NutraMEA Community

Genuine Day, I’m Riwan — Founder of NutraMEA Intelligence. Egyptian Gen Z. Food lover. And a strong believer that: “Your body is designed to heal itself when you supply it with the right nutrients.” I believed that long before I even knew the word nutraceuticals. I started in 2021 as a B2B marketer of premium supplement ingredients. Then B2B Line Manager. Then leading New Product Development in the CHC nutraceutical line. Along the way, I worked with ingredient suppliers, manufacturers, and executive decision-makers — translating science into commercial opportunity for leading Egyptian pharmaceutical and FMCG companies. But NutraMEA Int. is bigger than one career. It represents a collective shift. A shift in how we understand nutraceuticals in the Middle East. A shift in how suppliers communicate with the region. A shift in how professionals position science, products, and brands. Here’s what I hear most from industry peers: • Nutraceutical understanding in the Middle East is still shallow. • Many global suppliers don’t fully understand regional business psychology. • The Middle East nutraceutical industry isn’t behind — it’s early. And early markets reward system-builders. This industry doesn’t need more hype. It needs infrastructure. It needs clearer communication. It needs stronger integration between science, commerce, and leadership. Now let me ask you: How will you use NutraMEA Int. to build your influence? If you're building something serious in nutraceuticals or having an idea, let’s create real impact together. — Riwan E.

For more than 20 years, Dr. Gene Bruno taught nutraceutical science with Huntington University of Health Sciences and the University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy. Currently, he serves as Chief Scientific Officer of Nutraland USA, Inc. With a doctorate in botanical medicine and a master’s in herbal medicine, in addition to undergraduate and graduate degrees in nutrition, as well as being a 47-year veteran of the dietary supplement industry, Gene is universally recognized as one of the industry’s leading experts in nutraceutical science. He is a multiple award-winning formulator, having developed natural products across a range of categories for dozens of dietary supplement companies. Gene has educated and trained natural product retailers and health care professionals about the responsible use of evidence-based dietary supplements. He has written hundreds of articles on nutrition, herbal medicine, nutraceuticals and integrative health issues for trade, consumer and peer-reviewed publications, as well as authoring books and textbook chapters. Gene also hosts two podcast series, The Bioactive Nexus Podcast, and The Vitamin Professor Podcast, exploring nutraceutical related topics and other issues relevant to the dietary supplement industry.

I studied chemistry at the Universities of Nijmegen (NL) and Paris (FR), and did my PhD on food toxicology at the University of Maastricht (NL; thesis in 1989). From 1990-2000 I worked at the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute in Zeist (NL), and from 2000-2005 for Unilever in Vlaardingen (NL). From May 2005 I was employed at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, NL (www.rivm.nl/en): 2005-2012 as Head of the Centre for Nutrition and Health, and 2013-2015 as Senior Scientific Adviser ‘Nutrition and Food Safety’. I was editor-in-chief of “Food & Chemical Toxicology” (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchemtox; 1999-2004), and Chief Editor of the “European Journal of Nutrition & Food Safety” (http://www.sciencedomain.org/journal-home.php?id=30; 2011-2015). I was member of staff at the European Food Safety Authority, Parma, Italy (http://www.efsa.europa.eu/), from 2015 – 2018 as head of the Risk Assessment and Scientific Assistance Department, from 2018-2020 as Senior Scientific Officer. I am a board-certified toxicologist (since 1990) and a board-certified nutritionist (since 2005). From 2006-2015 I was member of the EFSA-NDA panel (http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/ScientificPanels/efsa_locale-1178620753812_NDA.htm). I am a visiting professor at the University of Ulster from 2009 (NI; http://biomed.science.ulster.ac.uk/niche). From January 2021, I am also a visiting professor at the Technical University of Denmark (https://www.food.dtu.dk/english/research/risk-benefit). As of November 2020, I am the owner and consultant at Food Safety & Nutrition Consultancy, NL (https://www.fsnconsultancy.nl/; https://www.fsnconsultancy.nl/about-me). Total number of Web of Science publications (includes EFSA Scientific Opinions): 820. Number of full peer-reviewed papers: 175 (plus: Other papers 156; EFSA publications 11; Publications as editor 16; Other publications in Dutch 16). Hirsch Index (by December 2022): Web of Science: 58; Google Scholar: 59; Scopus: 46.

I am Reham Elawady, a Procurement Manager with over 11 years of experience leading high-value procurement operations across pharmaceutical, aviation, and trading sectors. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Al Azhar University, Egypt, along with an MBA, which enables me to integrate financial discipline with strategic supply chain execution. Currently, I manage an annual procurement portfolio exceeding EGP 250 million, leading a team of seven procurement professionals and overseeing end-to-end sourcing activities across raw materials, packaging materials, laboratory chemicals, supplements, and capital equipment — covering both local and international markets. My career has been shaped by managing real operational volatility. When key suppliers halted unexpectedly, I activated pre-qualified alternatives to contain disruption with minimal financial impact. During periods of raw material inflation, I led structured negotiations and diversified sourcing strategies, achieving cost reductions ranging from 5% to as high as 30–50%, depending on category and market dynamics. One of my most notable negotiation achievements involved securing a critical raw material at approximately 20% below prevailing market levels at the time — reinforcing our competitive advantage in a highly contested market. Beyond cost control, I take ownership of supply continuity. In situations where planning signals indicated potential stock risks, I proactively secured backup supply channels to prevent operational interruptions, balancing urgency with financial prudence. Through active participation in international trade exhibitions in India and China, I have successfully developed and onboarded global suppliers who evolved into strong strategic partners, strengthening sourcing resilience and supplier diversity. I believe procurement leadership is not defined by purchasing at the lowest price — it is defined by managing risk, protecting margins, ensuring supply continuity, and building structured sourcing ecosystems that support long-term growth. I am open to strategic collaborations, advisory engagements, and leadership opportunities where procurement is positioned as a core competitive advantage.

My name is khaled salah and I've been working in the field of supply chain for over 15 years. I've worked in five pharmaceutical companies. I started my career path as an external supply chain at IDI pharma then moved to global Napi pharmaceutical as a supply chain section head from 2012 till 2020 after that decided to move to the senior management level as a supply chain manager at elixir pharma. I contributed significantly to the growth of Elixir Pharma, making it a leading company in the pharmaceutical industry. Then, I decided to move to a larger company, one of the top 30 largest companies, named Zeta Pharma. One of the ideas I'm dreaming of is establishing a service company that serves the pharmaceutical industry, starting from the idea of selecting the product, going through the steps of registering the drug with the Egyptian Medicines Agency, then purchasing the raw materials and packaging materials for the product, monitoring all logistics operations, and finally, promoting and launching the product into the market.