Rousselot Innovation Days

Never Stop Innovating – The Next Generation of Collagen Peptides

September 17-18, 2025, in Ghent, Belgium

Join Rousselot for two days of discovery and innovation, as we delve into the future of collagen peptides and their benefits across all generations. Explore the science behind the collagen molecule, gain insights into evolving consumer trends and hear from leading experts shaping the future of health and nutrition.

Never stop innovating

Why attend?

Discover cutting-edge insights and learn from leading experts about the latest advancements in collagen peptides, including innovations from our Nextida platform. Connect with industry professionals and like-minded individuals through valuable networking opportunities at the beautifully restored Winter Circus — a venue that fuels imagination and collaboration.

Key takeaways:

Collagen's expanding role: How collagen innovation is meeting diverse health needs across generations, personas and consumer profiles — rooted in evolution and primed for the future.
Metabolic synergy: The powerful combination of GLP-1 and collagen peptides for addressing metabolic health challenges.
Invisible ingredient — visible impact: Scientific validation proves that even unseen ingredients can deliver real, visible benefits.
Consumer trust: Why transparency and education are essential in science-driven marketing.
Future of wellness: A personalized, data-driven approach to health, grounded in functional nutrition.

We hope you will attend and be part of this exciting journey toward innovation.

Scroll down to explore the full agenda, meet our expert speakers and register for two days packed with insights, inspiration and connection.

Agenda

Day 1: September 17 – Welcome and inspiration

16:00 | Arrival and welcome

16:30 | Official opening

Randall C. Stuewe – Chairman and CEO, Darling Ingredients
Jeroen Colpaert – Executive Vice President, Rousselot
Dr. Elke De Clerck – Global Director of Science & Innovation, Rousselot
Dave Van Dorselaer – Vice President of Global Marketing & Sales, Rousselot

17:30 | Keynote: Thriving beyond by Rik Vera – Guest Speaker

18:30 | Networking aperitif, dinner, entertainment

22:30 | End

Day 2: September 18 – Science meets consumer insight

08:30 | Welcome coffee

09:00 | Strategic wellness: Leveraging GLP-1 with specific collagen peptides for metabolic health

Florencia Moreno-Torres – Global Business Development & Marketing Manager, Rousselot
Dr. Catarina Silva – Science Integration Manager, Rousselot

09:45 | Keynote: The neurotransformation of consumer marketing by Nathan Axford, Beyond Reason

10:30 | Coffee break

11:00 | Collagen's evolutionary legacy: Challenges in biotech, Power in health by Dr. Bjorn Vergauwen – Scientific Director, Rousselot

11:45 | Keynote: Harnessing the power of food: Science, technology and the path to longevity by Professor Sarah Berry, King's College London

12:30 | Closing remarks by Jeroen Colpaert

13:00 | Lunch and wrap-up

14:30 | End

Optional tour of the Rousselot plant in Ghent — ends by 17:00. Please indicate your interest in the registration form.

Download the agenda

Bios

Meet our speakers

Randall C. Stuewe

Chairman and CEO Darling Ingredients

Since 2003, Randy has led the transformation of Darling from a U.S.-based company with 600 employees into a global enterprise of over 16,000 employees across 15+ countries. Previously, he held senior roles at ConAgra Foods and spent 12 years at Cargill. A Kansas State University graduate, he also serves as a director at Teays River Investments.

Jeroen Colpaert

Executive Vice President, Rousselot

Jeroen has been Executive Vice President Rousselot since January 2023. He joined Darling Ingredients in 2014, where he held leadership roles and led various global operations and acquisitions, bringing over 25 years of experience in strategy and operations. He holds degrees in chemical engineering (Ghent University) and business (MBA, Vlerick).

Dr. Elke De Clerck

Global Science & Innovation Director, Rousselot

Elke is the Global Science & Innovation Director at Rousselot, where she leads the company’s scientific strategy and innovation roadmap. For 15 years, Elke has worked at the interface of science and business within Rousselot. Her team is a team of experts and innovators in fields like clinical science, formulation and peptides.

