Speakers at this Event

Dr. Yihao Zhang completed his Bachelors and Ph.D. from Peking University.  He worked at the interface of system biology and synthetic biology, and his research mainly focused on engineering and design principles of artificial life system.
 
As a member of the founding team at Bluepha, Dr. Zhang spearheads the company's open innovation initiatives and the transformation of emerging technologies into practical applications. He has been involved in every step of the revolutionary journey of the bio-material PHA, from its inception in the laboratory to its mass production in factories. Today, Dr. Zhang is at the forefront of driving PHA-based sustainable solutions into global markets, further solidifying Bluepha's position as a leader in the industry.

Mr.Viboon Pungprasert has been working in the bioplastics industry for over 10 years. His initial experience was with NatureWorks, the world's largest producer of PLA bioplastics. Mr.Viboon was previously General Manager of NatureWorks Asia Pacific, Ltd., based in Bangkok. His primary responsibility was to set up a NatureWorks business in Southeast Asia, and to promote Thailand as a regional center for bioplastics.

Mr.Viboon currently serves as President of the Thai Bioplastics Industry Association (TBIA), an association of more than 50 members of the bioplastics industry, with mission to bring Thailand to be leader of Bioplastics in Asia and to support sustainability to global environment.

Mr Laurent Lourdais took up duties as Counsellor (Agriculture, SPS, Environment) of the EU Delegation to the Kingdom of Thailand in 2018.  Mr Lourdais has started his career in the DG AGRI is responsible for the EU Commission's policies on agriculture, rural development and the common agricultural policy (CAP).  He has more than 15 years of experiences.  Before his appointment to Bangkok, he worked in the International affairs as Head of Section ASEAN relations, engaging in FTA negotiations with ASEAN Countries.  Prior to joining the EU, he worked as the adviser in COPA COGECA (farmers EU umbrella organisation).
Mr Lourdais is a holder of Master of Laws (LLM). He is fluent in French and English.

Dr. Noryawati Mulyono is the cofounder and CEO of PT Seaweedtama Biopac Indonesia since 2019. Before this, she's with PT Verra Inter Pangan for almost 10 years as QC Manager and R&D Manager. From 1999-2000, she was the QC Section Head at PT Sulfindo Adiusaha. From 2009 - 2019, she was a Lecturer at Faculty of Biotechnology, Atma Jaya Catholic University, Indonesia. She was also the Head of Food Technology Department, Faculty of Biotechnology in the same University for 2 years. From 2012-2014, she was the Vice Dean for Collaboration and Partnership, Faculty of Biotechnology at Atma Jaya Catholic University, Indonesia.

Dr. Mulyono has a undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science,Institut Teknologi Bandung in 1998 and a Master in Food Science, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Institut Pertanian, Bogor in 2005. She obtained a doctoral degree in Food Science from the same Institute in 2009.

She has won several enterpreneurship experiences including US Asean Smart Cities Partnership Program, Winner Ocean Innovation Prize, Single Use Plastic Challenge Grantee, Winner of Global Green Economic Forum for Eco Innovator Awards among many from 2020 - 2022.

Rob is the R&D Director for Foods Packaging Sustainable Materials Commercialization at PepsiCo. He leads a global team that is accountable for qualifying and specifying packaging materials for all Foods structures.  Rob joined PepsiCo in 2009 after spending 18 years at The Dow Chemical Company in technical service and development for Plastics.

Rob’s responsibilities include  material selection and film development for PepsiCo flexible packaging in addition to ensuring the packaging materials meet PepsiCo’s Global Snacks Group standards for quality and  performance and sustainability. 

Rob has a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering from New Mexico State University and holds four patents.

Paul Benhaim has been a leading global authority in the hemp industry for 30 years. His primary project is supporting the growth of hemp plastics around the world through his company The Hemp Plastic Company who are looking to expand into Asia with partners.

Mr Benhaim is author of 9 books, founder and former CEO of Elixinol, a pioneer in the cannabinoids market and an ASX listed public company ($600m market cap under his lead), and the largest hemp foods company in the southern hemisphere, Hemp Foods Australia.  A regular keynote speaker at conferences in Europe, North America, Australia and Asia, Mr Benhaim has been a proud friend of the King's Project in Thailand for over 10 years.

Mr.Watid Watanyupaisan has a Chemical Science & Engineering background. He has been working in plastic industryl, raw materials sector since 2009. He joined NatureWorks since 2013 as an Application Development Engineer supporting customers and account managers in the AP region. He is also responsible for commercial activities in emerging market such as South and Southeast Asia, Oceania region as a Business Development Manager for the past 4 years.

