Asbridge Alec
Senior Director, Corporate Growth Strategy | Global Food & Agribusiness Center at EY – Parthenon
Tuesday,15th October:
16.00 – 17.30. Euroseeds2024 INNOVACTOR Ceremony (open)
Background and professional experience:
Alec is a Senior Director at EY-Parthenon withing the Corporate & Growth Strategy team and helps lead the Global Food and Agribusiness Center.
Having spent his entire career in the agribusiness industry his primary focus areas include crop inputs across seed, crop protection and fertilizer, ag-retail, equipment, and protein production. Energy transition has recently become a priority as expertise in seed development and production has become vital biofuels feedstock.
Working with clients across the value chain Alec supports on commercial growth strategy, go-to-market strategy and venture building and has spent time working in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Prior to joining EY-Parthenon Alec worked on the regulatory and policy side of the industry with the Commissioner of Agriculture in the state of Georgia and holds a LLM in International Law from the University of Edinburgh and BSES in Environmental Economics from the University of Georgia.
Boje Hviid Morten
Director of Policy, Sustainability, and Communication Danish Agriculture and Food Council
Tuesday,15th October:
Assembly General – Open Part (open) – 14.00 – 16.00
Background and professional experience:
Morten Boje Hviid began working at Danish Agriculture and Food Council August 1, 2020. He is a former political advisor and Public Affairs Director in Denmark and Brussels. Morten has extensive experience in leadership, public affairs, and communication from both the private sector, public sector, and politics.
From 1995 to 2006, Morten acted as personal advisor and press secretary for the Danish Minister of Food and Agriculture (Henrik Dam Kristensen), the Minister of Defense (Hans Hækkerup), and finally the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mogens Lykketoft). Following this, he served a four-year pe-riod as a personal advisor to the Chair of The Social Democratic Party (Mogens Lykketoft and later Helle Thorning-Schmidt).
Since 2006, Morten has worked as a Public Affairs Director in the private sector both in Denmark and abroad.
Morten Boje Hviid was born in Copenhagen on August 30, 1966. He is married and has three children.
Børsting Asbjørn
Director of DAKOFO, the Danish Grain and Feed association and Variety Denmark
Monday, 14th October:
SCP Section Cereals and Pulses (open) – 08.30 – 10.30
Background and professional experience:
Mr Børsting (DK), a graduate of University of Copenhagen (Agricultural Economics), served as CEO of The Agricultural Council & DLG. He is now Director of DAKOFO, the Danish Grain and Feed association and Variety Denmark. He’s also Chairman of the Danish Bio-Economy Panel. Asbjørn BØRSTING: “I look forward to representing the interests of European Compound Feed and Premix Manufacturers in these challenging times, when the European and global economy are trying to recover from the COVID-19 crisis. I am proud of the resilience shown by our members and value chain partners in providing safe, sustainable and affordable feed to farmers and foodstuffs of animal origin to our consumers.
Bouquet Etienne
Associate Marketing Director – Europe Middle East Africa, Soybean, Alfalfa, Cotton Portfolio Marketing Leader and Seed Licensing Manager Corteva agriscience™
Monday, 14th October:
SOF Section Oil and Fibre (open) – 11.00 – 13.00
Background and professional experience:
Etienne Bouquet is leading the Soybean, Alfalfa and Cotton seeds Portfolio as well the seed licensing activities in Europe. In this role, he develops the Portfolio and Licensing strategy for Europe, and coordinates their implementation with the local commercial teams.
Prior to his current function, Etienne Bouquet was General Manager of Dow Seeds Europe (2015-2017), Dow AgroSciences based in Rastatt, Germany.
Before, he was Corn and oilseeds Portfolio Marketing Leader, Dow Seeds Europe (2014-2015), based in Germany; Early Stage Commercial Assessment Leader (2010-2014), based in Indianapolis, United States; and Marketing Specialist Dow Seeds Europe (2008-2010), based in Nice, France.
He started his career with Dow AgroSciences Crop Protection in Sales in 1996 and moved through sales, marketing, and geographical roles.
