Meet our industry Rockstars

Carilyn Anderson serves as the President of Carlson, a globally recognized leader in the nutritional supplement industry since 1965. Best known for its premium, award-winning Norwegian omega-3s and vitamin D3 products, Carlson has set the standard for quality and innovation in natural health. As the daughter of Founder Susan Carlson, Carilyn grew up deeply connected to the Natural Products industry, gaining early hands-on experience by attending trade shows and contributing to the family business. 

Carilyn Anderson, a Michigan State University graduate, launched her career at Carlson as a Professional Sales Representative, quickly showcasing her talent for leadership and innovation. She advanced to lead the company’s Advertising division and later directed the Sales Department, driving significant growth and strategic initiatives. In 2010, Carilyn was appointed President, where she has since played a pivotal role in expanding Carlson’s global presence and reinforcing its reputation as a leader in high-quality nutritional supplements. 

Over the past decade, Carilyn has been instrumental in shaping Carlson’s success and growth. She has guided the launch of groundbreaking products from concept to market, directed a transformative rebranding initiative in 2014, and led the construction of a state-of-the-art omega-3 bottling facility in Norway. Under her leadership, Carlson has achieved significant milestones, including being recognized as the #1 Rated Omega-3 brand in the United States.

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Wellvest Capital is a contemporary Merchant Bank enabling health and wellness on a  

global scale. We achieve this by investing in and providing strategic advisory services to companies creating healthy living products and services. Like our portfolio companies and clients, we take a holistic approach to creating stakeholder value.  

David T. Thibodeau is Managing Director of Wellvest Capital. David is a seasoned corporate finance executive within the wellness industry with a successful history of entrepreneurship, corporate strategy, mergers & acquisitions and equity raising. He was an early player in the consumer health and wellness sector where he has developed a particular expertise over the last 25+ years. Prior to founding Wellvest Capital, David spent 10 years at the investment bank Canaccord Genuity (formerly Adams, Harkness and Hill), where he was responsible for the evolution of the firm’s Healthy Living practice into the broader and more robust Health, Wellness and Lifestyle sector. Over that time David was an advisor on many of the industry’s leading and transformative M&A transactions that have defined the evolution of the emerging wellness industry.

By day, Diana Morgan serves as the Vice President of Global Regulatory & Government Affairs at Nutrabolt, makers of the #1 global preworkout brand C4®. By night, she transforms into the Founder and Chief Fun Officer of What’s Up With Supps®—a vibrant community she created to bring people together across the Health & Nutrition products industry. 

With over 15 years of experience in the natural products space, Diana has held influential roles at leading companies including The Vitamin Shoppe, Care/of, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, and Solgar Vitamin & Herb. Her passion for the industry is matched only by her dedication to creating meaningful connections and fostering innovation. 

What’s Up With Supps® was launched in September 2020 with a mission to spark collaboration and connection through fun, in-person networking events. The organization focuses on building unity, growth, and innovation through mentorship, professional development, and community engagement—all in a non-competitive, welcoming environment. What began as a local initiative has now expanded to national events across the U.S. 

Outside of work, Diana is a proud mom to two school-aged children and finds joy in DIY projects, philanthropy, and giving back to her community. Whether she’s building something by hand or building bridges in the industry, she brings energy, creativity, and heart to everything she does. 

Diana holds a Master’s degree in Nutrition & Food Science from the University of Saint Joseph and is a Certified Sports Nutritionist through the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN).

Dr. Guru Ramanathan is Managing Director and Board Member of Dutch Medical Food B.V. based in the Netherlands focused on design, development and distribution of Foods for Special Medical Purposes.   

Dr. Ramanathan is an Adjunct Professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge Louisiana. He is also a founding Director and President of Brilliant Care Inc. based in New York focused on Population Health Management of Hypertension, Diabetes and Congestive Heart Failure.  

Dr. Ramanathan currently serving on Corporate and Advisory Board’s for established and early stage companies in Global Food, Nutrition, Pharma, OTC, Digital Health and Primary Care Medicine industry sectors. He is very active in Nutrition Industry initiatives having been a founding member and current Chairman of the ‘Supplement Safety & Compliance Initiative’ (SSCI). He currently serves on CRN’s OWL Registry advisory board, the US Hemp Authority’s Board, as well as the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine’s Advisory Board.   

