Mike Leonard brings nearly two decades of experience in senior industrial science and technology roles in the specialty food ingredient and fast-moving consumer goods industries, with an emphasis on combining innovation, commercial execution, and organization-wide collaboration to deliver business results across developed and emerging markets. He served as Motif’s Chief Technology Officer from 2019 to 2022, where he developed the company’s technical strategy, built its R&D capabilities and delivered its first products. Prior to joining Motif, Mike served as VP of White Space Innovation and Springboard R&D at Kraft Heinz, where he led product, packaging and process development strategy and execution for emerging growth platforms across all categories of the business. Previously, he was VP of Process Technology for Global Snacks R&D at PepsiCo, in addition to serving in leadership roles at DuPont Nutrition & Health and International Flavors & Fragrances in process and protein ingredient research, business development and strategy. He holds a PhD in Polymer Science & Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a BS in Chemistry from Roanoke College. He is a member of the Motif Board of Directors.

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.  

Weylan Bosse is a 20 year veteran of the ingredients and flavors industry. Prior to joining Motif, Weylan served as Senior Vice President of Sales at Nulixir Inc, an early-stage food tech startup. He has spent his career in a variety of technical and commercial roles with Kerry Ingredients & Flavours, Corbion, Doehler, and ADM.

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.

Junliu Zhang is a finance and accounting professional with extensive experience in business operations management. With a background in the Biotech and pharma industry, including early-stage Biotech startups, pre-IPO firms, and newly IPO firms, Junliu specializes in providing financial and operational support to biotech companies. Prior to joining Motif, Junliu served as an interim controller at Tedor Pharma Inc. where she oversaw financial forecasting, budgeting, payroll processing, and business operations. She previously ran and owned First Allied Consulting LLC, a company providing finance, accounting, and business operations services to biotech clients in the Boston area. Junliu worked as a consultant at Mariana Oncology and Danforth Advisors. She worked at the finance team at 3EO Health, Luye Life Science Group and Open Biome.  She holds a Master of Science in Finance degree from Clark University in US, a B.S. in Finance and Risk Management and a B.A. in Business English from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. 

Susannah Castrovinci is an accomplished human resource professional with over 12 years of experience across a variety of industries, including technology, healthcare, and personal care. Susannah comes to Motif from Manifold AI in Newton, where she was Senior Manager of People Experience Operations. Prior to Manifold, she held progressive human resource management roles at Crabtree & Evelyn, Madaket Health, athenahealth, and Experian Data Quality. She holds a BA in Visual Arts from Brown University.