Brian believes that biotechnology is a critical enabler in developing solutions to some of the grand challenges we face on our path towards a more sustainable future. He has focused his entire career on understanding different parts of the value chain in industrial, food, and agricultural applications of biotechnology. Before joining Motif, Brian was a partner at Ferment, a company creation studio that discovers and develops biotechnology product companies. Prior to Ferment, Brian was the President of North America for Novozymes where he oversaw a broad range of businesses. Previous to his work at Novozymes, Brian worked in R&D, manufacturing, and commercial roles at Cargill and DSM. From 2016-2017, Brian worked at Ginkgo Bioworks where he was General Manager of the Enzymes business. Brian has a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota.

Formerly Executive Vice President for Science and regulatory affairs at CropLife America, Dr. Collins, brings over 30 years of experience in food and biotechnology regulation to Motif FoodWorks. Prior to CropLife America, Dr. Collins was Director of Corporate Regulatory affairs at DuPont, and the Director of Global Advocacy and International Organizations at Monsanto. As the former President of the Institute of Food Technologists, Dr. Collins is a recognized leader in agricultural advocacy and regulatory affairs with a deep understanding of the U.S. meat and dairy industries.

Chris Spontelli brings 15+ years’ experience in various commercial and operational functions and now leads our business operations team at Motif, first joining after the close of the company’s Series B funding round as Director of Product Management. Additionally, Chris is responsible for Motif Corporate Development programs. Prior to Motif, Chris was a global product manager for Sweeteners at IFF (formerly DuPont Nutrition & Health). He previously held similar positions with The Dow Chemical Company, Otten’s Flavors, and Colorcon. Chris has broad experience working with various specialty ingredient product lines such as hydrocolloids, flavors, colors and other specialty ingredients. He holds an Executive MBA in Food Marketing from St. Joseph’s University and a BS in Food & Agribusiness Management from University of Delaware.  

Nilofer Ahmed first joined Motif in 2019 as the Director of Business Strategy. During her time at Motif, she has played an instrumental role in shaping the organization and its direction. Nilofer was previously a project leader at Boston Consulting Group, focused on the retail grocery industry. In 2015, Nilofer co-founded her own plant-based frozen food company, Fire Ox Foods, which continues to operate in the Northeastern United States today. She is passionate about food trends and improving global food systems. Outside of work, Nilofer is a strong advocate and mentor for women in the workplace. She has acted as a mentor with EverQuote’s leadership program and a Big Sister with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Nilofer received her MBA from the Yale School of Management in 2016 and her BAFM and MAcc degree from the University of Waterloo in 2012. 

Brennan has 12+ years of experience building brands through holistic communication, creative marketing and strategic corporate and investor relations. At Motif, he leads the company’s corporate affairs—including marketing, PR, communications and investor relations.  Previously, Brennan led communications and IR for Calyxt, Inc., a publicly-traded plant-based biotechnology company that merged with Cibus (Nasdaq: CBUS). Prior to jumping into biotech, Brennan led communications and external affairs teams in a variety of industries including heavy manufacturing, higher education and local government. He received his B.A. in History and Philosophy from Indiana University and hist M.A. in English from the University of Dayton.