Markus Junkala is a Gothenburg-based chef, baker and culinary R&D consultant with experience from Copenhagen, Tokyo and Stockholm. He previously worked in Research & Development at Michelin-starred Kadeau and has also developed food and concepts for Urban Deli and TAK.
Today, he runs his own company, helping restaurants and food companies develop new products, recipes and concepts.
Dan Barber is the chef at New York’s Blue Hill restaurant, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester, where he practices a kind of close-to-the-land cooking married to agriculture and stewardship of the earth. As described on Chez Pim: “Stone Barns is only 45 minutes from Manhattan, but it might as well be a whole different universe. A model of self-sufficiency and environmental responsibility, Stone Barns is a working farm, ranch, and a three-Michelin-star-worthy restaurant.” It’s a vision of a new kind of food chain.
Barber’s philosophy of food focuses on pleasure and thoughtful conservation — on knowing where the food on your plate comes from and the unseen forces that drive what we eat. He’s written on US agricultural policies, asking for a new vision that does not throw the food chain out of balance by subsidizing certain crops at the expense of more appropriate ones.
In 2009, Barber received the James Beard award for America’s Outstanding Chef, and was named one of the world’s most influential people in Time’s annual “Time 100” list. In 2014 he published The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food.
Jessie Sommarström is a chef & product developer.
Works at Sodexo and co-founder of Sommarström Grimlund and MomentumSTHLM.
Douglas McMaster’s early years were shaped by two Michelin-starred French fine dining before he moved to London to work at Fergus Henderson’s ST. JOHN, the culture-shifting restaurant he credits as the foundation of his career. He then spent two years staging in some of the world’s most influential restaurants, including The Fat Duck and Noma in Copenhagen.
In 2011, Douglas launched Wasted, a pop-up in Sydney and Melbourne that tested his zero-waste concept by serving food that would otherwise have been discarded in the name of fine dining.
In 2014, aged 26, he returned to the UK and opened Silo: the world’s first zero-waste restaurant. With produce delivered package-free, everything made from scratch, and food scraps transformed through fermentation, Silo became an international reference point for circular gastronomy.
Douglas later expanded this work through Silo Systems, his consultancy company, applying the principles behind Silo to wider food systems and helping bring projects such as Baldío in Mexico City to life.
In 2024, he also launched Flux Fermentation Factory, a venture dedicated to Koji fermentation, flavour development and circular food innovation. Alongside his work as a chef and founder, Douglas is also a presenter and public speaker, sharing his
ideas on food systems, waste, creativity and regeneration through talks, interviews and international stages, including TEDx.
Selected awards and recognition
● BBC Young Chef of the Year
● Britain’s Most Innovative Chef
● Hospitality Pioneer in 50 Next from the organisation behind The World’s 50 Best
Restaurants
● Recognised by The Best Chef Awards with 2 Knives — World Class
● Britain’s Most Ethical Restaurant (Silo)
● Britain’s Most Sustainable Restaurant (Silo)
● Britain’s Most Innovative Restaurant (Silo)
● Michelin Green Star (Silo)
Douglas McMaster was also named one of TIME’s Most Influential Climate Leaders in Business.
Gustav Johansson is the founder of Jävligt Gott, Sweden’s largest plant-based food platform, and co-founder of Foodbeat, a new venture helping large buyers source and scale sustainable food solutions.
For over a decade, Gustav has grown Jävligt Gott from a blog into a leading voice shaping how Sweden cooks, eats, and talks about plant-based cuisine—spanning recipe development, education, and public advocacy. He previously co-founded and ran the Stockholm restaurant ChouChou, known for its ambitious plant-based menu and culinary innovation.
As an entrepreneur, educator, and outspoken advocate for a smarter food system, Gustav works with brands, public institutions, and chefs to make sustainable eating both desirable and doable. His talks blend practical insights with big-picture strategy on food culture, sustainability, and behavior change.
David von Laskowski is the CEO of Picadeli, the market leader in Europe, offering a high-tech, self-serve salad concept that helps millions of people eat healthier and more sustainable food.
He’s also the President and Chief Executive of the Nordic healthy food and convenience group Greenfood, of which Picadeli is part.
David has previously worked as Chief Executive of numerous international retail players, including Axcent of Scandinavia, Visma Retail, and Candyking Group, and holding board and CFO positions for private and public companies. He has been a researcher at Stanford University and Columbia University and holds a PhD from the Stockholm School of Economics.
Olle Burell was born 1975 in Stockholm. He has an extensive
experience as an elected representative in different roles.
Burell is architecture by trade and has an MSc Architecture from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
He entered Stockholm City Council the first time 2002, representing the Social Democratic Party. 2014 to 2018 he was Vice Mayor for Schools and Education. In 2018, he was elected Opposition Vice Mayor. Following the general and local elections in September 2022, the City Council elected Olle Burell as its President.
Current positions and assignments:
• President of the Stockholm City Council
• Chair of the Diocese Council of Stockholm
• Member of the board, Stockhom Business Region
Previous positions and assignments:
• Chair of Stockholm Water Foundation
• Chair of the Stockholm Green Innovation District
• Opposition Vice Mayor, City of Stockholm
• Member of the City Executive Board, City of Stockholm
• Vice Mayor for Schools and Education, City of Stockholm
• Member of the Assembly of the Church of Sweden
• 1st ombudsman Stockholm District, The Social Democratic Party
• Deputy Secretary General, Olof Palme International Center
Gustavo Gomez-Lechon bridges innovation and execution in the agri-food sector. With 20+ years of international experience at companies such as Bühler and Petkus, he has led market expansion, introduced new technologies, and supported digitalisation strategies across the MENA region.
He also works hands-on with European start-ups, helping founders validate technologies, design go-to-market roadmaps, and connect with industrial and retail partners. His mission is to ensure that innovations are both visionary and commercially viable.
Convinced that the next wave of agri-food innovation will be driven by AI, bio-based processes, and digital tools, Gustavo supports corporates and entrepreneurs alike in shaping a more sustainable and competitive food ecosystem.
Lisa Kareliusson is the Program Manager for the Regional Fund at Tillväxtverket.
She works strategically to ensure that more people discover the opportunities the fund offers and how it can contribute to sustainable regional development
Valentina Tartari is the Jacob and Marcus Wallenberg Professor at the House of Innovation at Stockholm School of Economics, where she heads the Jacob and Marcus Wallenberg Center for Innovative and Sustainable Business Development.
Valentina’s research focuses on the determinants of knowledge production and transfer, inside and outside academia, and she is now leading some new initiatives, both in research and education, to understand better innovation in the food industry.
