Manoj is Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Louis Dreyfus Company's Plant Proteins business. Prior to joining the LDC group, he was Chief Technology Officer at Ripple Foods, leading the R&D, technical and product development teams working on alternative plant proteins and dairy-free food products. He worked for thirteen years at DSM, in various science and technology innovation roles of increasing responsibility, and covering multiple food ingredients sectors, including food biotechnology, food and crop protection. In parallel, Manoj has led several large research projects, some of these at universities in the US and Germany. Dr. Kumar has authored and contributed to more than fifty publications in prestigious journals and has more than twenty-five patents to his credits. He currently serves on the board of Canadian pulse and specialty crops trade association.