Innovation X Ecosystems @Topian, the NEOM Food Company

TL;DR
I turn bold ideas into sustainable reality. I fuse technology, sustainability, and food systems to shape a resilient, future-ready world. With a PhD in Applied Mathematics and a track record spanning research, entrepreneurship, and global partnerships, I’m passionate about driving transformative projects that advance Vision 2030.

Speaker bio:
Dr. Andrew Yip is dedicated to curating sustainable innovations and strategic partnerships that will help the food sector reach its full potential. With his extensive experience in technology, innovation, and data governance, Dr. Yip is committed to driving positive change and creating innovative solutions for the industry, supporting Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which aims to promote economic diversification, job creation, and social and cultural development.

Dr. Yip holds a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and Computational Science from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and has been a NEOM pioneer since 2019. When he's not working, he enjoys tabletop gaming with friends and strangers alike.

Andrew Yip, PhD

Just finished a 2 am feed and wanted to mark the moment by sharing something I’ve quietly been building: my own baby activity tracker (Just do it).

Over the past weeks I’ve tried a bit of everything — apps, notes on my phone, even scribbles on the wall — but nothing really matched how my days with my son actually feel. So I started designing a simple tracker just for us, and it’s slowly becoming part of our nightly rhythm. The screenshots here are from this week, where I’ve been logging feeds and diapers and getting little reflections back on how the week went.

One funny (and honest) observation: I almost never manage to log sleep time. Somehow, by the time he finally dozes off, the last thing I want to do is tap another button. That gap made me notice how much I crave calm more than perfect data. Using this tool has helped me be more mindful of our routines without obsessing, and seeing the week summarized gives me a small sense of order in the blur of new parenthood.

I’m deeply grateful that my baby Justin  is the inspiration / pair-programming buddy / tester for this little project. The idea is that the tool will grow with him, and I’ll grow with it: what we track, how we reflect, and how we build tiny moments of awareness into everyday care. If it can help other new parents feel a bit more grounded and gentle with themselves, then it’s already a success.

Give it a try, or share it with a new parent friend. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it. 

Link in first comment.

Saudi Premium Resident | Turning bold ideas into sustainable reality | Tech × Sustainability × Future Food Systems

After feeding baby Justin tonight, I suddenly got hit by a very specific craving: that steamy, savory bowl of halal Lanzhou noodles in China – the kind where the broth warms your soul and the hand-pulled noodles disappear way too fast.

So, while the little one was settling back to sleep, I opened up HalalYalla and did the next best thing to actually flying to China: I added a few halal Lanzhou noodle spots in Shenzhen to the app.

If you’re heading to Shenzhen (or already there!), you’ll soon see new listings for:
- Lanzhou / Chinese Muslim noodle places in key districts
- Clear halal tagging and addresses you can navigate to directly

This is just the start. I’ll keep expanding the China halal noodle map city by city – if you know any must‑visit spots, reply or DM so we can add them to HalalYalla and help more Muslims find that perfect bowl.

Link in first comment.

Celebrating the arrival of Eid in the spirit of service, I had the privilege of moderating discussions among agrifood tech innovators and ecosystem enablers from around the world at the preparatory meeting for the Global Agrifood Innovation Alliance (GAIA), a "child" of World AgriFood Innovation (WAFI) Conference, as Prof. Wenge Fu the Founder of WAFI has so affectionately put it.

I was especially honored to introduce our Middle East speaker representative, Prof. Abdulaziz Al-Harbi, PhD, Chief Scientific Advisor of the Saudi AgriFood Tech Alliance (SAFTA) التحالف السعودي لتقنيات الزراعة والغذاء —a true pioneer in the field with over 40 years of contributions shaping agrifood innovation in the region.

What stood out most was the genuine energy for collaboration across regions—from colleagues in Spain exploring deeper engagement with the Middle East, to the inspiring momentum across Africa in advancing both technology and human capacity to support smallholder farmers at scale.

I’m deeply grateful to all participants for their openness, shared purpose, and commitment to building bridges across ecosystems. 

This is just the beginning. 

We warmly welcome continued dialogue and invite partners from across sectors and geographies to join us in shaping this collective effort.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to continue these conversations during our upcoming innovation roadshow in mid-April—more details to follow soon.

In these complex times, I also extend sincere wishes for peace, stability, and shared prosperity across our region and beyond. We look forward to welcoming delegations and visitors to the Middle East in the months to come, to deepen collaboration on the ground and translate dialogue into action.

Eid Mubarak 🌙

Nations endure not just on vision or resources, but on trust: the quiet promises that bind us all.

Saudi Founding Day celebrates exactly that: leaders and people whose word built a lasting foundation, from Diriyah in 1727 to today. That's why I write about trust and foundation today.

Confucius says, "lacking trustworthiness, it's hard to know what can be made of them". In homes as in nations, kids learn trust not from words alone, but from whether "I'll be there" holds true.

In celebration of Foundation Day today, pick one recent promise to your child. Keep it by day's end, or sit down, explain honestly why not, and rebuild together. 

Small acts build strong foundations.

Happy Foundation Day!

