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The future of animal feed is being shaped by global disruption, shifting markets, digital transformation, sustainability pressures, and the growing need for resilient food systems.
At the AFMA Forum 2026, taking place from 8 to 10 September 2026 at Sun City, industry leaders, technical experts and strategic thinkers will come together to explore the trends, technologies and leadership decisions shaping the future of animal feed and the agri-food sector.
Under the theme, “The feed factor – the chain that feeds a nation”, the Forum will feature some of the leading voices in the global feed industry, including:
Prof Henrik von Scheel, Industry 4.0 originator and strategic intelligence expert
Future of animal feed manufacturing
Prof Henrik von Scheel is best known as the originator of the fourth industrial revolution and today’s digital themes. Over the past two decades, he has helped set the global agenda for nations and leading organisations through strategic intelligence. The Consumer News and Business Channel named him “the most influential futurist of the century”, while Fast Company called him the “oracle of Davos”.
As a professor of strategy management and economics, his work has helped shape mainstream business practices. It has influenced national economies and 23% of Fortune 500 high-growth companies, earning him recognition from the Financial Times as the “leading authority on strategy”.
Interesting facts about Prof von Scheel:
- Recipient of the Nobel laureate of knowledge award for intellectual achievement and acknowledged as ‘the most influential management thinker of our times’ by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai.
- Co-architect of the Artificial Intelligence Act and EU Climate Scope 1-3 as a European Union advisory board member.
- His most notable contributions include co-authoring 153 business and information technology standards, such as the Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing implementation method, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation architecture framework, and standards for the Object Management Group, International Organisation for Standardisation, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and leading practice.
- Ranked as the number one most requested global futurist speaker in recent years.
Nan-Dirk Mulder, senior global specialist: animal protein, Rabobank
Global animal protein markets: Signals every feed manufacturer should be watching
Nan-Dirk Mulder joined Rabobank’s food and agribusiness advisory and research department in 2001. He is a senior global specialist in animal protein and has worked with many of the world’s leading animal protein companies. He is based at Rabobank’s headquarters in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Mulder graduated in agricultural economics, marketing, and market research from Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands in 1996. Before joining Rabobank International, he worked for the product boards for livestock, meat, and eggs and the Agricultural Economic Research Institute in the Netherlands. He was also a member of the livestock management and expert committees at the European Commission.
Since joining Rabobank International, Mulder has advised the bank on global commitments in the animal protein industry. He has also been involved in the bank’s advisory and research activities in the sector, specialising in strategic issues.
Mulder has advised and participated in projects on all continents of the world. He is also a regular speaker at conferences and seminars.
Cynthia Zhu, founder and AI consultant, Agri-ai.nl
AI in Agri-food: Where are we now, and what will the future be?
Cynthia Zhu, founder of Agri-AI BV, is a pioneering force in integrating artificial intelligence into the agri-food sector. Born and educated in China, she has lived for more than 15 years in the Netherlands, the world’s leading country in agri-food innovation and the second-largest exporter of agri-food globally.
Zhu holds a degree in Business Economics and an MBA in Strategy and Innovation from the University of Amsterdam, where her research focussed on AI acceptance and adoption in Dutch agribusiness.
As a thought leader in the field, Zhu serves as a columnist for leading agri-food industry journals in the Netherlands and holds a position as visiting professor specialising in AI applications in agriculture. Her diverse technological background includes spearheading major infrastructure projects in 4G network deployment, Fiber to the Home, and Amsterdam’s smart city initiatives.
Zhu’s mission is to seamlessly integrate cutting-edge technology throughout the agri-food value chain, transforming how we produce and distribute food for a sustainable future.
Dr Luis Romero, chief executive officer, Biofractal
Decoding and solving limitations for animal performance using AI-based transcriptomic analyses
Luis Fernando Romero is the founder and chief executive officer of Biofractal, a company focussed on detecting and solving nutritional limitations and subclinical issues that limit the profitability and sustainability of animal production through gene expression technologies and AI.
Romero has more than 20 years of international experience in innovation leadership, animal nutrition and health, and animal production. After managing poultry grandparent and broiler breeder operations early in his career, he obtained a PhD in Animal Science from the University of Alberta in Canada in 2008. He led innovation teams, innovation strategy, and project portfolios at Danisco/DuPont Animal Nutrition in the United Kingdom from 2008 to 2017 and DSM Animal Nutrition and Health in Switzerland from 2017 to 2020.
Romero is passionate about developing science-based solutions that benefit animal protein producers, their animals, end consumers, and society at large.
Constance Cullmann, board chairperson, IFIF
Building resilient food systems: The feed industry’s next chapter
As chairperson of the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF), Constance Cullmann leads the global feed sector’s engagement on sustainability, food security, animal health, and the industry’s Road to 2050 vision.
Representing feed associations and companies worldwide, IFIF works with international organisations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and Codex Alimentarius, to advance safe, sustainable, and science-based feed and food systems. Through its Road to 2050 initiative, IFIF is helping define the feed sector’s role in supporting resilient food systems, environmental stewardship, and sustainable animal agriculture.
Cullmann is also president and chief executive officer of the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), the largest organisation dedicated exclusively to representing the business, legislative, and regulatory interests of the US animal food industry, and president of the Institute for Feed Education and Research, AFIA’s public charity.
As a recognised leader in agriculture and food systems, Cullmann works at the intersection of animal nutrition, sustainability, international trade, and public policy, advocating for science-based solutions that strengthen global food security and responsible production. She also serves on the board of the Global Feed Life Cycle Assessment Institute, the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee, and the Nationwide Insurance Board Council.
Before joining AFIA, Cullmann held senior leadership positions with Farm Foundation, Dow AgroSciences, the Corn Refiners Association, and the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, building extensive expertise in agricultural policy, international markets, and regulatory affairs.
Cullmann holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Agricultural Economics from the Ohio State University. Raised on her family’s cow-calf farm in Marysville, Ohio, she brings a lifelong connection to agriculture and a global perspective on the future of feed, food, and sustainable animal production.
The speakers highlighted above represent just a selection of the global and industry experts who will be contributing to AFMA Forum 2026.
To view the full speaker line-up and to read more about the other speakers who will be taking part in the Forum, visit: https://www.afmaforum.co.za/speakers/
To view the draft programme, visit: https://www.afmaforum.co.za/detailed-programme/
To register for the AFMA Forum, visit https://www.afmaforum.co.za/registration/.