Dr. Ramanathan is a globally recognized expert on Innovation Management and his advisory concentrations include Scientific Affairs, Regulatory Compliance, Quality Assurance and Control, Clinical Trials Design & Management, Technology Acquisition, Alliance Management, Product Development and Manufacturing in the Global Health and Wellness Industry.  

Dr. Ramanathan’s industry experience spans Clinical care, Pharma, Consumer health, Animal health and the Retail sectors. His most recent appoint was with Pittsburgh based General Nutrition Corporation (GNC) as its Chief Innovation Officer, Senior Vice President and Member of the Executive Committee. Prior to that Dr. Ramanathan was a Senior Director for the US subsidiaries of Nutricia (Danone). Before this he was Medical Director for the US subsidiary of Scotia Pharmaceuticals. He has also held various industry consulting, research and teaching appointments in India and the US.   

Dr. Ramanathan holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business focused on global business practices. He earned his Ph.D. from Tufts University in Healthcare Innovation Management.

Heather Granato is the founder of strategic business consultancy Nutrachievement and a 30-year veteran of the global nutraceutical and food industry, serving in senior leadership roles with the SupplySide, Vitafoods and Food ingredients events and media brands. Heather is a polished international moderator and presenter with multimedia publishing experience, who has been recognized with awards for leadership, management and content by FOLIO:, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) and the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA). Heather serves as the founding president of Women In Nutraceuticals, a global non-profit she co-founded in 2022 focused on empowering women in the nutraceutical industry; she is also on the board of directors for the Organic & Natural Health Association, and the chair of the advisory board for Move Nutrition. 

Jomaree Pinkard brings 15 years of experience scaling startup businesses, spanning multi-channel expansion, market analysis, and strategic business planning. Most recently, Pinkard led Diageo's $200M Venture Impact Fund, Pronghorn as CEO a nd Managing Director, where he spearheaded the company’s overarching mission of diversifying the spirits industry by cultivating and investing in the next generation of Black founders, executives, and entrepreneurs. In his role, Pinkard laid the foundation for and executed 23 portfolio investments, piloted 20 bespoke accelerator engagements, and spearheaded talent recruitment efforts resulting in over 100 new industry job placements.  

Before joining Pronghorn, Pinkard spent a decade as the Co-Founder, CEO, and now Chairman of Hella Cocktail Co., a minority-owned craft beverage company. During his tenure, Pinkard spearheaded numerous strategic brand evolutions and introduced groundbreaking product innovations that propelled the company into a national enterprise. At Hella Cocktail Co., Pinkard forged impactful partnerships with major brands such as Southern Glazers’ Wine & Spirits, TGI Fridays, Disney, Delta Airlines, and others. 

Prior to his leadership at Hella Cocktail Co., Pinkard made significant contributions to various sectors. He played a pivotal role in developing The Salvation Army's 

 September 11 World Trade Center Recovery Program, held a Vice President position at Marsh & McLennan, and offered independent consulting services to the National Football League. Pinkard is an alumnus of the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce and holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, he was appointed to the Specialty Food Association Board of Directors in 2021-2024, and is a founding member of :INCLUDED CPG, a nonprofit supporting 600+ diverse founders across the consumer products industry.

Ph.D., CFS, IFT Fellow, is Principal at Corvus Blue LLC and Senior Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, where she created the first university course on dietary supplement safety regulation. A scientist, strategist, and global advisor in food, supplements, and nutrition, she also serves on the Faculty Advisory Board at McGill University and the Board of Trustees at Sonoran University. 

Through Corvus Blue, Kantha helps trade commissions, commodity boards, and international organizations translate complex science into strategies for rapid commercialization to build market demand with rigor and sensibility. She also serves as an expert witness in food and supplement industry litigation.

Katrina is an award-winning CEO and Executive Director with an impressive history of transformation leadership and a proven track record driving big outcomes quickly for organizations. She does this by creating an exciting vision to galvanize a community, expertly guide cross-functional teams and complex stakeholder groups from inception to implementation, unlock human and financial capital to power growth, and scale operations for long-term sustainability. Katrina brings 20 years of experience and expertise in community building and engagement, program and service development and innovation, events, fundraising, and partnerships.  