自謂西川業漸成，
荊郊野夢尚纏情。
六年閒坐雲山外，
一劍未嘗試世塵。
水繞孤城春自碧，
心隨駿馬意難停。
他年若問興衰事，
但指江流笑未名。

新野覺前歌

Pi Day 2026: The Pie Chart Exception I Teach (And Built)

Data science teacher confession: I always warn against pie charts—bars are better for comparisons. 

Exception? Pi Day, when "parts of a whole" demands intuitive slices.

Enter Slice Truth on π Day – 20 interactive pies in one view.

Some of those pies:
AI's venture capital grip
Shifting global defense budgets
Timeless truths:
10,000 hour myth debunked
Where your focus really goes
How long habits take to form
How identical are we as humans genetically

Pick your provocation—what slice surprises you?
Enjoy the πs. 

Link on first comment.

Six weeks in, my wife and I have been so focused on baby Justin that we sometimes forget… us.  

I originally built a tiny baby activity tracker just to keep up with his feeds, naps, and milestones. But over the past few weeks, I realized the app was quietly reinforcing a mindset: everything for the baby, and whatever energy is left for the parents.

So I added a new screen: a gentle “Just Do It” checklist for us.  

Simple things like “Go outside”, “Drink water”, “Move your body”, “Eat a real meal”, “Take a shower”, “Read to baby” – tiny prompts that nudge us to care for him and ourselves in the same frame.

It’s not fancy product-wise, but it’s been surprisingly grounding to tick off “I ate a real meal” with the same satisfaction as “I read to Justin today”.  

If you’re in the newborn tunnel too, how are you reminding yourself that the parents are part of the care plan?

NEOM

Digital Marketing Lead

Marketing Specialist

TOPIAN

• Pioneered Topian's global launch with a data-driven 360° digital strategy, transforming the concept into a thriving brand.
• Tailored user journeys that seamlessly blended offline and online experiences, fueling a pre-launch surge of 1700+ leads, with even greater growth anticipated. 
• Championed innovative marketing within NEOM, inspiring widespread adoption of strategies like CRM and predictive modelling, driving organizational excellence. 
• Stewarded efficient marketing procurement practices aligned with strategic priorities, consistently exceeding objectives and optimizing resource utilization.
• Proactively adapted the 2024 marketing plan to address anticipated resource constraints, ensuring alignment with key objectives and paving the way for continued success.

ISAMeducation

•	Successful in auditing company's performance, look and plans to optimize user flow and student touchpoints.
•	Efficient in prospecting and increasing applications 3x, resulting in a threefold increase in bottom-line revenues.
•	Assess the sales funnel's shortcomings and implement a redesigned digital marketing approach resulting in increased conversions during the contemplation stage.
•	Research and identify available opportunities for account growth, account penetration and market expansion.

Marketing And Business Development

Kimitec

• Developing a market research & Go-to-market strategy for Kimitec to capture the global market digitally
• Working closely with the commercial director and sales team to produce forecast reports
• Ensuring the product development, regulations, pricing, and logistics departments meet the agreed-upon deadlines

Commercial Assistant

Fractional CMO

•	Closely collaborated with customers in key categories to prospect, pitch, and close new business to ensure business growth. 
•	Streamlined sales process by 60% by lowering time spent analyzing customer needs and offered using correct tools. 
•	Increased 30% in an average selling value by enhancing high-value token prospects, ensuring seamless business operation. 
•	Managed five-digit dollar campaigns monthly with a cross-functional team as the leader of the top 3 revenue-generating customers.

Head Of Sales

ShootOrder - Digital Marketing Agency

•	Accepted and implemented digital marketing strategies for over 20 clients in the FMCG, including education, healthcare, and food startups industries, to ensure market reach resulting in business and revenue growth. 
•	Enabled campaigns with cross-functional teams advanced KPIs above industry standards to ensure market penetration.
•	Increased sales by upselling 50% of customers with performance validation, resulting in a minimum 30% increase in revenue.
•	Cultivated a 13-member underperforming team into new project managers and topic experts.

Project Manager

RV International

•	Hosted and established a market for novel alcoholic beverages in the whiskey, brandy, and beer categories.
•	Directed sales team, doing market research and developing conventional marketing techniques to increase monthly sales from zero to 5000+ spirit cases.
•	Competing against established brands resulted in placement in 60% of stores within three years.
•	Secured relationships with critical dealers in India's 2 largest provinces with promotions that generated 70% of revenue.

Marketing Operations Manager

Kotak Mahindra Old Mutual Life Insurance

• Closed 27 lakhs INR of business as a financial advisor within 11 months.
• Hired 9 agents and drive them to reach their individual targets

Agency Associate

Top 50 CXO | Digital Marketing Lead | Food System Innovator

Digital Marketing Lead at Topian, the NEOM Food Company, passionate about using my skills and experience to revolutionize the food ecosystem and create a sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient future.

With 10+ years of experience in traditional marketing, digital marketing agencies, and now the food industry, I have a proven track record of driving growth through strategic marketing, 360 digital marketing, and predictive modelling for ROI-driven optimised connected experiences.

I'm excited to connect with other food system changemakers who are using technology to make a difference. Connect with me on LinkedIn today!

taplio

The Battle

Andrew Yip, PhD

Nikhil Reddy

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreAndrew Yip, PhD's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Andrew Yip, PhD

Nikhil Reddy

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Andrew Yip, PhD's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreAndrew Yip, PhD's LinkedIn Performance