Our advisors
The LIFE Food-Connect Project’s Advisory Board unites experts from food, hospitality, agriculture, and civil society across Europe to guide the project, share insights, and help reduce food waste while strengthening connections between donors and recipients. Their role in the project focuses on offering their expertise on scaling the platform, stakeholder engagement, and innovative food donation practices.
Meet our advisors
Maria Dionysiou
Currently contributing to the LIFE Integrated Project “Zero Waste Cyprus”, an integrated initiative supporting Cyprus in the transition towards a circular economy and waste prevention. The LIFE IP Zero Waste Cyprus is implemented over an eight-year period (2021–2029). With a total budget of €14.8 million, co-financed by the LIFE Programme of the European Union, the project is coordinated by the Department of Environment under the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, in cooperation with 17 associate beneficiaries. The project promotes sustainable waste management practices, reuse, and recycling through innovative actions, educational programmes, and collaboration with municipalities and stakeholders, highlighting waste as a valuable resource for sustainable development.
The LIFE IP Zero Waste Cyprus Project supports the donation platform as a key initiative for food waste prevention and the promotion of food security, in line with national obligations and priorities.
Through collaboration with the Zero Waste Alliance Cyprus under Action C4, the project raises awareness of the platform at events, provides training for stakeholders, and offers practical support through starter packs, including informational materials and reusable containers, to the first 100 businesses participating in the food donation scheme.
In addition, the LIFE IP Zero Waste Cyprus Project is developing a dedicated digital tool to unify and integrate existing initiatives related to food waste prevention and food donation. This tool will consolidate data from the donation platform and other initiatives, ensure automatic data transfer, promote interoperability, and merge this information with the Waste and Material Flows Platform of the Department of Environment. Support for this platform is therefore an additional step for Cyprus in advancing sustainable food management practices and reducing food waste at the national level.
Keith Abela
Hailing from a family of farmers and fishermen, Keith has held roles in prestigious kitchens both locally and overseas, including the Michelin star The Grand in the UK. Understanding the importance of sustainability in the food industry, Keith has worked with local farmers and restaurants, helping them forge partnerships and promote sustainable practices. He lectures on food sciences, foraging, and preservation at a local college, and at ION Harbour restaurant, Keith cultivates fungi and naturally preserves and ferments any produce that is not used in the kitchen, in an aim to reduce waste.
Jonathan Brincat
Award-winning and Michelin starred Chef Jonathan Brincat, also known as “Noni”, is the founder and co-owner of the restaurant with the same name. After gaining valuable experience in different roles at the kitchens of five-star luxury and gastronomic establishments, Jonathan worked in several countries including London, Australia Asia. Noni focuses on using seasonal local Maltese ingredients, and artisanal techniques like smoking, curing, and fermenting.
Barbra Caruana
Barbra fills the demanding role of Foodbank Lifeline Manager where she leads by example, always with her sleeves rolled up, ready to help her volunteers with the heavy lifting and sorting of donations. She ensures that hundreds of food parcels provided each week are sorted, packed and distributed on time. Barbra is always negotiating with suppliers for better prices to purchase food, or taking a few minutes to chat with one of the elderly or housebound clients she serves.
Natalie DeBono
Natalie has been an active member of NGOs promoting environmental, social justice and youth policy for over 20 years. Coming from a farming family, with a heart for all that is natural, authentic, sustainable and fair, she started her business in May 2011. She engages in the wholesale & retail side of business with the selling of organic and fairtrade products, and also promotes and sells plant based household cleaners and body care which are free from toxins.
Emanuela DiGiorgio
Emanuela De Giorgio is the founder of The Veg Box in Manikata, a unique sustainable hub that connects Maltese farmers directly with consumers, providing social, economic, and environmental support for the local and organic agricultural community. Emanuela transformed an abandoned building from the early 20th century, formerly an armoury, into what she calls “The Farmoury”—a space designed to “arm people with the tools they need to lead more sustainable lives.”
Francis Micallef
Francis has been involved as a volunteer in a local NGO , The Soup Kitchen of Valletta for the past three years. He also participated in a number of campaigns on social issues very close to his heart.
His company, Arete Ltd has for the past 15 years established itself as an important player in supplies to laboratories, besides having had involvement through another company of his in waste management.
Carlos Ribeiro
Carlos A. Ribeiro is currently President of the Landscape Laboratory, a centre for Environmental Research and Education, and a researcher and lecturer at the Instituto Superior de Saúde. He is also a member of the Executive Board of the Mission Unit for the European Green Capital 2026 and Co-Chair of the Scientific Committee of the same Mission Unit. Prior to joining the Landscape Laboratory, in 2015, he was a researcher at the Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, where he worked for six years.
In academic terms, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Biology and a Master’s degree in Molecular Genetics from the University of Minho, and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Porto.
Throughout his career, he has supervised and co-supervised Master’s and PhD theses, managed several national and international projects, and authored scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals, as well as numerous oral communications at national and international conferences.
Francisco Carvalho
General Coordinator, Research and Innovation at the Landscape Laboratory where he works at the intersection of science, urban policy and sustainability. He holds a PhD in Molecular and Environmental Biology from the University of Minho. He is also a visiting professor at the School of Sciences of the University of Minho. He represents the Municipality of Guimarães at European level as Chair of the Green Areas and Biodiversity Group and Co-Chair of the Task Force on Climate Resilience of EUROCITIES. His scientific and professional activity cuts across biodiversity, urban nature, and climate
resilience.
Susana Correia
Susana Correia is a lawyer at the Legal and Economic Department of DECO – the Portuguese Association for Consumer Protection, where she acts as an expert and spokesperson in the areas of food, sustainability and food waste prevention. She represents DECO in the FOOD Working Group of BEUC, a European consumer organisation bringing together 44 consumer associations from 31 countries, actively contributing to the defence of safe, high-quality and sustainable food across the European Union.
She participates in several European forums and working groups focused on food traceability, transparent food labelling and the fight against food fraud, while promoting strategies that empower consumers to prevent food waste through informed choices and responsible consumption. Her work also supports policies fostering healthier diets, animal welfare and responsible agricultural practices, contributing to a more sustainable, ethical and consumer-centred food chain.
I support the LIFE Food Connect project because reducing food waste requires actively engaging and empowering consumers through clear information, trust and transparency. By strengthening the links between donors, beneficiaries and consumers, the project contributes to more sustainable consumption patterns and to a fairer and more efficient food system.