She currently leads Naturally Network, the industry organization convening and supporting the natural, organic, and better-for-you CPG industry. In this role, she’s grown the organization to serve 30,000+ unique companies and launched key programs like the Minority-Owned Fellowship, a 6-month program that accelerates the success of diverse founders, the Women in CPG Summit, an event that has brought together over 3,000+ Women for inspired content and connections, and the new CPG Academy, an education and community hub offering foundational content that supports member readiness and success at retail. Prior to Naturally Network, she was the Executive Director of Naturally Austin, a regional Naturally Network chapter, and CEO and Executive Director of Catalyst games, a national nonprofit that created gamified philanthropic experiences in startup communities to unlock human and financial capital for local nonprofits.

Mark Blumenthal is the Founder and Executive Director of the American Botanical Council (ABC)—a leading, independent, research and educational nonprofit organization dedicated to disseminating accurate, reliable, and responsible information on herbs and medicinal plants, teas, essential oils, phytomedicines, beneficial plants, and edible and medicinal fungi. Blumenthal is Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of HerbalGram, ABC’s international peer-reviewed quarterly journal. For six years, he served as an adjunct associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy, teaching the course “Herbs and Phytomedicines in Today’s Pharmacy.” He is also the founder and director of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program, a nonprofit international consortium committed to extensively researching and exposing adulteration and fraud in botanical ingredients sold in the global market. He is the senior editor of The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines, a 715-page reference book rated second of all medical books published in 1998. In 2010 he received the American Society of Pharmacognosy’s Varro E. Tyler Award and in 2018 he was named Outstanding International Ethnopharmacologist by the Indian Society for Ethnopharmacology. He has appeared on more than 400 radio and television shows and has written more than 500 articles, reviews, and book chapters and forewords for many publications. He was awarded Natural Health magazine’s Hall of Fame Award for “…opening America’s eye to the healing powers of herbs.” Frequently quoted in the media, for more than 50 years, he has been a leader in the global botanical and natural products community, promoting science-based herbal education and respect for scientific and clinical research, ethnobotanical traditions, sustainable and regenerative practices, and authenticity and transparency in the manufacture and marketing of herbs and phytomedicines.

There is a relatively small segment of leaders in the business world; individuals who seem able to build relationships, trust, and rapport with almost anyone, and then are able to broker the relationships and make connections between people, creating partnerships and alliances, and motivating forward momentum to “get things done.”  Ori Amrami is one of those people, and he approaches each new business challenge with his intrinsic flair for innovation, creative problem-solving, and measured risk-taking to drive consistent bottom-line improvements and shareholder returns.  

 Ori’s career in Strategic Sourcing and Procurement spans over 25 years and has impacted both the Dietary Supplements and the Food & Beverage business segments.  He started his career at Herbalife International, where he was promoted three times during his eleven-year tenure; culminating in a Director position.  Ori’s contributions centered on developing a diversified and dependable global supply base, establishing strategic sourcing capabilities at the Global Procurement group, and developing new product programs to meet market demands and help deepen market penetration.  His unique ability to drive improvements at both ends of the P&L brought meaningful cost reductions and significant new revenue streams through accelerated new product introductions.   

 Ori’s career took a major leap forward when Nestlé, the number one food company in the world, invited him to join their NBS (Nestlé Business Services) organization and manage the commercial relationship with contract manufacturers and Co-Packers for the Confections & Snacks division.  During his three years at Nestle Ori established a consistently dependable suppliers’ network while reducing costs and enabled - by finding and setting up new external manufacturing capabilities - the launch of a major confections brand.  

 Recognized as a high-potential manager, Ori’s career took another leap forward when he was sought out by Unreal Brands, the “hottest” start-up company in the better-for-you confections & snacks industry at the time, to set up the Procurement Function and to ensure an unprecedented national launch of its initial confection product line.  Faced with extremely tight deadlines and enormous supply challenges, Ori has created a supply base that delivered when it counted, ensuring that Unreal’s products were launched in over 20,000 mainstream stores in less than one year.  

 Following his stint with Unreal Brands, Ori created Sourcing Alternatives, a company that specialized in helping its clients optimize their supply base, drive innovation, and accelerate new product launches.  During that time Ori also engaged in article writing and public speaking; concentrating on how the Procurement function can increase its value to the organization.  

 Ori is currently the Procurement Manager at Guittard Chocolate - a San Francisco-based 5th generation family-owned high-end chocolate manufacturer – where he is responsible for raw materials, packaging components, and specific commodities.

