Join us for our highly anticipated Innovation Breakfast “The View from C-Level: Innovative Leadership.” This event, is part of CFBN's popular Innovation Breakfast series, and offers an unparalleled opportunity to gain insights from top-tier executive leaders across the food and beverage industry.
We will be featuring a dynamic panel of CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CMOs, and other executive leadership who will share their invaluable experiences, strategies, and the pivotal lessons they've learned on their journeys to the top. This is your chance to hear firsthand about navigating challenges, fostering innovation, and driving success in today's competitive landscape.
AGENDA
7:00 AM Doors Open
7:30 AM Panel Discussion and Q&A
8:30 AM Networking
9:30 AM Event Ends
SPEAKERS
(Moderator)
MARK KOENIG
CFO/COO
Bluedog
As a cross functional leader, Mark powers Bluedog's evergreen growth through his uniquely combined leadership in Finance, Operations, and Technology. Through this multi-faceted lens, Mark confidently empowers teams to make “decisions at the edge,” driving Bluedog’s competitively advantaged growth strategy flywheel.
His passion for business and community roots runs deep. With a lifetime invested under the hood of very different businesses—from helping define pricing strategies at his father’s machining company, to leading proprietary trading teams across the country in Nasdaq derivatives markets—Mark has always seen business as a platform for empowerment and shared success.
BRIAN FOX
CEO - President
Miniat Holdings
Brian joined Miniat Holdings in February 2025, bringing with him over 30 years of leadership experience in the food manufacturing industry. He has held executive roles at companies such as Richelieu Foods, Zentis North America, and ConAgra Foods, where he led successful turnarounds, strategic consolidations, and significant profit improvements. Brian’s background includes full P&L ownership, operational excellence, and deep expertise in pricing, product development, and organizational transformation.
MICHAEL NATALE
President
Edlong
Michael Natale brings more than 23 years of Food & Beverage Industry experience to his role as Edlong’s President. Most recently, Michael served as VP Global Flavor, Multinational Accounts and Customer Experience for Ingredion, where he held several key roles including General Manager and Global Leader of Plant based Protein and Senior Director, Commercial and Growth Platforms in Guadalajara, Mexico. Prior to Ingredion, Michael served in leadership roles for Bell Flavor and Fragrance, including VP/Managing Director of Latin America and General Manager of Mexico, where he established and rapidly grew Bell’s business in the region.
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BARBARA O'BRIEN
President & CEO
Dairy Management Inc. and Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
Barbara O’Brien has more than 20 years of experience working on behalf of America’s 31,000 dairy farmers and dairy importers, and delivering results globally, nationally and locally. She is the President & CEO of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), the domestic dairy checkoff program that drives trust and sales of dairy products. In this capacity, she oversees the work of the National Dairy Council and U.S. Dairy Export Council.
Barbara also serves as President & CEO of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, a pre-competitive forum that advances collaboration among dairy companies, farmers and others in the dairy community to help ensure a socially responsible and economically viable industry in the future. She leads with a results-driven mentality to deliver tangible impacts for farmers from field to fork and positively position U.S. dairy in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
ANUPY SINGLA
Founder
Indian As Apple Pie
Anupy Singla is a Chicago-based entrepreneur, former journalist, and author of four cookbooks: Instant Pot Indian, The Indian Slow Cooker, Indian For Everyone, and Vegan Indian Cooking. Born in India and raised in America, Anupy grew up visiting her father’s childhood village in India and learned to cook traditional, spicy Punjabi-style food from her paternal grandfather. This knowledge of spices and her mission to share healthy Indian recipes and ingredients led to the creation of her food company, Indian As Apple Pie, which can be found on many retail shelves, including Whole Foods Market. It is also the name of her blog where she shares her easy, healthy, delicious, and authentic recipes with a wide audience. Anupy began with a simple mission - to teach her young girls to appreciate their cultural heritage through healthy Indian food and family recipes. She is a member of the prestigious Les Dames d’Escoffier, a global philanthropic organization of women leaders in the culinary and hospitality industry. Her work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Wall Street Journal, and more.
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