Jason Archie Acheampong

Head of Market Based Solutions, the Fairtrade Foundation

"Going deeper, staying longer: The power of retailer commitment to cocoa producers"

Jason Archie Acheampong is Head of Market Based Solutions at the Fairtrade Foundation. He brings experience across commercial trade, sustainability and international development, using markets to create opportunities for farmers and businesses while strengthening sustainable supply chains. 

Cocoa resilience cannot be built through short term interventions alone. It requires longer term commitment and shared responsibility across the supply chain.

The session will share practical learning from the Fairtrade Foundation’s work in the UK retail market and cocoa supply chains, considering what it takes to move from individual sustainability interventions towards longer term partnerships where responsibility for resilience is shared across the value chain.

Dougal Freeman

Vice President of Operations, WCF

"Who Pays for Sustainable Cocoa? Rethinking the Economics of Resilience"

Dougal Freeman is WCF’s Vice President of Operations, leading finance strategy, operations and organisational growth.

He brings over 20 years’ international experience across the private sector, NGOs and not-for-profits, including senior finance and leadership roles at GAIN, Oxford Policy Management and HR Wallingford.

Dougal holds degrees from Imperial College London, the University of Reading and Alliance Manchester Business School. At WCF, he focuses on finance, strategy and investment to strengthen resilience across the cocoa value chain.

Nicko Debenham

Managing Director, Sustainability Solutions

"With the imminent arrival of EUDR how will we maintain the ability to trade cocoa."

Nicko Debenham has 40 years experience in cocoa and chocolate starting in Africa on the commercial side before ending up as Head of Sustainability at Barry Callebaut. A former Chairman of the World Cocoa Foundation. Nicko now has a sustainability advisory business called Sustainability Solutions advising on sustainability, e-learning topics and establishing large scale cocoa farms.

Martin Gilmour

Director, Chase Cocoa Consulting

"The future of global cocoa production"

Martin Gilmour is a very experienced cocoa and chocolate industry technical expert, having worked for two of the largest chocolate companies for more than 32 years. He has worked extensively on cocoa production from all three main regions, developing and managing projects on planting material, agroforestry, agronomy, pests and disease management, soil fertility improvement, cocoa flavour, and quality and food safety.

David Greenwood-Haigh

Founder of Coeur de Xocolat

"Creating More Value from the Whole Cocoa Fruit"

David Greenwood-Haigh is an award-winning chocolatier, chef, international chocolate consultant and founder of Coeur de Xocolat, with more than 40 years' experience across the global cocoa and chocolate industry. Through his Redeeming the 82% initiative, he works with cocoa farmers, researchers, chefs and chocolate makers to unlock the potential of the whole cocoa fruit, creating new products, reducing waste and improving value for cocoa-growing communities.

An international speaker, UK Department for Business and Trade Export Champion, and author of Passport to Cacao, David shares practical insights from his work in cocoa-producing countries, inspiring audiences to think beyond the bean and explore a more sustainable future for cocoa.

Tony Hunter

Food Futurist

"Gen Alpha Rising: The Born Digital, AI Powered Consumer of the Future"

Tony is a Food Futurist Speaker, Author, Food Scientist and Strategic Foresight Consultant specialising in the Future of Food, Agriculture, Health and Wellness.

Having spoken on four continents he appears regularly in print, podcasts, TV and radio globally as an expert on the Future of Food. He consults to companies including PepsiCo, KFC as well as VCs, Governments and consultants like Accenture on innovation and the impact of food technology and consumer trends

He delivers a unique perspective on the Future of Food, Health and Wellness using his distinctive combination of scientific and business experience.

Isobel Carse

Owner and Chocolate Maker at Dormouse Chocolates & Chair of the Craft Chocolate Makers Association UK & Ireland

"Why a Craft Chocolate Association?"

Isobel founded Dormouse Chocolates 11 years ago after discovering a passion for craft chocolate. Her award-winning bean-to-bar chocolates quickly established Dormouse as a leading name in the British craft chocolate scene. More recently, Isobel has helped establish a new craft chocolate association, launched in January 2026, to support collaboration across the industry.

Isobel will be participating in a panel discussion at London Chocolate Forum 2026, with additional panellists to be announced shortly.

Andy Clayton

CEO, Fermtech

"Fermentation: Making Chocolate More Sustainable Without Changing What Consumers Love"

The cocoa industry has faced significant challenges in recent years, prompting a renewed focus on building a more sustainable and resilient supply chain. While cocoa alternatives continue to gain attention, consumer demand for authentic cocoa flavour remains strong. This keynote will explore how fermentation can help unlock greater value from cocoa, from enhancing flavour development and creating new ingredients to making better use of side streams. Drawing on examples from across the industry, including Fermtech's work fermenting cocoa shells into flavour-rich ingredients, the session will examine how biological processes can support the future of cocoa.

Jonas Rosales

Cocoa Sourcing and Sustainability at Islands Chocolate, and

European Partnerships for Semilla Escuela de Cacao in Nicaragua

"Insights on Central American cacao and chocolate with a focus on Nicaragua"

Nicaragua has quietly become one of fine-flavour cocoa's most compelling frontiers. Drawing on three years of direct sourcing relationships with cooperatives and producers across the country, Jonas will explore what makes this origin so unique: its history, its people, and the developments in farming, processing, and sustainability that are reshaping its place in the global cocoa conversation. He'll close with the signals worth watching as the region continues to evolve.​

Charlotte Radcliffe

Director, The Nutrition Consultant

"The GLP 1 Effect on Chocolate Demand, Formats and Marketing"

GLP-1 weight-loss treatments are rapidly shifting from a clinical intervention to a mainstream consumer trend, with real-world implications for how, when and why people buy and enjoy chocolate.
In this talk, I’ll share a nutrition and consumer behaviour perspective on GLP-1 treatments. We’ll explore how purchasing habits and treat occasions may evolve, what that could mean across different formats and price points, and the key watch-outs and opportunities for manufacturers. We’ll also discuss practical considerations for product and portfolio strategy, alongside the marketing, claims and regulatory guardrails for communicating quality and reformulation credibly and compliantly.