Dave Van Dorselaer

Vice President Global Marketing & Sales, Rousselot

Dave joined Rousselot in October 2024 as VP Global Marketing & Sales. Previously, at Darling Ingredients' DAR PRO Solutions (DPS) since 2020, he served as VP of Sales and then VP of Restaurant Services in 2021. Before Darling Ingredients, Dave held senior marketing and sales roles at AT&T Business. He holds an MBA in Finance from Sam Houston State University.

Rik Vera

Keynote speaker

Rik is a seasoned C-level executive with over 25 years of experience in global sales, marketing and general management. Renowned for transforming businesses through innovation and customer-centric strategies, he leverages technology to reshape business models. Rik has delivered 1,800 talks in 64 countries, inspiring audiences to embrace change.

Dr. Catarina Ferreira da Silva

Science Integration Manager, Rousselot

Catarina has been with Rousselot since 2020, where she translates scientific findings into accessible formats for both expert and general audiences. She began her career as a Biological Engineer and earned a PhD from Wageningen University on collagen bio-design for biomedical use, followed by postdoctoral research on marine environmental science.

Florencia Moreno Torres

Global Business Development & Marketing Manager, Rousselot

With six years at Rousselot, Florencia identifies science-backed market opportunities driven by emerging consumer trends. Her prior experience includes roles as a nutrition consultant and Insights & Innovation Manager at Innova Market Insights. She holds a Master’s in Health Food Innovation Management from Maastricht University.

Nathan Axford

Co-founder, Beyond Reason

As a brain-centric marketer, Nathan works where neuroscience meets economics. Together with top scientists, he has developed a neuro-based brand marketing framework, validated across 40+ countries, 150 brands and 15 industries. Nathan helps brands understand and influence the brain processes behind what people value, like and buy.

Dr. Bjorn Vergauwen

Scientific Director, Rousselot

As Scientific Director for Product and Process Development, Bjorn leads innovation in non-animal collagen and gelatin technologies, as well as medical-grade gelatin for advanced biomedical uses. He also contributes to intellectual property strategy, supporting advancements in collagen-based supplements and medical technologies.

Prof. Sarah Berry

Professor in Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London, Chief Scientist at ZOE

Sarah, a world leading nutritional science expert, pioneers personalized nutrition and large-scale remote research using novel technologies, citizen science and AI. As Chief Scientist at ZOE Ltd, she leads the ZOE PREDICT program, assessing genetic, metabolic and dietary influences on metabolic responses to food in over 200,000 people.

12345678910

Innovating responsibly

Carbon-neutral event

We all love attending inspiring events, but their environmental impact — travel, hospitality, catering and digital presentations — contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn affect our planet.

Our commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050

As a brand of Darling Ingredients, we have set an ambitious goal of net zero emissions by 2050. Rousselot's manufacturing operations are taking steps to meet this goal. As we believe that no effort is too small, we apply responsible organizational principles to our Innovation Days.

Offsetting emissions for Rousselot's Innovation Days

Our recent Innovation Days were organized with zero net emissions. We chose local suppliers and supported a certified project on the United Nations carbon offset platform for the past three years.

In 2025, we will continue this initiative and ask attendees to share their travel details to offset emissions. We hope you value our carbon-neutral Innovation Days event as much as we do.

More information

Event details

Event dates: September 17-18, 2025
Location: Winter Circus, Lammerstraat 13, 9000 Gent, Belgium (view on Google Maps)

How to get to Winter Circus

By car: Parking options around the venue are limited, so attendees are encouraged to consider using nearby public parking facilities. Four underground and public car parks are available nearby:

By train: The nearest train station (2.1-kilometer walk) is Ghent-Sint-Pieters. From the station, you can either take a taxi or public transportation such as tram 1 toward Evergem and get off at Plateaustraat to reach the Winter Circus.

By plane: The closest airport is Brussels Airport (BRU) - 56.3 kilometers from Ghent. Trains are available from the airport to Sint-Pieters station (about 1 hour and 41 minutes).