Devanshu Mehta is a 3rd year food science PhD student under the guidance of Dr. Andrew MacIntosh at University of Florida, Gainesville. In 2014, he graduated as a Master’s in Food Processing from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. After graduation, he worked in the food packaging industry at Bemis Company (now Amcor) in Neenah, WI as a Sr. Product Development Engineer for three years before joining University of Florida in 2018. He is currently examining the fundamentals on yeast behavior (flocculation) in an ongoing fermentation process. Apart from academics, Devanshu is passionate about cooking. He is fond of traveling to new places and experimenting various local delicacies of the world. He also likes to play and watch soccer, cricket, and chess.

Product
Pokara Wafel

Javier holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Autonomous National University of Mexico, and an MBA from Diego Portales University, in Chile. He graduated from the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School and, in 2010 he joined the Breakthrough Program for Senior Executives at IMD Business School in Switzerland.

He has over 40 years of experience in Grupo Bimbo, where he has held different top positions such as: Senior VP for Latin America, Senior VP of Bimbo, President of Barcel, and President of Bimbo. He also served as Chairman of CONMEXICO (Consejo Mexicano de la Industria de Productos).

He currently holds the role of Executive Vice-President of Grupo Bimbo, being in charge of operations for Mexico and Canada, and the new business unit: Bimbo QSR.

Harrison Helmick is a PhD student at Purdue University who studies structure function relationships of protein in food. Harrison has worked in bakeries since his first job at Wheat Fields bakery in Lawrence Kansas. After graduating from Kansas State University’s Bakery Science program, he worked for Bimbo Bakeries where he received his black belt in lean six sigma, developing interests in big data and process improvement. Since returning to school, he has published on how fermentation impacts gluten, and he maintains a website about lean six sigma and bakery science, BakeSci.com. His PhD work is funded by the USDA and aims to connect the big data of bioinformatics with how gels and emulsions are formed from pea protein.

Presentation
Pulse Power: Understanding Pulses through Bioinformatics for Egg Replacement
2:50 pm – 3:20 pm CT

Robb is the baking industry’s chief advocate and spokesperson, bringing his decades of experience, knowledge of policy, and meaningful relationships to promote and protect the interests of businesses in the baking sector.

Robb oversees all aspects of ABA’s administration and operations, representing the interests nearly 800,000 skilled employees of the $153 billion commercial baking industry.

A recognized leader of the Washington business community, Robb is a co-chair of the Food and Beverage Issues Alliance and facilitator of the food and beverage association CEOs forum. In addition, he is the vice-chair of the National Association of Manufacturers Council of Manufacturing Associations. Robb also provides strategic guidance as a member of the Kansas State University Grain Sciences and Industry Advisory Committee.

Before becoming ABA’s President and CEO, he was ABA’s Vice President of Government Relations. Prior to ABA, Robb worked for Congressman Jim Kolbe of Arizona, primarily responsible for domestic spending bills. Additionally, he represented the construction industry for the American Subcontractors Association and the Associated General Contractors.

Actively involved in the local community and political activities, Robb served on the Judicial Nominating Commission for Howard County, Maryland. Robb graduated from Frostburg State University with a degree in Political Science. He and his wife Barbara have two children.

Session Information
ABA Presidents’ Panel: Beyond Covid, View from the C-Suite
Thursday, February 18, 2021
12:45 pm – 1:45 pm CT