Maria Velissariou

Founder, Maria Velissariou Consulting LLC
Managing Director, Kirchner Group

Dr. Velissariou is a R&D executive and thought leader, who guides global, ambidextrous organizations. She drives vision and strategy, innovation, and advocacy in high-impact corporate and non-profit organizations. Throughout her career she has been strategically focused on translating science and technology into scalable innovation solutions. She is an advocate for sustainable food systems, science-based policy and funding for research. She founded Maria Velissariou Consulting LLC, providing advisory services in Food and adjacent sectors, and partners with the Kirchner Group. Prior, she was the Corporate R&D VP and CSO at Mars, leading the function’s approach for Quality, Digitalization and Science in partnership with the business segments. Before Mars, she was CSTO at IFT, and VP Global Nutrition R&D and VP Quaker Foods North America R&D at PepsiCo. She serves on several boards, mentors entrepreneurs, and promotes diversity in STEM. She has presented at various global conferences and featured in diverse media.