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MICHIEL BAKKER TO BECOME NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA

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HYDE PARK, N.Y., May 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Trustees of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) today announced the appointment of Michiel Bakker as the college’s sixth president, effective September 1, 2024. Bakker will further the CIA’s eight-decade legacy of leadership and excellence. The Board’s decision follows an extensive, 10-month global search. Bakker succeeds Dr. Tim Ryan, the Institute’s longest-serving president, who held the role since 2001 and who moves into the new role of chancellor.

“In its 78-year history, the CIA has had just five presidents—pretty astounding when you consider that the average college president’s tenure is less than six years1,” said Board Chair John Metz, Jr. “We were committed to finding the person who would ensure that the CIA continues to be the world’s premier culinary college. Michiel Bakker’s experience speaks for itself, and we are confident he is the president to build on the CIA’s strong foundation and usher the college into its next era.”

For the past 12 years, based in Mountain View, CA, Bakker worked in various global leadership roles at Google. From 2012 to 2021, he was responsible for Google’s celebrated Food at Work program, supporting all foodservice-related activities and initiatives, as well as developing internal and external partnerships to explore and tackle the challenges and opportunities in global food systems.

He also led Google’s Global Workplace Programs organization with overall responsibilities for the ongoing delivery of events, health & performance, transportation, and food at work services to more than 250,000 individuals worldwide. Most recently, Bakker steered the Global Workplace Strategy, Innovation, and Sustainability team, leading the work on Google’s long-term workplace strategy, workplace experience, and sustainability efforts for Google’s global office real estate portfolio.

Before joining Google in 2012, Bakker spent 17 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. in various hotel and global food and beverage operations roles. These included creating and building out partnerships, leading hotel food and beverage developments and openings, food experience design, and running hotel and food & beverage operations.

Bakker holds an Executive MSc degree in Real Estate and Construction Management from the University of Denver Daniels College of Business, a Master of Hospitality Administration degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, an MBA from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom, and a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Administration from the Hotel Management School Maastricht in the Netherlands.

He is an active contributor to various advisory boards of organizations including the Yale Center for Customer Insights, the EAT Forum, the World Food Program Innovation Accelerator, and the Beans is How initiative. He is also a member of the James Beard Foundation’s Board of Trustees and the Supervisory Board of the Dutch food waste focused startup Orbisk. In addition, Bakker hosts the Food Lab Talk podcast, which highlights bold visions and inspiring actions for the future of food systems, and he contributed a chapter to the book Food Inc. 2. He has been involved with the CIA for many years, serving on the advisory councils for the college’s Sustainable Food Systems master’s degree and its Menus of Change® initiative, and he piloted the college’s ProChef® Plant-Forward Kitchen training and certification program at Google.

“Stepping into the role of president at the Culinary Institute of America is a dream come true for me, as the CIA is an organization I have admired and supported for so many years,” Bakker said. “In this new role, I will be able to bring together my deep passion for all aspects of the food and beverage industry, lifelong learning, hospitality, and enabling individuals to be at their best. Building upon the college’s legacy, reputation, and alumni network, I’m excited and eager to collaborate with the incredible faculty, staff, and stakeholders to propel the CIA forward, ensuring students continue to graduate with the skills and knowledge to thrive in the dynamic and most amazing and rewarding world of food and beverage.”

Bakker was born and raised in the Netherlands and moved to the U.S. in 1995, to marry his wife Nicolette, a New York State native, who hails from Middletown. Over the subsequent years, they lived and worked in cities including Atlanta, GA; Gleneden Beach, OR; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, PA; Brussels, Belgium; and the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently they reside in Los Gatos, CA, and will relocate to New York for the position.

Bakker, now a proud Dutch-American, is an avid reader, has a deep affinity for food and food systems, and loves to hike, explore cities, and enjoy great meals with family and friends. He and Nicolette have two sons: Brian, a graduate of the University of Oregon, and Andrew, who is looking forward to graduating from Clemson University later this year.

About The Culinary Institute of America
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking & pastry arts, food business management, hospitality management, culinary science, and applied food studies. The college also offers executive education, certificate programs, and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its conferences, leadership initiatives, and consulting services have made the CIA the think tank of the food industry and its worldwide network of nearly 55,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the food world. The CIA has locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore. For more information, visit www.ciachef.edu.

