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Larry has spent his entire career in market research, leading engagements for many of the world’s largest manufacturers and retailers, including Pepsi, Coke, Lexus, Porsche, Nissan, Infiniti, Starbucks, Audi, Microsoft, and Disney, just to name a few. The first three decades of his career were spent at Synovate (formerly Market Facts), where he held a number of positions, including head of Global Automotive, executive director of International New Business Development, and leader of two global conferences—one in Beijing and one in Cairo. Following his tenure at Synovate, Larry joined TNS as head of its Consumer Sector. He was quickly elevated to President of Client Services and Relations, where he and Bob Tomei, current president of IRI’s Consumer & Shopper Marketing, co-led its North American business. In February 2010, Larry joined IRI to lead its Survey Solutions group and was then promoted to run its overall Consumer Insights business. He also led IRI’s Business Development–New Solutions until he was named Executive Vice President of Consumer & Shopper Marketing in 2017. Larry is a frequent speaker at a number of industry events, including Sweets & Snacks Expo, Confections State of the Industry, NACS State of the Industry, Shopper Marketing, HOP—State of Mass Beauty, FMI, New Products Innovation, NFRA and CSPA, and he has been a guest on Bloomberg Television’s Surveillance program as well as quoted in numerous periodicals.

Kantha Shelke, PhD, CFS, is a principal at Corvus Blue LLC, a contract food science and product development firm specializing in competitive intelligence and rapid commercialization of foods, ingredients, and technologies. Kantha practices and teaches food science and safety regulations from end-to-end in global food/supplement supply chains. A Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists, she writes for industry magazines (PLMA Live!; Prepared Foods; Food Technology), teaches in the Johns Hopkins University Master of Science Program in Food Safety Regulations, and is a member of the Faculty Advisory Board of Food and Agriculture at McGill University (Montreal) and the Faculty Advisory Board at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (Tempe, AZ).

Ashish Talati leads Amin Talati & Wasserman’s FDA practice and is one of the industry’s foremost experts on FDA regulatory matters.Ashish primarily counsels clients on matters of regulatory compliance, helping them anticipate and address regulatory issues in their day-to-day business operations and strategic planning. He also advocates on their behalf before the FDA, FTC, Customs, USDA, and other federal agencies. He is considered a leading authority in the areas of Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) requirements and New Dietary Ingredients (NDI). Considered a creative and strategic partner by his clients, Ashish works with companies all over the globe and is a trusted advisor at every step of the product life cycle, including product formulation, safety and efficacy studies, product launch, and ongoing marketing and sales.