Tanachart  R. joined Thai Wah since 2019 with a strong passion into bio packaging & plastic and foods industry. He is one of the pioneer to think and initiate the circular economy solution out of tapioca value chain, also drive Thai Wah to be a key player as a Thermoplastic Starch manufacturer, enabling the bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable solution for more cost effectiveness and renewable source without compromising performance.

Hoda Torkashvand graduated with a Bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kashan in Iran. After that, she moved to Germany in 2009 After earning a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in 2019, she joined the static mixer business team at Sulzer Chemtech Ltd in Switzerland in the role of Application Manager.

In 2021, she moved to the polymer and crystallization team, taking on the role of Sales Manager Polymer Tech. / Licenses. She is now, responsible for the Sales and Licensing activities related to the Bio-Polymer technologies with the focus mainly on Polylactic Acid (PLA) from sugar sources (1st and 2nd Generation) and/or other renewable feedstocks.

Duong Anh, Co-CEO of AirX Carbon, holds an MBA and gained valuable experience at KPMG/Google. He oversees the financial, sales, and marketing aspects of the company, playing a pivotal role in driving AirX's financial growth and market presence.

Gloyta holds a Bachelor of Arts (English and French) from Chulalongkorn University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations from University of Stirling, Scotland, UK.

Prior to joining Bangchak Group, she spent over twenty years with multinational companies namely Shell, McDonald’s, and Tetra Pak, holding various positions in communications, environment, and sustainable development. With Tetra Pak (2007-2014), she was on a short-term assignment at Tetra Pak International SA (Corporate Headquarters) in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2013.
With Bangchak Group, Gloyta oversees all communications involving the organization including the strategic planning and programming related to external and internal communications, media relations, government relations, stakeholder engagement, and sustainability activation programs.

Gloyta sits on the Board of Global Compact Network Thailand (GCNT). She is Chairperson of Subcommittee on Carbon Markets, Thailand Carbon Neutral Network (TCNN), established by Thailand Greenhouse Gas Organization (TGO). She is also a Board of Governors of Thai-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce and a Committee for Sports for Public and Environment, Olympic Committee of Thailand, under the Royal Patronage.

Gloyta serves as Chairperson of Carbon Markets Club, Thailand’s first informal network to support carbon credits trading in the country’s voluntary carbon market. The Club is also tasked with raising public awareness of GHG emissions and their impact on the global environment. Initiated by Bangchak and 10 other founding members in Thailand in June 2021, membership of Carbon Markets Club in September 2023 has increased to almost 500, organizational and individual members included. Carbon Markets Club was recently named winner of Mahidol Science Environment & Sustainability Award 2023 from the Faculty of Science, Mahidol University.

Gloyta is frequently invited to speak at public, academic, and private forums on the topics of Social Media Communication, Crisis Communication, Sustainability, Climate Action, Carbon Credit Trading, etc. by private and public sectors as well as academic institutions. In 2022, she was recognized with “Women of the Year: Environment and Energy Category” Award from the Foundation for Thai Society.

Mr. Visnu is the Managing Director of Bangchak Retail Co., Ltd.“Inthanin Coffee Brand”, a subsidiary of Bangchak Group. He has a Diploma of Pre-mechanical engineering,  and a Bachelor's degree in Production Engineering from King Mongkut's University of Technology in North Bangkok and a Master of Business Administration from Mahanakorn University of Technology.

His previous work experience include ConocoPhillips (Thailand), STARBUCKS COFFEE (Thailand) Co., PTT Retail Management Co. Ltd.

Dr Virendra Kumar Gupta is a Head, R&D Polymer & Senior Vice President at Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Navi Mumbai. Dr Gupta has received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Banaras Hindu University, India in the area of CO2 fixation through transition metal catalysts. He worked with Nobel laureate Prof. Robert Grubbs from 2008 to 2020 for Next Gen Materials and Processes.

Dr Gupta has 43-year research & technology experience with specific interests in materials science, circular economy, bio-degradable and compostable polymers. His major technology accomplishments include Polyolefin & Polysulfone Products Technology Development & Commercialization with value generation of 600+ million(US)$.

Dr Gupta is an inventor of 229 patents, author of 120 research publications & delivered 150 scientific talks in national & international conferences. He is honored with Fellow of National Academy of Science (FNASc) & Fellow of International Association of Advanced Materials (FIAAM). The technologies developed & commercialized by him received twenty-seven national & international awards.

Pun has been in the marketing field for several years and a part of bioplastics industry with PTTMCC for a period. He has a strong passion to establish a solid sustainable chain of bioplastics and elevate plastic packaging industry with BioPBS™. Currently, he is responsible for marketing as part of PTTMCC globally.