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Meet Atova

Dr Hannah Lester | Amgen Consulting

Dr Hannah Lester
CEO & Principal Consultant

Hannah is a regulatory affairs expert with over 15 years experience in developing veterinary, animal feed and food products for regulatory approval in the EU and other global markets.

She has worked on cell-cultured products, plant protein isolates, fermentation products, algae and seaweeds, and traditional foods - preparing regulatory plans, providing support on study design and statistics through to preparing novel food dossiers & traditional food notifications.

She is passionate about alternative proteins and helping companies navigate the complex regulatory requirements needed for regulatory approval.

Hannah is regularly invited to speak about alternative proteins and regulations at international events. She is an expert for the Protein Directory and a Principal Consultant for Bright Green Partners. She's  a mentor for Big Idea Ventures and the ProVeg Incubator, and is a scientific and regulatory advisor for KindEarth.Tech

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Hannes Malfroy
Regulatory and Novel Food Specialist

Hannes Malfroy joins the technical team as a Regulatory & Novel Food Specialist. He is a biotechnologist by training, with knowledge in microbiology and plant biotechnology. He has over 5 years of regulatory experience in areas ranging from plant protection products and biostimulants to food and animal feed. Hannes has worked on several alternative protein dossiers in the EU, including applications for plant protein isolates and mycelial biomasses.

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Caroline Idowu
Regulatory Affairs Specialist

Caroline joins the technical team as a Regulatory Affairs Specialist. She is a chemist by background and has spent the last 4 years working in food and feed regulatory affairs. She has worked on a wide range of dossier projects for several global markets including alternative protein products for pets as well as on novel food and food enzyme EU dossier applications on the human nutrition side.

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Dr. Diana Rueda
Global Regulatory Affairs Manager

 

Diana is a trained pharmacist with a PhD in medicinal chemistry and experience in drug discovery R&D within the pharmaceutical industry. In 2021, she transitioned into the alternative protein sector, starting as a scientist in media development for cultivated meat. She later moved into regulatory affairs, where she led the preparation of safety dossiers for cultivated meat and fermentation products, ensuring compliance for submissions to regulatory authorities in Singapore and the U.S.
 
She is passionate about science and food and is eager to support alternative protein companies in their mission to deliver safe, impactful novel foods.

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Joanna Zajac
Chief Administrative Officer

Joanna is Atova’s Chief Administrative Officer. She has over 10 years’ experience working for regulatory consulting companies, providing business administration and HR support.


Joanna is fluent in English, Polish and Spanish. She holds a degree in European Studies and Modern Languages from the University of Bath, UK and also a Master in Business Administration from La Salle, Barcelona, Spain.
Having played tennis at an international level, Joanna is passionate about nutrition, healthy eating and keeping fit. She is looking forward to helping Atova make a difference in the food-tech industry and supporting its clients to bring new alternative protein products to market.

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Dr Fernando Rivero 

Regulatory Scientist and Toxicologist 

Fernando Rivero joins the technical team as a Regulatory Scientist and Toxicologist. He is a trained biotechnologist with a Master's degree in Advances in Food Quality and Technology, a specialization diploma in Clinical Toxicology, and a PhD in Chemistry (Bioprocesses). He brings over 4 years of regulatory experience in areas such as novel foods, nutrition, health claims, and additives, along with more than 8 years of food science research.

 

Fernando has published over 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles, including also work on the sustainability of food systems. 

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Dr. Pablo Rodriguez Fernandez 
Senior Microbiologist & Regulatory Scientist 

Pablo is a microbiologist with several years of experience in microbiology, molecular biology, and regulatory science, specializing in food safety and public health. Trained as a biologist, he holds a PhD in Microbiology and has worked in Spain, the UK, and Italy. 

He has conducted advanced research on tuberculosis and has experience in microbiological quality control and novel foods in the EU. Pablo is passionate about advancing sustainable food systems and bridging science and regulation to enable safe, innovative products to reach the market. He has contributed to the evaluation of pioneering projects, including novel applications of human-identical milk oligosaccharides and precision fermentation byproducts. 

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Steph Roberts 

Marketing Coordinator 

Steph Roberts joins the Atova team as a Marketing Coordinator. Following her degree in Business Management from Plymouth University, she has spent the last 5 years in marketing for the veterinary and food industries.

 

In 2024, Steph completed her Level 4 qualification in Professional Digital Marketing with the Chartered Institute of Marketing, receiving a distinction. Steph is passionate about nature, fitness and design and is excited to integrate her skills to drive Atova’s marketing initiatives. 

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María Patón
Admin and Marketing Coordinator

María Patón is Atova’s Admin and Marketing Coordinator.

Her background is in psychology, education, art, and design. She has studied in France, England and Spain and her work experience encompasses teaching, administration, and event management. María is passionate about nature, visual communication, art, and music.

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