SDG Innovate: AgriFood x Sustainable Development
Producing enough food to feed the planet, while keeping the environmental impact to a minimum is one of the greatest challenges facing the food sector.
One of the ways that Singapore is trying to combat this issue is by relying on its research and innovation capabilities. With institutions such as A*STAR recently launching its partnership with Temasek to set up a Food Innovation Centre and UNDP launching its Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development, Singapore hopes to establish itself as a Food Tech innovation hub of Asia.
At this session, we will hear from industry experts who will be sharing more about the up-and-coming food tech projects and their potential to create a more sustainable food system.
Date: 7 April 2022, Thursday
Time: 4:00pm - 5:00pm (Singapore Time / UTC +8)
Programme:
4:00pm - 4:05pm: Opening Remarks
4:05pm - 5:00pm: Panel Discussion and Q&A on SDG Innovate: AgriFood x Sustainable Development with:
- Dr Aparna Venkatesh, Collaborative Innovation Lead, Buhler
- Xin Yi Lim, Executive Director, Sustainability and Agricultural Impact, Pinduoduo
- Geraldine Goh, Chief Revenue Officer – Clyde, Temasek
- Moderator: Gandhar Desai, Analyst, Sustainable and Digital Agriculture, UNDP Global Centre
Dr Aparna Venkatesh, Collaborative Innovation Lead, Buhler
Dr Aparna Venkatesh is the Collaborative Innovation Lead at Bühler for the region of Southeast Asia & Oceania. In this role, she leads innovation strategy in emerging opportunities for sustainable foods and scouts for novel agri-food technology applications with external partners in the ecosystem to develop purposeful and high-impact transformations for the future of food.
Her career spanned a decade in the public sector with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). As head of A*STAR Enterprise’s Agri-Food and Nutrition division, Dr Aparna Venkatesh played a key role in supporting the scientific, business, regulatory and strategy aspects of building up Singapore’s alternative protein capabilities, enabling local food production as part of the nation's food resilience agenda. Her previous scientific background in tissue engineering and stem cell biology fuelled her passion to discover novel solutions. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and a PhD in immunology from the Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy.
Dr Aparna Venkatesh is perpetually passionate about solving challenges in food sustainability and its impact on the circular economy.
Xin Yi Lim, Executive Director, Sustainability and Agricultural Impact, Pinduoduo 
Xin Yi Lim is the Executive Director, Sustainability and Agricultural Impact at Pinduoduo. She is responsible for Pinduoduo’s international corporate strategy efforts and innovation in sustainability and agri-tech. Before joining Pinduoduo in late 2018, she worked for Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, GIC, in both its Singapore and New York offices as a technology and media analyst in its Public Equities division. Xin Yi holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Oxford and a Master’s degree from Harvard University.
Geraldine Goh, Chief Revenue Officer, Clyde, Temasek
Geraldine joined Temasek in May 2019 and is currently a Director in Temasek’s Enterprise Development Group.
She is actively involved in Temasek’s efforts to build new platforms and has led several transactions in the Agbiosciences sector. She also sits on the boards of Unfold and Ellemento Farming.
Prior to joining Temasek, Geraldine was the Director of New Ventures at the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).
She spent more than 11 years at the EDB in various roles that involved partnering with corporates on new venture creation, account management of strategic investors and developing and executing the strategy to grow the Energy & Chemicals sector in Singapore.
Geraldine is a Glaxo-EDB scholar who graduated with a Master of Science in Economics from Peking University, China and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics, United Kingdom.
Moderator's Profile:
Gandhar Desai, Analyst, Sustainable and Digital Agriculture, UNDP Global Centre
Gandhar leads programme, partnerships, and communications for Sustainable and Digital Agriculture at the UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development.
Gandhar has over six years of experience in sustainable development, in areas including skills and livelihoods development, women’s empowerment, and youth engagement. He has held various research, consulting, and project management roles with UNDP India, the World Bank, and Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN). He began his development career as a Chief Minister Fellow with the Government of Maharashtra, India.
Gandhar has a Master in Public Policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, and a B.E.(Hons.) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from BITS Pilani, India.
