When you bring Basis Advisory a problem, you work directly with Dr Marianthi Faka, a scientist with more than two decades of experience across dairy science, manufacturing, innovation and technical leadership. That breadth of experience underpins the judgement behind Basis Advisory.
Deep science and business reality, in the same person.
Marianthi is a food scientist with deep, current expertise in dairy proteins: whey protein functionality, clear whey, lactose, and permeate. What makes her rare is that she has never had to choose between the science and the business.
She has kept genuine scientific work alive (peer-reviewed research, doctoral supervision, and postgraduate lecturing) while leading technical and innovation functions inside some of Europe’s largest dairy ingredient manufacturers. That combination is why her advice lands differently: it carries the rigour of the lab, the realism of the factory floor, and the commercial judgement needed to make decisions work in practice.
Industry experience
Areas of expertise
Sectors
Research and teaching
Education
Professional certifications
Value created at the top of the industry.
Across senior technical and innovation roles at Volac and Arla, Marianthi has created value across product development, manufacturing, innovation and technical leadership.
- Created and scaled a clear whey protein platform, opening new commercial opportunities across international markets.
- Supported post-acquisition technical integration, aligning systems, specifications, governance and ways of working while maintaining customer continuity.
- Built and led multi-project innovation programmes, translating strategic priorities into commercially launched products.
- Established new capability in sensory science and ingredient functionality, strengthening product understanding, quality and differentiation.
- Led the technical delivery of manufacturing expansion projects, supporting increased capacity, scale-up and future growth.
- Established quality, food safety and governance systems from the ground up, supporting certification, customer confidence and stronger operational control.
- Drove the valorisation of raw materials and intermediate products, identifying new applications and routes to increase their commercial value.
A clear method for reaching the right answer.
Experience points to the answer; method delivers it. Marianthi brings structured, proven frameworks to every engagement.
- Clarify the challenge. Understand the context, constraints, stakeholders, and decision that needs to be made.
- Build the evidence. Review the data, processes, products, risks, assumptions, and commercial relevance.
- Frame the options. Translate the findings into practical routes forward, with the implications clearly set out.
- Recommend the direction. Provide a clear, commercially aware recommendation your team can act on.
- Support the next step. Stay involved where needed to guide development, implementation, or internal decision-making.
Every engagement follows the same disciplined path: clarify the real question, build the evidence, assess the options, and translate the findings into decisions your team can act on with confidence.
Independent thinking. Practical judgement. Evidence you can act on.
Recommendations are built from data, experience, and the realities of manufacturing, not assumptions. Every engagement is approached with independence, clarity, and commercial awareness, so your team can make decisions with confidence and move forward with a practical route to action.
Every engagement begins with a conversation about what you're working on.