Food World Summit:
Safety, Quality, Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Frank Yiannas is a renowned food safety leader and executive, food system futurist, author, professor, past president of the International Association of Food Protection, and advocate for consumers.

Most recently, he served under two different administrations as the Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a position he held from 2018 to 2023, after spending 30 years in leadership roles with two industry
giants: Walmart and the Walt Disney Company.

After retiring from the FDA, Yiannas founded Smarter FY Solutions to help organizations address critical food safety and supply chain challenges. He also advises several prestigious companies, offering consultancy services to modernize compliance strategies and ensure clients meet regulatory requirements and industry standards.

Throughout his career, Frank has been recognized for his role in strengthening food safety standards in new and innovative ways, as well as building effective food safety management systems based on modern, science-based, and tech-enabled prevention principles.

Marlenea Jackson is Vice President of Quality, North America at Mondelez International, where she leads a team dedicated to ensuring the food safety and product quality across the region.  With more than 20 years of experience spanning Coca-Cola, Danone, and other major food companies, she ahs built a reputation for transforming organizations, strengthening compliance, and embedding quality as a value and driver of growth.  An Oklahoma native and graduate of Oklahoma Christian University, Marlenea is passionate about advancing food safety and champions programs that safeguard consumers while enabling sustainable business growth.

Mahir is a Master in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and currently is a Vice President at PepsiCo leading Global FSQA (Food Safety and Quality Assurance) Organization based in New York.

Mahir has four years of work experience in Unilever, India and then 29+ years of experience with PepsiCo. He has worked in Supply chain operations, EHS (Environment , Health and Safety) , R&D, Digitization and most of all in Food Safety and Quality Assurance across three continents – India, Dubai and USA. He is currently responsible for formulating and implementing strategic plans for all Food Safety and Quality initiatives across the entire product portfolio ( Snacks, beverages, Dairy, Bread and meat snacks in over 1300 company-owned and third-party manufacturing sites around the globe.

With deep-rooted knowledge across product categories and differing regulatory and cultural environments, he plays a pivotal role in establishing rigorous standards and systems. He has shared countless lessons learned during his career. His innovative approaches ensure that PepsiCo consistently delivers products that not only meet stringent safety guidelines but also resonate with consumer expectations and satisfaction. Under Mahir’s guidance, the company’s commitment to food safety, quality assurance, compliance, and consumer trust remains unparalleled.

Currently working for Dollar Tree Inc. as Vice President – Food Safety, Quality & Sanitation, Dan has spent the past 35+ years in the global food industry.

Starting his career as a regulator in the UK, he moved into roles as an auditor with a major certification body and trading law manager for two British-based retailers. Dan subsequently pursued a variety of consulting roles giving him the opportunity to work with regulators, retailers, manufacturers and restaurant groups in Europe, North America, the Middle East and SE Asia.

This experience led him to follow an opportunity in global business development where he moved to the US to lead teams for NSF; and from there to accept a role with Walmart as International Subject Matter Expert for Food Safety. He finished his seven years with Walmart as Group Director with the US Food Safety Teams.

Dan has spoken at conferences and seminars around the world, usually targeting the juncture between human behavior and compliance.

In addition to academic qualifications, Dan has focused his career on holistic personal development and actively seeks to be an advocate, an ally and a mentor.