Pradeep Thaker serves as the Senior Director of R&D and Formulations at Natural Organics, the company behind the Nature’s Plus brand. In this role, he focuses on expanding the current Domestic and Foreign product lines and contributes to New Product Development, Research & Development, Compliance, Formulations, and Procurement projects. Prior to his current position, Thaker led Quality Control, New Product Development, Research & Development, and Formulation at Country Life Vitamins for nearly 25 years. Before that, he worked in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in quality control and lab management. 

During his tenure at Country Life, the company received several awards for its dietary supplements, including the NEXTY Award for three consecutive years (2019–2021). Thaker possesses extensive knowledge in ingredient sourcing, product development, formulation, quality control systems, GMP compliance, and regulatory matters. Earlier this year, he co-authored the paper titled “Herb Stevia Rebaudiana’s Functionalities, Safety, and Applications: A Review,” which was published in the journal Archives of Clinical and Biomedical Research. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Science College in Raipur, India, and is fluent in English, Gujarati, and Hindi. 

2023- To date- Senior Director ,R&D – Nature’s plus , Melville NY 11747 

2016-   2023 – Director R&D /NPD , Country Life , Hauppauge , NY 11788 

1998-   2016- Director Quality /NPD , Country Life , Hauppauge , NY 11788 

"Rend Al-Mondhiry serves as Co-Chair of Amin Wasserman Gurnani’s Regulatory Practice Group, where she advises the dietary supplement, food, cosmetic, and over-the-counter medicine industries on a wide range of regulatory and compliance matters. With years of experience working with some of the nation’s leading dietary supplement and food companies, Rend is committed to helping businesses develop and market their products responsibly.  

Her practice primarily focuses on reviewing product labeling, ingredients, and advertising to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations. Rend assists companies in navigating issues before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and National Advertising Division (NAD). Additionally, she provides guidance on compliance with California’s Proposition 65, U.S. Customs issues, and class action defense strategies. Her expertise also covers FDA-related matters, including warning letters, recalls, detentions, seizures, and import alerts. 

Rend is also a frequent speaker and author on emerging legal and regulatory issues in the industry and is regularly quoted in the trade press. "

Sr. Director of Market Insights at SPINS, stands out as an expert in the natural products industry with a rich background in nutrition. He champions the accessibility of wellness solutions through demystifying data, making healthier choices more attainable for consumers. His deep dive into comprehensive market data reveals emerging trends and consumer shifts, guiding retailers and brands to better align with the evolving preferences for organic and natural products. 

Scott has spoken at major CPG industry events like the New Hope Natural Products Expo West, Bevnet, Sports and Active Nutrition Summit, and Supply Side, and his insights are published in top industry resources. His contributions illuminate the significance of natural products and consumer wellness trends. His work at SPINS underscores his dedication to promoting health and wellbeing, leveraging data to bridge the gap between better for you products and consumers.

Steven Shapiro has over 35 years of experience in food and drug regulatory matters and regularly counsels clients in the areas of food and drug law relating to the manufacture and marketing of foods, dietary supplements, over-the-counter drugs, and cosmetics. Among other services, he reviews product labels, ingredients, claims, and websites assists companies with bringing new products into the market.  

A part of the Firm’s Health Services Practice Group, Steven concentrates on areas of interest to the natural products industry and spends much of his time advising companies on the intricacies of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), as they concern the marketing of dietary supplements.  

Steven has also assisted clients in matters relating to enforcement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including handling FDA inspections, responding to Warning Letters, and injunctions and seizure actions. He is a contributor to many natural product industry trade magazines and a frequent lecturer on topics of concern to the natural products industry at various trade shows.  

In addition, Steven has extensive experience in reviewing advertising and marketing materials, as well as representing companies in investigations initiated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the various state Attorneys General. He has also represented companies in matters arising from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s control of List I chemicals, and the U.S. Customs Service’s control of imports into the United States.  

His litigation practice includes involvement in several cases concerning interpretations of the Food and Drug Act, including the Traco and Oakmont Black Currant oil cases, which have resulted in judicial precedents.   

Steven has been appointed to the SCNM Master of Science in Nutrition Business Leadership Advisory Council, where he advises on the course content for the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine’s M.S. program.  

The Health Services Practice Group has been listed in the prestigious Legal 500. The practice also has been included in the Chambers USA directory in the Healthcare category.