2019. David's significant contributions are also evident in his advisory roles, such as his tenure as the Advisory Board Chair for the Nairobi Central Business District Association (NCBDA) from 2009 to 2019 and his prior membership in the NCBDA Advisory Board from 2004 to 2008.
Charles Hillary
Kenya Barista Organization
Central to his ethos is a commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. From coffee skills coaching, sourcing beans responsibly to championing fair trade, Charles' advocates for a holistic approach that benefits not only the industry but also the farmers and communities that make it all possible. Through his professional roles, he aims to inspire every aspect of the coffee experience with authenticity, excellence, and a sense of purpose. In his relentless pursuit of enhancing the coffee landscape, Charles has remained devoted to pushing boundaries, embracing challenges, and fostering growth.His portfolio is a testament to a career marked by dedication, expertise, and an unwavering passion for the world of coffee.
Ashiembi Seruya
Kenya Bureau of Standards(KEBS)
Ashiembi Seruya, is a holder of Msc. In Biotechnology and currently registered for a PhD in Biotechnology at Kenyatta University. She works with Kenya Bureau of Standards in Food and Agriculture laboratory as an assistant Manager. She has a passion for analytical work,she also trains and carries out audits/assessments in different management systems.
Angela Njehia
Tierranjani Africa
Angela Njehia is the director of Tierranjani Africa, a boutique tourism development firm. She has 17 years of experience in sustainable tourism, working across Africa. Her expertise is in product development, business planning, sustainability, and marketing. She is recognized as a change-maker in Africa's tourism sector, including being acknowledged in Africa’s Top 100 Women in Tourism (2022).
The PLEDGE™ on Food Waste Certification is a practical and scalable answer to a widely underestimated issue with dire consequences. Food Waste, in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals 2, 12, and 13 and designed on first-hand knowledge from F&B sustainability experts and academics, it helps restaurants to drastically reduce Food Waste, cut costs, boost their image, and foster collaboration with complimentary food waste solution providers.
Abigail Abilla
One Pulse Kenya
Abigail Abilla is a dynamic strategist, accomplished leader, and a passionate advocate for a brighter, more sustainable future.
As the Head of Strategy and Client Success at OnePulse, Abigail has taken the helm in steering groundbreaking projects that transcend boundaries. Her leadership has been instrumental in pioneering innovative research methodologies and crafting strategies that resonate with diverse markets across Africa. With a strong track record of bringing visionary ideas to life, Abigail has consistently driven growth and success.
Abilla's influence extends far beyond boardrooms and research. She is passionate about conservation and uses her platforms to shed a light on the importance of protecting the planet. She has proudly represented Kenya at international forums, including the World Urban Youth Forum and African Youth Assembly, where they passionately addressed critical environmental and social issues.
Abigail Abilla combines her global perspective with a deep understanding of local nuances, making her a bridge-builder in a world marked by diversity.
