Ignacio Elola
Presentation
How does the arrival of QR Codes affect companies’ communication with consumers? Does it offer new opportunities or limitations? Is it simpler or more complex to apply than the pre-printable static version? Ignacio Elola joins GS1 InterACT to explain why we need to approach this issue with enthusiasm, but at the same time with rationality.
Biography
Ignacio Elola has been working in the food and dairy industry for over 25 years, in commercial management and strategic leadership.
He is currently the Global Commercial Director of Lactalis – a company with a turnover of 29.5 billion and operations in more than 100 countries – where he has assumed a newly created position aimed at defining a global commercial strategy.
In the course of his career, which began in 1995, he has served as CEO of Lactalis Iberia, where he led a team of 2,500 people; he has been a director in various divisions of the Lactalis Group; and has held various marketing and sales positions at Nestlé. He combines this expertise with the presidency of dairy sector associations, between 2020 and 2024, at FeNIL and INLAC.
Rolf D. Kienapfel
Presentation
How can QR codes powered by GS1 increase efficiency in in-store operations and reduce scanning failures?
METRO Austria is currently pioneering the use of these codes, particularly in the area of ultra-fresh produce, and is having very favourable results. Rolf will explain what advantages he has found and what are the benefits of 2D over linear barcodes.
Biography
Rolf D. Kienapfel is a man with a mission: to transform the future by increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes through digitalisation.
With a long CV full of experience in different areas, Rolf has spent 11 years as CIO of the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, 8 years in international consultancy for companies such as Ernst & Young and Capgemini, 5 years in IT Transformation Management in the banking sector until he reached his current position, which he started in 2024, as Head of IT for METRO Austria.
A career spanning more than 25 years dedicated to digitalisation and IT Transformation.
Sargheve Sukumaran
Presentation
The food sector has an excessive use of single-use packaging. How can we tackle this through GS1 Digital Link? That’s exactly what we will hear from Sargheve, who has focused on reusable, deposit-free packaging in gastronomic businesses such as restaurants, cafés and diet catering. This is a reuse-as-a-service concept, intended to limit the use of single use takeaway plastics.
Biography
Sargheve is a hands-on designer & technologist, experienced design leader, strategic design consultant & mentor. Over the last 18+ years, Sargheve has been leading projects and multidisciplinary teams across domains like Mobile, Consumer Electronics, Healthcare and Packaging, to deliver high impact Products & Experiences for the EU, American and Asian markets, with over a dozen products launched in the global market across categories. Together with Simon and Andy, he co-founded Swapp! three years ago, focusing on sustainable solutions to reduce single-use plastic waste in retail and gastronomy businesses.
Vincent Kästle
Presentation
How is the implementation of QR Codes powered by GS1 in the world of beverages? Being a pioneer at Jake’s Beverages, Vincent will share some use cases, ranging from the recollection of glass bottles, interacting with customers through a chat bot or sharing legal and sustainability information with consumers.
Biography
Technology enthusiast and food expert Vincent Kästle is an innovator, keynote speaker and company founder. With a background in food and software, his career spans multiple industries including IT, catering and retail. He started his own marketing agency and used his experience in retail and catering to set up companies in the beverage and smart retail sectors. His beverage company, Jake’s Beverages GmbH (JBC), has major food retailers as customers and is represented throughout Germany. His passion lies in realising creative and innovative ideas with a long-term focus. With his company EatFresh GmbH, Kästle is driving the future of smart retail by innovatively combining technology and food to revolutionise shopping and eating in a sustainable way. His vision and passion for long-term innovation make him a forward-thinking player in modern retail.
Vladimír Achejev
Presentation
What are the technological challenges involved in implementing QR Codes powered by GS1? Slovak company Berto has created its own resolver, via a direct link with its ERP system, and uses the GS1 digital link to share master data with consumers. Vladimír will explain the path of this implementation, which began three years ago with GS1 DataMatrix.
Biography
Vladimír Achejev works as an IT Analyst at Berto, a Slovak meat processing and meat product-making company. Berto’s products are available across Slovakia in several food store chains, including Billa, Coop Jednota, CBA, Kaufland, Metro, Terno, Tesco. For more than 20 years, he has participated in the analyses of the processes and the introduction of systems ensuring more efficient functioning of the company, including the GS1 standards.
Wouter Schaekers
Presentation
How do big brands deal with next-gen barcodes? How will new legislation in Europe impact brands and their ability to manage this in their processes? What progress will the GS1 standards have to make if we are to support businesses in their future plans and legal compliance? Wouter, from P&G, will answer these questions.
Biography
Passionate Supply Chain leader with 15 years of experience across several nodes of the supply chain in Procter & Gamble, always in close partnership with commercial teams and external partners (suppliers, retailers, start-ups). Wouter’s expertise includes innovation, organizational effectiveness, and sustainability