Food System Innovations, Managing Director
Max Elder is the Managing Director of Food System Innovations (FSI), a philanthropic impact platform working to accelerate the protein transition. Max is a multidisciplinary researcher, published author, keynote speaker, and trusted advisor to individuals and organizations across the global food system. Before joining FSI, Max was the founder and CEO of Nowadays, a plant-based meat manufacturer and brand. Max was also the Research Director at the Institute for the Future (IFTF), the world’s leading futures-thinking organization, where he led IFTF’s Food Futures Lab. Max has provided advisory services to organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Barilla, Campbell’s, Hershey, Google, The ClimateWorks Foundation, Nestle, and more. He’s been invited to speak at IDEO, The Aspen Institute, The Atlantic Council, The Good Food Institute, Feeding America, Walmart, The Consumer Brands Association, The National Restaurant Association, and the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, among others. Max has written for, or been quoted in, The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, The World Economic Forum, Quartz, Forbes, Fast Company, and others. Max sits on the Board of Directors for People for Better Food; the advisory boards of FoodShot Global and Food Systems for the Future; the Steering Committee for the E TIPU 2025 Agrifood Summit; and the Food Innovators Network at the World Economic Forum. Max studied at both Kenyon College and Oxford University.