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A new partnership with pet food industry leaders Leah Lambrakis and George Collings, Ph.D. has been confirmed by Petfood Forum’s parent company, WATT Global Media.
Leah Lambrakis new emcee of Petfood Forum
Leah Lambrakis, vice president of research and development, nutrition and scientific affairs, Simmons Pet Food and Simmons Animal Nutrition, will serve as the new Petfood Forum and Petfood Essentials emcee. In this role, Lambrakis will assist in welcoming Petfood Forum attendees to the conference and introduce the keynote and general session speakers, in addition to moderating a concurrent session room track. She will also serve to welcome attendees and introduce speakers during Petfood Essentials on May 1. Lambrakis is participating on the new Women In Petfood Leadership committee, too, bringing together like-minded professional women in pet food to build a community and offer opportunities for networking, career planning, leadership development and professional support.
“I am deeply honored that the Petfood Forum organizers thought of me for this role, and for the opportunity to contribute to the experience for Petfood Forum and Petfood Essentials participants,” Lambrakis said. “I look forward to helping drive engagement for the conferences and to welcoming all my peers in the industry to these worthwhile and valuable events.”
Lambrakis leads a team of 35 scientists that drives nutrition, pet food formulation, process engineering, ingredient technology and innovation. She has a life-long passion for nutrition, health and wellness, new and innovative advances on how to feed our pets better and consumer insights for pets and pet parents. In her 24-plus-year career, she has developed deep knowledge in pet food science. In addition to supporting her team at Simmons, Lambrakis also enjoys immersing herself in the industry with her involvement with the Pet Food Institute’s Nutrition Subcommittee as vice-chair; she is also a board of trustee member with the Morris Animal Foundation and most recently has joined the Pet Food Association of Canada’s board of directors. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in animal science and animal nutrition from the University of Guelph.
George Collings author of Ingredients Issues
George Collings, Ph.D., president and general manager, Nutrition Solutions, will step in to author the long-running “Ingredient Issues” column for Petfood Industry magazine and for PetfoodIndustry.com. Collings has appeared as a guest contributor for Petfood Industry periodically since 2011. Through this new monthly column, readers can expect insights on all things pet food ingredients from multiple angles, including nutrition, labeling, regulatory and other trends.
“We are taking the opportunity to expand our staple Ingredient Issues column beyond its traditional nutrition focus,” said Lindsay Beaton, editor of Petfood Industry magazine. “As pet food ingredients play an increasingly complex and nuanced role in pet food customers’ minds, it’s more important than ever for the industry to understand ingredients from all angles. We’ll continue to provide the expert commentary you’ve come to expect over the years, with an expanded topic range designed to get to the heart of pet food ingredient trends today.”
Collings is the CEO and president of Pet Solutions Group, an experienced group of business, technical and market professionals that uniquely build new nutritional pet products and businesses while supporting all phases of the pet market channel. He is also the president and general manager of Nutrition Solutions Group, a solutions provider for all phases of new and existing nutrition businesses (pet, animal, human). Collings, a Ph.D. nutritionist, is uniquely board-certified on both the animal and human side of nutrition. He is well-known in the pet products industry with decades of experience as an expert in nutrition and health, food science, project management, innovation process and business planning. Collings earned a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences from Michigan State University and master’s degree in nutrition from Rutgers University.
Both Lambrakis and Collings are long-time supporters of Petfood Forum and have contributed to Petfood Industry magazine also. They are both regular contributors and attendees of the conference and exhibition and have participated as conference speakers during the 31-year history of Petfood Forum.
About Petfood Forum
The 2023 edition of Petfood Forum is scheduled for May 1-3 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Petfood Forum includes an agenda packed with opportunities to network and collaborate with industry professionals, learn the latest in pet food innovation and discover new tools for business success.
Register now to reserve your spot. There are several registration options available, making it easy to customize your Petfood Forum experience.