Dr Leif Lundin

Summary CV
* Research director, Food Program, CSIRO Agriculture and Food Buiness unit.
* Senior research manager with over 26 years’ experience in food, nutrition and life science R&D.
* Extensive applied R&D experience with global food company Unilever and national research institute CSIRO and * Research Institutes of Sweden. Strong track record and interest in technology transfer of research outcomes for public and commercial opportunities.
* Extensive experience in leading the development of research, client and intellectual property strategies based on foresighting and external scanning & analysing patent landscapes.
* Establish external collaborations with strategic clients and research partners both in public and private sectors.
* Over 20 years’ experience managing R&D, middle management and resource including succession planning, training and development of personnel into leadership positions.
* Experience of working with state and federal departments in developing national food strategies
* Extensive international professional networks across hygiene, cosmetic and food research institutes and the bioscience industry.
* Active as a change catalyst in leading change and mobilising and motivating research and business development staff towards a common goal.
* Experience in establishing and working within international and national R&D collaborations, including Knowledge Innovation Communities, Knowledge Based Bio-Economy and EU framework initiatives.
* Developed and delivered research programs in several countries including Sweden, UK, The Netherlands and Australia.
* Personal research interest is food structure design for health and wellbeing
* Actively publishing research outcomes in peer reviewed journals (~55) and patent applications.
* Broad experience in implementing workplace health and safety procedures, developing health and wellbeing programs and creating team building processes.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
CSIRO, COMMONWEALTH SCIENCE AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION,
Research director, Food Program, Agriculture and Food.
AUSTRALIA (Oct 2019 to present)

Managing the Food research program in the Agriculture and Food business unit at CSIRO. The role involves; establish relations with public, private and R&D providers both nationally and internationally and contributing to a portfolio of R&D projects delivering impact in the agrifood area in Australia and internationally.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
• Provide operational leadership, direct research investment, identify business opportunities and spearhead strategic national and international collaboration and partnerships.
• Building and managing external relationships with strategic private, public and research partners.
• Leading the development of a research program focusing on sustainability, health and trust.
• Develop research and innovation strategies based on internal and external analysis of relevant science area and business/innovation landscapes.
• Lead and coordinate the development of food innovation ecosystems at the state and national level
• Secure external funding to upgrade R&D infrastructure for a National R&D food manufacturing facility.
• Establish collaborations within the broader CSIRO organisation to support R&D in agrifood .
• Manger for Food Product Development centre for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Growth for Growth Partnership.

Key Achievements:
• Implementation of R&D and Client strategy and processes in the Food Program
• Started the work to develop an integrated multidisciplinary research portfolio in agri food for the Food Program.
• Established Food Product Development centre for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Growth for Growth Partnership and a 5 multinational partner consortium
• Established staff engagement and momentum to clean up the Werribee site and ensured that HSE rules are adopted and followed.
• Established relationships with Victorian state government and Food Innovation Australia Ltd to support the case for funding the new development of the Werribee site to become the National R&D manufacturing site.

RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, HEAD OF REASEARCH AND INNOVATION, AGRIFOOD AND BIOSCIENCE
(Dec 2014 to Oct 2019)
National research institute with 2700 employee.

Managing a research and innovation platform involving 140 staff. The role involves; establish relations with public, private and R&D providers both nationally and internationally and managing a portfolio of R&D projects delivering impact in the food, bioscience and bioeconomy areas both in Sweden and internationally.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
• Provide operational leadership, direct research investment, identify business opportunities and spearhead strategic national and international collaboration and partnerships.
• Building and managing external relationships with strategic private, public and research partners.
• Manage a research program focusing on sustainable, safe and healthy food.
• Develop research and innovation strategies based on internal and external analysis of relevant science area and business/innovation landscapes. This includes foresighting and developing future scenarios to establish research mission driven programs for the agriculture and food areas.
• Manage external financial targets. Total annual portfolio budget of $25M.
• Establish collaborations within the broader RISE organisation to support R&D in agrifood and bioeconomy.
• Chair for Nordic Food Partnership and manger for Food Product Development centre for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Growth for Growth Partnership.
• Representing RISE in national and international initiative such as the national food strategy and Knowledge Innovation Communities, The minister’s national food council.

