Marthi is a well-known figure in India’s food safety and regulatory scene, both in corporate and campus hallways NutrifyToday Academy has appointed Dr Balkumar Marthi as its new President, tasking…

Marthi is a well-known figure in India’s food safety and regulatory scene, both in corporate and campus hallways

NutrifyToday Academy has appointed Dr Balkumar Marthi as its new President, tasking the veteran foods leader with accelerating university-originated research into products that can be scaled and commercialised across the industry. The Academy’s Founder, Amit Srivastava, says, “Dr Marthi’s appointment is a turning point for the Academy. He is the best person to connect university labs with commercial markets because he has a unique mix of global R&D leadership, regulatory knowledge, and academic innovation. Our goal is still the same: to make the supply chain more open so that innovation doesn’t have to wait. With Dr Balkumar in charge, we’re ready to speed up that mission and turn groundbreaking research into products that can really grow.”

A microbiologist by training (PhD, University of Delaware), Marthi brings three decades of experience spanning global R&D, industry associations, and science-based regulatory engagement. He used to work for Unilever in senior research roles, such as an Expertise Director at the company’s R&D centre in the Netherlands. He has worked on improving food safety and innovation in many areas.

Most recently, Marthi held academic leadership roles at GITAM (Deemed to be University), including Dean of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, where he helped drive venture development and industry partnerships that brought student and faculty ideas closer to real-world application. Public statements and coverage from 2023 highlight his work mentoring student innovators and strengthening GITAM’s innovation ecosystem.

Marthi is a well-known figure in India’s food safety and regulatory scene, both in corporate and campus hallways. He chaired the Scientific Advisory Committee of the CII‑HUL Initiative on Food Safety Sciences (CHIFSS). This platform works with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to advance science-based risk analysis and training. He has also spoken on these subjects at CII’s Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory Summit.