| Date: | Tuesday, 6 May 2025 |
| Venues: | Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Brunton Ave, Richmond (Melbourne) |
| 8.00 am | Registration & Trade Exhibition Session |
| 8.15 am | Breakfast & Trade Exhibition sponsored by the AustralianSuper |
| SESSION 1 | State of the industry |
|---|---|
| CHAIR: Tim Piper AM, Head - Ai Group Confectionery Sector & Head - Ai Group in Victoria | |
| 9.00 am | Welcome Address by Tim Piper AM, Head of the Ai Group Confectionery Sector & Head of Ai Group in Victoria |
| 9:30 am | Keynote Address Macro forces and the confectionery shopper - Jules Green, Director – Food & Grocery and Growth Enabling Teams, Circana |
| 10.00am | Transforming the future of snacking through agility and innovation - Natalie Thomas, R&D Business Unit Lead Australia, New Zealand and Japan (JANZ) & Director of Chocolate, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA), Mondelez International |
| 10.30 am | Convenience retail industry update and trends - Theo Foukkare, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) |
| 11.00am | Energy Break & Trade Exhibition sponsored by GELITA Australia |
| SESSION 2 | Regulations and compliance |
|---|---|
| CHAIR: Nick Kantzas, Ai Group Confectionery Sector Technical Committee | Program Lead, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Mars Wrigley Australia | |
| 11.30am | Balancing innovation and food safety: Regulatory insights for the confectionery industry - Dr Sandra Cuthbert, Chief Executive Officer, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) |
| 11.45am | Wellbeing and engagement at work - Managing psychosocial hazards - Christina Sobieralski, Senior Adviser - Work Health Safety Consulting Services, Ai Group |
| 12.15pm | Future-ready workforce: Empowering Australian manufacturing - Ian Martin, Stakeholder Liaison Officer, Manufacturing Industry Skills Alliance (MISA) |
| 12.30pm | Packaging and recyling: looking over the horizon - Suzanne Toumourou, CEO, Australian Recycling Council |
| SESSION 3 | Technical and scientific developments |
|---|---|
| CHAIR: Helly Senjaliya, Ai Group Confectionery Sector Technical Committee | Technical Service Technologist ANZ, GELITA Australia | |
| 2.15pm | Vanillas from around the world - Edouard Bernet, APAC Sales Director, Prova Asia (Thailand) sponsored by Juremont |
| 2.55pm | The impact of emulsifiers in chocolate: Quality, ESG and cost efficiency - Kasper Stranddorf, Application Specialist & Global Tech Lead - Confectionery, Palsgaard (Denmark) sponsored by Savannah Bio Systems |
| 3.35pm | Emerging technologies: Your production’s competitive edge jointly presented by Darryl Kaufmann, Executive General Manager, Siemens Digital Industries Australia & New Zealand and Walter Meyler, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Automation Innovation |
| 4.15pm | Energy Break & Trade Exhibition Session sponsored by Hawkins Watts |
| SESSION 4 | 2025 and beyond |
|---|---|
| CHAIR: Tim Piper AM, Head - Ai Group Confectionery Sector & Head - Ai Group in Victoria | |
| 4.45pm | Elevator Pitch
|
| 4.55pm | Keynote Address The power of a purpose-led business - Katy Barfield (OAM), Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Yume Food Australia sponsored by MPD Dairy Products |
| 5.10 pm | The retail landscape - How I see it - Eli Greenblat, Senior Reporter, The Australian Panelists:
|
| 5.45 pm | Sessions close |
| 6.00 pm | Networking Drinks sponsored by the Manildra Group |
| 7.15 pm | ConTech Dinner sponsored by the Manildra Group |
| 10.30 pm | Close |
ConTech2026 will appeal to a broad range of confectionery and wider food industry professionals, including those in the fields of:
Jennifer Thompson
Technical & Regulatory Manager
Email: jennifer.thompson@aigroup.com.au
Phone: 03 9867 0181
Mobile: 0418 223 170
Julie Gerrard
Event Coordinator
Email: julie.gerrard@aigroup.com.au
Mobile: 0407 326 160
