Toby Forman is the co-founder and Managing Director of SmartCIC Global Services, a global managed services company providing solutions for international telecoms operators and major multinational companies in over 106 countries. SmartCIC operates out of its headquarters in Cannes, with offices and implants in Paris, Barcelona, the UK, Croatia and the US.

The company’s main areas of business are the provision of IP connectivity solutions such as internet connectivity and managed secure networks and field services such as the deployment and maintenance of network equipment at end customer and data centre locations.

Educated in the UK, Toby Foman started his career in sales and moved into marketing, working for customers such as Anheuser-Busch, Diageo, HSBC and the NFL. Some of his greatest achievements include the branding for HSBC of the major London airports, Heathrow, Gatwick & Stanstead – this is still being used by the company after 20 years. The co-organisation of the British Formula One powerboat Grand Prix in Cardiff and Midland’97 a 10-day rock and music festival which was held in the world’s largest temporary structure outside Battersea power station in 1997. Prior to setting up SmartCIC in 2008, he designed, built and ran an anti-fraud consulting methodology for Melbourne IT which was successfully delivered into HSBC.

Francesca Lazzaro is the founder of Utopia Vegitalian Restaurant in Nice. Initially when Francesca moved from Italy, she took a waitress job at the Cadillac Restaurant in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat as a way to earn some money while she looked for a job in art restoration, which is what she trained in.

A vegan since 2010, Francesca stopped eating meat for ethical reasons as she became aware of the impact that the meat industry has on climate change, and the cruelty of rearing and eating other living beings. For her, being a vegan was not a big effort since she grew up eating and learning how to cook from her grandmother’s Southern Italian cuisine which consisted a lot of vegetables.

The intention of Utopia Vegetarian restaurant was to bridge the gap between the traditional omnivore restaurant and healthy plant-based restaurant. Francesca’s goal was to have Utopia be the middle ground where the cuisine was all plant-based and Italian, but customers could still find textures and flavours that resembled meat.

Utopia is nestled in the Port neighbourhood of Nice, and draws in both vegan and omnivore eaters. Her objective is to sensitise the omnivore eaters into choosing to eat more plant-based food to make an impact on the planet and save more animal lives. Her vision is to create a pizzeria and pastry shop where all the ingredients are plant-based with the flavours and textures that can be found in traditional Italian cuisine.