Forest-Bean

Forest bean tm board of advisors

Dr. Pete Poovanna Founder and Executive Director

Pete is an Indian-born Canadian entrepreneur, an inventor, and a climate champion who founded Forest Bean Inc. in 2019. Currently, he is the program lead for climate change and air quality group at the Fraser Basin Council, implementing zero-emission transportation initiatives in the province of British Columbia.Poovanna is the inventor of the U.S. patented technology called nature-inspired capillary-assisted evaporator for sustainable air-conditioning. Pete’s parents are sixth-generation coffee farmers in India who produce the best quality of coffee with the utmost emphasis on sustainability. Pete is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post, Policy Options, and has several scientific publications related to clean technology. Poovanna holds a Ph.D. in Mechatronic Systems Engineering from Simon Fraser University, Canada. Before moving to Canada for his Ph.D., Pete worked with the automotive multinational company Robert Bosch, Germany as a senior computational fluid dynamics engineer.

Juliana Bergstrom Content Strategy Advisor

Juliana is a Senior Writer and Content Strategist with over a decade of corporate experience. She specializes in brand positioning and creating both technical and creative content for retail and e-commerce platforms. With a great interest in developing sustainable businesses, Juliana works at lululemon as a senior product writer and helps craft global education strategies for new concepts and products. Her interests range from conscious consumerism, animal welfare, and the arts. In her spare time, Juliana volunteers for Women in Film and Television Vancouver and Quest Food Exchange.

Sara Fralin Community Engagement Advisor

Sara brings extensive experience from the renewable energy and zero-emissions vehicle sectors with a varied background in community engagement, research, and grant writing. Sara also serves as vice-chair of the Board of Directors at the Environmental Youth Alliance. She has organized multiple significant sustainability events, including Leading Change 2018 and Adaptation Canada 2020. Currently, she oversees partner engagement and content development for the First Nations Home Energy Save and Renewable Energy for Remote Communities programs at Fraser Basin Council. Sara Fralin holds a Master's degree in Sustainability Studies from Trent University and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Environment Studies from the University of Victoria

Cait Murphy Public Relations Advisor

Cait has worked on environmental and social sustainability initiatives locally and abroad. With a great interest in climate change and methods to motivate sustainable action, she works with the Fraser Basin Council as a climate change adaptation Program Coordinator and facilitates the BC Regional Adaptation Collaborative. Previously, she engaged local government employees in sustainable behaviour-change in the San Francisco area, analyzed seniors' wintertime health and social connectedness in London, and coordinated communications for a BC environmental charity. She has a MA in Disasters, Climate Change Adaptation and Development from King's College London.

Akshay GopalDirector, Marketing and Sales

A seasoned marketing expert who believes that every brand has a story behind it, whether that is one that leaves customers feeling informed and educated, or one that sparks joy and delight. Akshay has led the planning and execution of international marketing campaigns for Mastercard, Randstad, Williams F1, Citrix, YouTube, and Britannia. Akshay is a pundit in defining and articulating the story behind every brand, as well as a specialist in developing and implementing integrated marketing plans to maximize brand outreach. He has a bachelor's degree in commerce and holds a master's diploma in marketing.

Sandesh Deranna Ramaiah Lead, Procurement

Sandesh is a coffee agronomist with over a decade of experience in sustainable multi-crop farming, inclusive procurement & coffee supply chain management. He has worked in many coffee growing regions, including India, Laos PDR, Thailand, and Nepal. With a great interest in providing market access support to Small Holder Farmers in India, Sandesh has excellent skills in coffee roastery & blending. He has an educational background in Agriculture (University of Agriculture Science, India), Agribusiness & Plantation Management (Indian Institute of Plantation Management) and Precision Farming (Purdue University).Sandeshhas worked with the multinational coffee giantTata Coffee Ltd., and with Olam International, a leading food and agri-business company in the world,