FAQs

GARY FORD

Executive Chairman/CEO, Diamond Foods, USA

Gary K. Ford is executive chairman of Diamond Foods, LLC., a large processor of both walnuts and pecans based in Stockton, California. Diamond also farms 3300 hectares of pecans in Georgia and Arizona. Since joining Diamond in 2017, Ford has led efforts to upgrade the company’s plants in Stockton, Ca and El Paso, Tx, investing heavily in technology and new product offerings.

The Mississippi native began his career in the late 1970’s at Frito-Lay North America. Ford holds both B.S and M.S. degrees.

May 9, 2025 | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM – WALNUTS ROUND TABLE

More Vancouver Speakers

MATTHIAS JEINDL

CEO, Eivis Group

MARKUS SCHLAGBAUER

CEO, Insort GmbH

JONATHAN COCKERILL

Senior Associate, Clyde & Co LLP, UK

CATHRIN FLÜHLER

Head of Market Segment Nuts, Bühler AG

CAMEON IVARSSON

Co-Founder & Head Food Safety, NapaRoast

JOE GRAY

Regional Operations Manager, Laitram Machinery, USA

GARRETT FINE

Global Sales Manager, Laitram Machinery, USA

MICHAEL POINDEXTER

CEO, Poindexter Nut Company

EMMA EYAO

Sales Manager, Janson S.E. Pine Nuts Food Co., Ltd., China

MUFADDAL YUSUF

Managing Director, Tajir Private Limited, India

BENNY NOBERASCO

Import Manager, Noberasco, Italy

GILES HACKING

Chair of the INC Business Integrity Committee

ENRIQUE NELKENBAUM

President, Tahuamanu, Bolivia

TONI MARÍ

CEO, Levantex, Spain

BRENDAN O’DONNELL

President & CEO, DFA of California

SANGEETHA SHYAM

Miguel Servet Investigator at the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute, Spain.

JEANETTE GONNERMANN

Managing Director, Waren-Verein der Hamburger Börse e.V., Germany

DINIKA BHATIA

Founder and CEO, DRB Foods Pvt. Ltd., India

SYLVAIN DUFOUR

VP of Business Development, Fruit d’Or, Canada

PETER KUILMAN

CEO, Redsun Dried Fruit and Nuts, South Africa

SEBASTIAN PLAZA

Sales Director, Frutexsa, Chile

NATALIA PIETRZAK-FREIGANT

Procurement Director, Whitworths, UK

BENNY NOBERASCO

Import Manager, Noberasco, Italy

OGAN CERYAN

Board Member, Anatolia, Türkiye

JUAN PABLO COSTABAL

Commercial Director, Calbu, Chile

JERVIS WU

General Manager, Shandong Kingland, China

WILSON MAN

President of Sales and Purchasing, Healthy Food Ltd., Hong Kong, China

HELENA SOLANA

Pistachios Procurement Category Director, Importaco, Spain

BEHROOZ AGAH

Member of the Board of Trustees, Iran Pistachio Association, Iran

EDUARDO RODRÍGUEZ

President, La Nogalera, Mexico

ANNE WARDEN

CEO, American Pecan Council, USA

YUXIU CHEN

CEO, Yunnan Macadamia Industry Development Group Co., Ltd., China

PJ VENTER

CEO, Mayo Macs, South Africa

TATIANA CALCII

Export Department Manager, Maestro Nut, Moldova

ALBERTO GONZÁLEZ

General Manager, Pinfruse, Spain

RICHARD OWEN

President and CEO, American Peanut Council, USA

EMMA EYAO

Sales Manager, Janson S.E. Pine Nuts Food Co., Ltd., China

HASAN SABIR

General Manager, Sabirlar, Türkiye

ÜMIT ERGIN

Senior Vice President, Nuts Sales Europe, Olam Food Ingredients (ofi), Netherlands/Singapore

TIM JACKSON

CEO, Almond Board of Australia, Australia

LEVAN BOLKVADZE

CEO, GPR Hazelnut, Georgia

DANIEL PHIPPS

CEO, Red Rivers Foods, USA

GARY FORD

Executive Chairman/CEO, Diamond Foods, USA

VIGNESHWAR RAJKUMAR

Managing Director, Dorado Nuts, Cote d’Ivoire

SANYUKTA AGIDE

Purchasing Manager, Instersnack Procurement, India

SHALIN BEHAL

Head of the Cashew Department, Terra Nova Trading, Vietnam

EDWARD DANON

Director, Voicevale, UK

GUILLAUME PAGY

General Manager, Pagysa & Nova Fruits International, Türkiye

JILL WHYTE

Executive Chair, Green Farms Nut Co., South Africa

CRAIG DUERR

Vice President of Sales, Campos Brothers Farms, USA

GEORGE SOUSA JR.

President, Mariani Packing Company, USA

RICCARDO CALCAGNI

CEO, Besana Group, Italy

AHMED BOUJBEL

General Manager, Boudjebel, Tunisia

MIKE HOHMANN

Executive VP and CFO, Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds, USA

LAURA GERHARD

Vice President, Global Ingredients and International Branded, Blue Diamond Growers, USA

PANKAJ SAMPAT

Director and Owner, Samsons Traders, India

MIA COHEN

Chief Operating Officer, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, USA

RICHARD SAMPSON GENEST

CEO and Managing Director, Stahmann Webster, Australia

MALLIKARJUNA KUMARASWAMY

Senior Vice President, Country Head Türkiye and Head of Hazelnuts Business, ofi, Türkiye

OZAN YEŞILYER

Trader, Tiryaki, Türkiye

JOSE LUIS DE PRADO

President, De Prado Almonds, Spain

JEFF MCLEMORE

VP of Global Sales & Marketing, Sunsweet Growers, USA

THOMAS NOTTEBOHM

Managing Director, Mayan Gold Macadamia, Guatemala

JOHN AGUIAR

International Sales Director, Mariani Nut Company, USA

RAFAEL BIANCHINI

Executive Director, Frunut, Chile

MITCH YU

Purchasing Manager, Overseas Division, Three Squirrels, China

KEES BLOKLAND

Director, Global Trading & Agency, Netherlands

TONI NADAL

Tennis Coach, Ambassador of Rafa Nadal Academy, Spain

CHRISTINA CHEN

Vice Chair, ChaCha Food, China

YIYI ZHANG

Secretary General, Tree Nuts Sub Chamber, China Chamber of Commerce, China

MBUGUA NGUGI

Managing Director, Kenya Nut Company, Kenya

JOSÉ EDUARDO CAMARGO

Co-Founder and Director, QueenNut Macadamia, Brazil

PROF. JORDI SALAS-SALVADÓ

Distinguished Professor of Nutrition and ICREA Acadèmia Researcher, Chairman of the INC World Forum for Nutrition Research and Dissemination, Rovira i Virgili University, IISPV, CIBERobn

Sponsors & Exhibitors

Previous

Next

Join us

Join us and network and do business with some of the brightest mind in the nut & dried fruit industry

Mobile Website Sponsored by:
CG Hacking & Sons Limited

Copyright © 2025 International Nut & Dried Fruit Council. All rights reserved.

All images from the hotels are the property of Meliá Hotels International and are protected by copyright.

CONTACT | WHO WE ARE | LEGAL