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SOURCE The Culinary Institute of America

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Crab2B Makes AsiaWorld-Expo Debut, Connecting Hong Kong’s Mobile Wholesalers with Global Buyers

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October 18, 2026

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HONG KONG, Oct. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Crab2B, a pioneering B2B trading platform dedicated to mobile devices and digital products, will make its debut at the HKICEC Global Mobile Exchange Pavilion during the Global Sources Hong Kong Shows, opening at AsiaWorld-Expo on October 18, 2026.

Hong Kong has long been a major hub for electronics wholesale trade, but buyers still often rely on fragmented channels to identify suppliers. Crab2B was created to bridge this gap, bringing Hong Kong-based mobile and digital product wholesalers together on one dedicated B2B platform. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Crab2B combines the manufacturing strength of mainland China and the Greater Bay Area’s extensive supply chain capabilities with Hong Kong’s established global trading network. Together, these strengths enable Crab2B to simplify cross-border sourcing, connect buyers directly with suppliers and make international trade more accessible and efficient.

For its first appearance at a major industry trade show, Crab2B is bringing together more than 200 merchants already registered on the platform, marking a significant milestone in its development. The Crab2B booth is expected to attract electronics traders from Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East and beyond. Visitors will be able to discover the app’s capabilities through live demonstrations, register on the platform and connect directly with participating merchants to explore business opportunities.

A buyer who experienced the Crab2B app shared: “With Crab2B, we no longer have to search far and wide for reliable suppliers. The platform brings Hong Kong’s mobile phone wholesalers together in one place, giving us greater visibility into available products and sourcing opportunities. Whether I’m at my desk or on the move, I can find products and connect with suppliers whenever I need to. For businesses like ours that source across borders, that kind of access makes a real difference. It saves time, reduces transaction costs and helps us do business more efficiently.”

Crab2B CEO Luo Yaohong said, “We want to be pioneers in cross-border B2B trading for digital products, creating new opportunities for Hong Kong’s wholesale industry. As Hong Kong places greater emphasis on developing digital trade, we’re addressing a longstanding gap in the market with a dedicated digital platform that connects Hong Kong’s electronics suppliers directly with buyers around the world. Our ambition is to make cross-border trading easier, faster and more accessible, while helping Hong Kong businesses reach new markets.”

The platform’s trade show debut is also attracting attention from international merchants, with exhibitors expressing interest in joining Crab2B to expand their reach into overseas markets. Meanwhile, merchants already registered on the platform are looking forward to the launch of its planned online marketplace, which will create further opportunities for sustained collaboration and business growth.

Building on this debut, Crab2B will remain firmly rooted in Hong Kong while expanding its connections with businesses around the world. The company will continue to enhance its platform with smarter sourcing tools, more comprehensive trading capabilities and an increasingly connected network of suppliers and buyers. By making it easier to discover products, establish business relationships and conduct cross-border transactions, Crab2B aims to open new opportunities for merchants of all sizes and help shape the next chapter of Hong Kong’s digital trade industry.

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SOURCE Crab2B

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Canton Fair Buyers Alliance Launched as the 140th Edition Opens

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October 18, 2026

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On October 15, the Canton Fair Buyers Alliance was officially launched at the Canton Fair Complex, marking a significant milestone as the fair celebrates the 70th anniversary of its founding.

More than 140 overseas buyers attended the launch ceremony, highlighting the fair’s enduring role as a bridge connecting global commerce with China’s export sector.

Speaking at the ceremony, Luís Vilariça, CEO of Joinco, Import & Export, Ltd., discussed his company’s long-standing relationship with the Canton Fair. Drawing on years of participation, he reflected on the growth opportunities created through cooperation with Chinese suppliers and highlighted the fair’s role in supporting international business development and global trade exchanges.

The ceremony also featured a joint declaration by alliance members. Representatives from five member companies read the statement in their respective native languages, underscoring the international character of the new organization. Additional members sent video congratulatory messages, joining the celebration and witnessing the official launch of the alliance.

The Canton Fair Buyers Alliance represents one of the fair’s key service innovations. Designed primarily for Fortune Global 500 companies, buyers from the world’s top 250 retailers and leading sourcing enterprises across a diverse range of markets, the alliance aims to offer members a platform for information sharing and resource coordination. The first cohort of alliance members includes 58 companies from 32 countries and regions across 5 continents. Through the alliance, members will gain access to a range of priority benefits spanning four major areas: services, events, resources and information.

