8th January • Day 1

Center Stage - Hall 14-15

12:15 PM • 45 minutes

THEME:

Masterclass on Modern Retail - UAE

A curated session by Choithrams, UAE's leading retail chain offering market insights, retail sourcing strategies, consumer trends and practical success mantras for modern food retail.

SPEAKERS

Pankaj Sajnani

Procurement Officer, Choithrams UAE

8th January • Day 1

Innovation Stage - Hall 11

01:00 PM • 45 minutes

THEME:

Export Accelerator - GCC

A focused session unpacking GCC market potential, evolving consumer trends, regulatory essentials and practical entry strategies to help exporters strengthen regional presence in high-demand F&B categories.

SPEAKERS

Nikhil Kapoor

Category Manager-F&B (UAE & Oman) Multiplex International Llc (UAE)

Mahmood Azam

General Manager, Europacific Llc (UAE)

Rijas Maniyamkulangara

MD, Arab Star Investments Llc (Oman)

Diwakar Jain

International Sales Manager, Iffco Group (UAE)

Noushad Thacharakandy

Head of Retail, Al Hatab Bakery (Saudi Arabia)

Naushad Komath K Kuniyil

Assistant General Manager, Al Rawabi Group Of Companies

9th January • Day 2

Banquet Hall

10:00 AM • 8 hours

THEME:

World Culinary Heritage Conference 2026

A global forum celebrating traditional food cultures, culinary wisdom, & evolving gastronomic trends, rich insights into heritage-driven demand, premiumisation opportunities and pathways to position Indian F&B in global gourmet markets.

SPEAKERS

Chef Manjit Singh Gill

President, IFCA

Andy Cuthbert

President, WorldChefs

Chef Willment Leong

Director, Worldchefs' Asia Continental

Peter Tischhauser

Director, Chef'n more

Vijaya Baskaran

General Secretary, IFCA

9th January • Day 2

Innovation Stage - Hall 11

11:15 AM • 45 minutes

THEME:

Export Accelerator - Europe

A strategic session offering insights on Europe's dynamic F&B landscape, buyer expectations, regulatory frameworks, growth opportunities and avenues to build a sustainable export footprint in the region.

SPEAKERS

Pankaj Taneja

Founder & CEO, The Indian Mart Europe (Netherlands)

Raman Gupta

Founder & CEO, Get Grocery Gmbh (Germany)

Neelesh Agarwal

Head-Sales & Marketing, Top up Foods Ltd (UK)

Gagandeep Singh Bhatia

Director, SGG Foods Ltd (UK)

INVEST Tamil Nadu: India's Gateway for Food & Agri Processing Investments

9th January • Day 2

Center Stage - Hall 14-15

02:15 PM • 45 minutes

THEME:

INVEST Tamil Nadu: India's Gateway for Food & Agri Processing Investments

This session presents a business-focused overview of Tamil Nadu - market access and commercial opportunities. It will outline trade/investment facilitation measures, regulatory pathways and on-ground support available to help businesses enter, operate and scale successfully in the state.

SPEAKERS

Trishya Senthil

Investment Strategist (Agro and Food processing) Guidance Tamil Nadu

Anandhakrishanan

Team Lead, Agro Industrial corridor, Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Tamil Nadu

Nandhakumar B

State Lead, PMFME Scheme, Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Tamil Nadu

K.A. Sibi Chakkaravarthy

COO-Mega Food Park, State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu

Focus Market Briefing: Abu Dhabi Food Hub

9th January • Day 2

Innovation Stage - Hall 11

12:30 PM • 45 minutes

THEME:

Focus Market Briefing: Abu Dhabi Food Hub

Practical overview of Abu Dhabi's integrated food hub ecosystem and how it enables global exporters to enter, scale and serve the Middle East and wider regional markets. Participants will gain insights into end-to-end infrastructure support including logistics, cold chain, warehousing, processing, regulatory facilitation, & market access linkages.

SPEAKERS

Vidya Shah

Chief Commercial Officer, Abu Dhabi Food Hub

Shamma Nasser Al Hosani

Specialist, Commercial & BD, KEZAD

Cuisine Export Forum: Regional Flavours to Global Markets

8th January • Day 1

Innovation Stage - Hall 11

02:30 PM • 45 minutes

THEME:

Cuisine Export Forum: Regional Flavours to Global Markets

Examines the export potential of regional Indian cuisines, highlighting successful retail market fits, consumer preferences and branding insights.

MODERATORS

Chef Akshay Kulkarni

Head Of Culinary Operations at Culinary Academy Of India (CAI)

SPEAKERS

Chef Debraj Bhaumik

Chief Culinary Officer - Big Cup

Chef Abhiru Biswas

Chef Entrepreneur I Chocolate Curator

Chef Altamsh Patel

Director of Culinary Hilton Mumbai International Airport

Chef Vinod Badoni

Executive Chef, Clarks Inn Dehradun

Chef Gunjan Goela

Managing Director, Gunjan's Kitchen

Cuisine Export Forum - Culinary Diplomacy for global leadership

8th January • Day 1

Center Stage - Hall 14-15

05:15 PM • 45 minutes

THEME:

Cuisine Export Forum - Culinary Diplomacy for global leadership

This forum explores how India's rich culinary heritage can serve as a powerful tool of cultural diplomacy and global trade leadership. Ultimately, the forum positions Indian cuisine as a bridge between tradition and modern global demand, reinforcing India's role as a thought leader in the global food economy.

