Media Release
Internationally recognised food scientist joins v2food as Chief Scientific Advisor
15 September, 2020
Australian plant-based meat startup v2food has today unveiled internationally-recognised food scientist Professor Martin Cole as its new Chief Scientific Advisor.
Martin has over 20 years’ experience leading research in food and agriculture, spanning the private sector, government and academia. Prior to joining v2food, Martin served as Deputy Director of CSIRO Agriculture & Food and spent over ten years leading projects in various areas including food safety, novel processing and nutritional food security.
At CSIRO, he led programs on supply chains and plant-based proteins, through which v2food came to fruition. He will support v2food alongside his role as head of the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, which has a long history of innovation in grain production and nutrition. He is also an advisor of the UN Food Security Committee and a board member of Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
As Chief Scientific Advisor, Martin will draw on his experience and networks, as well as the University of Adelaide’s research on grain and legume breeding. This is vital for the development of an Australian supply chain to fuel v2’s expansion and help meet soaring global demand for plant-based meat.
Nick Hazell, v2food CEO and founder, commented: “As the former leader of CSIRO’s research program into alternative proteins, Martin has been an integral part of the v2food journey since day one. He will bring world-leading technical expertise to bolster our strong R&D efforts, helping us to make the best product we can using the best local ingredients. With our v2mince and v2burgers gaining momentum, Martin’s input will be critical in helping us achieve our ambition of making great-tasting plant-based meat a part of people’s everyday diet.”
About joining the v2food team, Martin commented: “The global demand for plant-based proteins is astronomical, and this provides a major opportunity for Australia to take a global leadership role. As a nation, we are globally competitive on grain and meat exports, however, we can be delivering far greater value out of the raw commodities we produce. That’s where v2food comes in. Grounded in CSIRO science and with the expertise of Nick Hazell at the helm, v2 wants to take Australian plant-based meat to the world and this means adding even more value to Australian agriculture. I am excited to join this first-class team and to be able to bring the transdisciplinary expertise from across the University of Adelaide, CSIRO and our partners together.”
Along with Martin’s appointment, v2food has announced 22 new hires today over the past quarter, including the appointment of Rory Gilbert as v2’s ANZ Sales Director, David Putt as Plant Manager for the company’s Wodonga facility, Jemima Fallows as Partnerships & Events Manager and Jaimie Gardner as Senior Brand Manager. The expansion of v2’s team is a testament to both the strength of the Australian plant-based industry and v2’s leadership position within it. The bolstered team, with expertise across marketing, sales, operations and manufacturing will be pivotal to helping advance the company’s commitment to sustainability and help scale v2 to meet demand. The hires come at a pinnacle time for v2food as the company gears up for a big 12 months ahead.
Source: v2food.