 For more convenient attendance, please click here for pre-registration:

https://buyer.cantonfair.org.cn/register/buyer/email?source_type=16

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SOURCE Canton Fair

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Bioethanol from human hair – Indian start-up’s solution to rising prices of grains and sugar

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October 18, 2026

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GUJARAT, India, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In what could be called the beginning of the 5G (fifth-generation) of bioethanol or non-cellulosic bioethanol or non-sugar-based biofuels, an Indian start-up, Techofest Global, based out of Gujarat, has developed its own, indigenous, and patented technology for the production of bioethanol from waste human hair. Such processes would significantly reduce the employment of sugars, grains, and agricultural residues, which form the classical first- and second-generation bioethanol feedstocks. As a result, the rising fuel-vs.-food/fodder debate is anticipated to reduce, and instead, ethanol produced from municipal/industrial waste, after trials, can supplement the current supply being used as blends with presently retailed fossil fuels (E20, E27, etc.). 

As stated by Dr. Ravi, the founder-CEO of Techofest Global, the strategic priority and the USP of the start-up is industrial symbiosis, which, typically, involves an ecosystem of up-cycling/valorising the effluents of an industry, thereby creating a value-chain for residues often lacking an end-of-life. With more than three decades of experience in designing customized nuclear fusion reactors for international programmes, such as ITER, JET/UKAEA and SST-1, Dr. Ravi, a seasoned mechanical engineer, spearheads the start-up’s patented technologies’ scale-up and commercialization.

Two biochemical engineers, Dr. Navnit – the former CTO, and Dr. Kabilan – the former CEO of Biomakerz, Chennai, are the brains behind the current technology/process portfolio of the joint-venture between Techofest Global and Biomakerz. They have been working on biorefineries’ process intensification for more than a decade. “Having foreseen the fuel-vs-fodder/food competition as early as the year 2015, we began developing techno-economically feasible and viable in-vitro metabolically-engineered bioprocesses for scaling-up ethanol production from municipal waste streams between 2019–2021”, says Navnit. After developing operational technologies for international biofuel organizations, serving process engineer roles with certain biorefineries-related OMC R&D’s of India, Dr. Navnit, presently works for a premier academic institution.

An on-going fermentation trial at the Techofest Global-Biomakerz JV’s R&D facility

Techofest Global has developed and tested, in its R&D JV’s pilot-facility of ~100-L, 3 innovative and cost-effective technologies, such as 5G ethanol production using human hair, used cooking oil (UCO), and enriched bio-methane production from disposed sanitary napkins.

“With massive CapEx and OpEx, 2G ethanol technology is facing a major commercialization bottleneck, owing to competition with food/livestock fodder, requirement of a cost-intensive pre-treatment procedure, and the requirement of cellulolytic cocktails, which have a poor recycle efficiency. The proprietary 5G SAFE process developed for the start-up circumvents the mentioned constraints, and instead, utilizes a single-stage saccharification followed by fermentation, and records over 85–90% biocatalyst recovery. Likewise, the proprietary SIM process for bio-methane production, exclusively developed for the start-up, is 2x faster with improved intermittent feeding cycles and continuous gas harvest”, says Navnit.

“With on-going pre-commercialization trials, the proprietary ethanol and bio-methane processes of ours are soon being commercialized”, says Ms. Bhumika, the co-founder and the corporate advisor of the start-up. Furthermore, Mr. Ronak pilots the organization’s global market entry and commercialization frontier.

Techofest Global’s veteran Principal Technology Advisors include: Dr VS Tripathi, former Joint Director, DRDE Gwalior, Dr B S Munjal, former Director, Structures and Thermal group, SAC/ISRO, Academician and Advisor CIKS-Dharohar, GTU, and Dr AV Santhanababu, former Scientist at Satish Dhawan Space Centre. With on-going R&D activities, Dr. Munjal says, “the start-up is striving to provide a unique solution along the lines of the Atmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat Vision 2047”.

Media Contact: www.techofestglobal.com; e-mail: info@techofestglobal.com; contact person: The PR team of Techofest Global.

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