Key Achievements:
• Implementation of R&D and Client strategy and processes at RISE, Agrifood and Biosciences.
• Started and managing the Nordic Food Partnership
• Established Food Product Development centre for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Growth for Growth Partnership
• Established an integrated multidisciplinary research portfolio in agri food. Significantly forwarded the understanding of research and innovation along an integrated food value chain.
• Instrumental in initiating the ongoing work to establish a National Agri Food R&D platform.
• Developed RISE Agrifood R&D Strategy and long-term research program together with other RISE business units, work is identifying the industry challenges and has been used to guide internal investment to build new capabilities.

COMMONWEALTH SCIENCE AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIA (2006 TO 2014)

Research Manager – CSIRO Animal, Food and Health Sciences, Melbourne. (2012 to present)
Managing a portfolio of research projects aimed at determining the nutritional requirements for all life stages to promote good health and wellbeing in people. The role includes setting the strategic directions of the research program; developing and mobilising cross disciplinary teams in food science and life science disciplines (total 50 research scientists with 4 direct reports); coaching and mentoring staff and ensuring delivery of science impact to generate significant benefit and growth for the Agrifood industry.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
• Manage a research program in reformulating healthier manufactured food. The research covers aspects such as material design, oral processing and sensory perception, digestive behaviour and biological function and nutrigenomics.
• Establishing the CSIRO Food Innovation Centre to support client engagement for technology transfer and innovation adoption.
• Member of the task force to implement the Australian Federal Government’s National Food and Nutrition R&D and technology transfer strategy.
Key Achievements:
• Established an integrated multidisciplinary research portfolio in food and health and moved significantly forward understanding in the design of food for predicting sensory perception and controlling digestion.
• Initiated and launched the CSIRO Food Innovation Centre which supports innovation projects for food companies.
Research group leader – CSIRO Animal, Food and Health Sciences, Melbourne. (2006 to 2012)
Manage the materials science and food chemistry research group across 3 geographical sites. Total resource 40 staff with four direct reports.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
• Develop research strategy for group to establish capability and expertise in the research priority areas of food manufacturing sustainability, health and food safety.
• Establish and build the material science discipline base within CSIRO food division.
• Manage large research project (>AUD$1M) in the food manufacturing and food for health area.
• Manage large client relationships including developing long term strategic partners.
• Develop and manage pre-competitive syndicate style multi industrial partner research collaborations.
• Develop intellectual property strategy to protect research outcomes and deliver industry benefit and impact.

Key Achievements:
• Developed and established two multi partner industrial research projects to the total value of AUD$2.0.M
• Developed a strategic business plan and attracted industry strategic relationships.
• Established a nationally recognised discipline base in food material science at CSIRO.
• Established patent portfolio (Inventor on two patent applications) in taste and flavour cross-modal predictive modelling.

UNILEVER RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT (1997 – 2006)
Unilever is a multinational manufacturing corporation selling consumer goods including foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products.
Research group leader ¬Unilever Research and Development, Vlaardingen, NL (2003 to 2006); Colworth House, UK (2001 to 2003).
Managing the biopolymer based food application research group and lead R&D projects

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
• Line manage 3 reports and a total of 15 research staff.
• Develop and mentor staff and build succession plans for the group.
• Manage research projects with business aligned goals and timelines.
• Develop external collaborations to support the biopolymer science base and company business.

Key Achievements:
• Contributed to the development of Unilever’s business R&D strategies in culinary and spreads business divisions.
• Contributed to innovation in a number of food products that Unilever launched.
• Inventor on 3 patents.

Research scientist – Unilever Research and Development, Colworth House, UK (1999-2001); Vlaardingen, NL (1997-1999).
Lead and contributed to strategic research projects.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
• Provide expertise in biopolymer structure function and conducting research in large multidisciplinary research and development projects.
• Develop new technologies for Unilever to exploit in food and home and personal care business.
• Problem solving for centres of product development in spreads in sauces. Transfer and adoption of new technologies into food manufacturing.

Key Achievements:
• Completed successfully post doc with EU Framework 4 collaboration project on ingredient structure function relationships in soft condensed matter.