Dr. Maria Velissariou

CEO, FSS Americas

Dr. Maria Velissariou is a former Fortune 100 executive with extensive global food industry experience, specializing in vision, strategy, operational excellence, and scalable innovation. She has held leadership roles including Global Corporate R&D VP and Chief Science Officer at Mars, Chief Science and Technology Officer at the Institute of Food Technologists, and VP roles in Global Nutrition and Quaker Foods R&D at PepsiCo. A champion of sustainable food systems, she founded a consulting firm in 2023 focused on the intersection of food, climate, and health.

Dr. Velissariou holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Biochemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham (UK) and a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece). She completed executive studies at Oxford and Cornell Universities. She serves on various boards, is a Senior Fellow at The Conference Board, and was inducted into Marquis Who’s Who in America in 2024. A native of Greece, she holds U.S. and U.K. citizenships and resides in Washington, D.C.