MODERATORS

Chef Baranidharan Pacha

CEO - Transgreen

SPEAKERS

Chef Rajeev Janveja

Senior Vice President and Corporate Chef - Lemon Tree Hotels

Chef Uwe Micheel

President of the Emirates Culinary Guild, Assistant Vice President of World Association of Chef's Societies

Chef Sudhakar N Rao

Director - Culinary Academy of India

Chef Manjit Singh Rattu

Culinary Director at Holiday Inn Resort Goa

Chef M Kasiviswanathan

Vice President-South India Chef Associatio

Export Strategy Dialogue: Building Export Credibility in Pet Food

8th January • Day 1

Innovation Stage - Hall 11

04:45 PM • 45 minutes

THEME:

Export Strategy Dialogue: Building Export Credibility in Pet Food

This panel focuses on how Indian pet food manufacturers can build and sustain export credibility—moving beyond first approvals to long-term buyer partnerships.

SPEAKERS

Rana Atheya

Founder & CEO of DogSpot Meals & DogSpot.in

Sanjay Tripathi

Co-Founder and CEO, BRISKPE

Sidharth Mahindra

Founder, Pet Corner Trading

Anshul Mahendru

Co-founder, Xportel B & W

Export Strategy Dialogue: Harvesting Opportunities: Navigating the New Era of FTA's in the Global Food Supply Chain

8th January • Day 1

Innovation Stage - Hall 11

03:45 PM • 45 minutes

THEME:

Export Strategy Dialogue: Harvesting Opportunities: Navigating the New Era of FTA's in the Global Food Supply Chain

This strategic dialogue examines how new-age Free Trade Agreements are reshaping global food trade and opening fresh export pathways for the Indian food industry.

MODERATORS

Amit Lohani

Founder Director, Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI)

SPEAKERS

H.E. Juan Angulo

Ambassador of Chile to India

Roy Postigo

Trade and Agriculture Specialist, Embassy of Peru in India

Patrick John Rata

High Commissioner, New Zealand High Commission

Juan Manuel Velasco

Counsellor of Agriculture, Embassy of Spain

Scott Matties

Managing Director of Government of Saskatchewan

Export Strategy Dialogue - Export Readiness & Global Competitiveness of Indian Bakery Products

9th January • Day 2

Innovation Stage - Hall 11

02:15 PM • 45 minutes

THEME:

Export Strategy Dialogue - Export Readiness & Global Competitiveness of Indian Bakery Products

This dialogue focuses on strengthening the export readiness of Indian bakery manufacturers by addressing product adaptation, quality standards, shelf-life, packaging, certifications and pricing for global markets. It aims to equip Indian bakery players with actionable insights to scale sustainably, build credibility with international buyers and establish a strong presence in global bakery markets.

MODERATORS

Dr. B.R. Madhu

Proprietor at L.J. Traders

SPEAKERS

MS Srinivas

CEO, Sri Jayalakshmi Bakery

Adarsh

Director, Taaza Mithai

Sridhar P.S

Trainer, JCI India

K.S. Suhas Upadhya

CEO, Cakewala

Export Strategy Dialogue: Scaling Indian Cookware for International Markets

9th January • Day 2

Innovation Stage - Hall 11

04:45 PM • 45 minutes

THEME:

Export Strategy Dialogue: Scaling Indian Cookware for International Markets

This panel brings together exporters, export enablers, consultants and retail and e-commerce experts to explore how Indian cookware companies can move from potential to sustained international growth.

SPEAKERS

Samir Shah

General Manager, Stovekraft

Neel Hitendra Bhalaria

Director, Bhalaria Metal Craft

HoReCa Playbook: Smart Sourcing for Restaurants

9th January • Day 2

Center Stage - Hall 14-15

03:30 PM • 45 minutes

THEME:

HoReCa Playbook: Smart Sourcing for Restaurants

This session examines how India's restaurant industry sources ingredients, with insights from leading chefs and foodservice experts. It will highlight procurement priorities, supplier expectations, cost and quality benchmarks and the growing focus on sustainability and traceability. The discussion will also show how evolving consumer tastes and menu innovation are influencing buying decisions—offering clear guidance for producers, distributors and exporters looking to work with the foodservice sector.

MODERATORS

Saili Jahagirdar

Owner – Zillionth Bistro Owner – Billion Burgers

SPEAKERS

Gandharv Dhingra

Co-Founder & CEO Roll Baby Roll Chapter Head Chennai – NRAI

Shakir Haq

CEO of NKP Empire Ventures Pvt. Ltd

Sandeep Balasubramaniam

Director, Clipper Foods India Pvt Ltd (Hashi |Dokii Dokii)

Invest Andhra Pradesh: Food Processing as a growth engine

9th January • Day 2

Boardroom

11:00 AM • 45 minutes

THEME:

Invest Andhra Pradesh: Food Processing as a growth engine

Presentation & Interactive Session on Investment Opportunities in Food Processing Sector in the state of Andhra Pradesh

SPEAKERS

Sri Chiranjiv Choudhary, I.F.S.

Principal Secretary to Government (Food Processing), Industries and Commerce Department, Govt of Andhra Pradesh

Sekhar Babu Geddam, I.F.S.

Chief Executive Officer, AP Food Processing Society, Industries and Commerce Department, Govt of Andhra Pradesh

Building Intelligent Food Ecosystems: Nutrition, Knowledge and Global Connectivity

8th January • Day 1

Boardroom

03:45 PM • 45 minutes

THEME:

Building Intelligent Food Ecosystems: Nutrition, Knowledge and Global Connectivity

This curated three-session forum explores how intelligence—both digital and institutional—is reshaping the global food ecosystem. Bringing together experts from medicine, nutrition education and economic logistics, the event examines how artificial intelligence is transforming personalized nutrition and disease prevention, how AI is redefining the way nutrition and dietetics are taught to future medical professionals and how Uzbekistan is emerging as a strategic Eurasian logistics hub connecting food markets across regions.