Etienne Bouquet holds an Engineer’s degree in Agronomy from the National Agronomy School of Rennes, France.
Brochet Valerie
Director of French National Federation for Maize & Sorghum Seed Production (FNPSMS)
Monday, 14th October:
SMS Section Maize and Sorghum (open): – 16.60 – 18.30
Background and professional experience:
Agricultural engineer by training, Valérie Brochet specialized in economics applied to the agricultural sector at McGill University, Montreal (Canada). After more than 10 years serving of the renewal of generations of farmers, she held the position of Secretary General of the Maize and Sorghum and Oilseed Plants sections of SEMAE, the French seed interprofessional association. Since 2019, she has been director of the French National Federation for Maize & Sorghum Seed Production, an association bringing together seed companies and seed growers, with the coordination of promotion & communication campaigns, agronomic research and development programs, economic analzses and regulatory activities related to seed production.
Brook Shawn
President Seed World Group
Tuesday,15th October:
16.00 – 17.30. Euroseeds2024 INNOVACTOR Ceremony (open)
Background and professional experience:
“Doing the right thing may not always be easy, but it is always the right thing!”
Shawn is dedicated to this principle and takes pride in working with a team of exceptionally talented colleagues at Seed World Group. With 30+ years of management experience spanning various private and public sector industries, Shawn focuses on solutions and contributes to shaping the ag communications landscape. His extensive global travels have allowed him to build a vast network and gain diverse experiences, which he leverages to help clients enhance their businesses and maximize their return on investment. Shawn brings a systematic approach to business development growth that allows teams to not just come together but demand success. Remember that if you are not telling your story – who is? Content is king, and flawless execution is essential!
Bruins Marcel
Seed World Europe Editorial Director
Monday, 14th October:
SFG Section Forages and Grasses (open): – 14.00 – 16.00
Background and professional experience:
Marcel Bruins studied plant breeding and plant pathology at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands and received a PhD for the research he did in Fusarium resistance in wheat. After that he worked for 10 years at plant breeding company Seminis Vegetables Seeds as manager of Plant Variety Protection. In 2007 he became secretary-general at the International Seed Federation (ISF) and guided the ISF into the modern era of communication, and greatly increased the service to its members. After seven successful years at ISF, he started as an independent consultant in the seed business. He led the secretariat of the International Grain Trade Coalition (IGTC) through a phase of transition and continued working as their scientific advisor. Besides being the editorial director of European Seed magazine, he has been helping profit and non-profit organizations in the seed and grain sector with their questions on the seed industry and their ever-increasing regulations, plant breeding, plant breeders’ rights, intellectual property, trade facilitation and international outreach.
Colliot Nicolas
Seeds Sunflower & Corn Strategy and Portfolio Lead EAME at SYNGENTA
Monday, 14th October:
SOF Section Oil and Fibre (open) – 11.00 – 13.00
Background and professional experience:
Nicolas Colliot studied general economics and started his career in other businesses (Luxury goods, Pharmaceuticals) but fell in love with Seeds when he joined Syngenta in 2007. After several positions in Finance and Marketing, he is currently in charge of the Strategy and Portfolio management for Sunflower and Corn Seeds at Syngenta EAME.
Detterbeck Amelie
Manager Research Projects and Innovation Transfer at Euroseeds
Monday, 14th October:
SCP Section Cereals and Pulses (open) – 08:30 – 10:30
Legume Generation: short report from the EU project
Background and professional experience:
Amelie is German and studied Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences and Molecular Ecology at the Technical University of Munich and at the University of Bayreuth. She completed her PhD at the University of Bayreuth and at the University of Copenhagen shedding light on the mechanisms of micronutrient accumulation in barley seeds.
In November 2018, Amelie joined Euroseeds as Manager Research Projects and Innovation Transfer. She is providing expertise and support on the valorization of research results in several Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe research and innovation projects.
Djordjevic Jovan
Euroseeds Secretary General and CEO
Tuesday,15th October:
Assembly General – Open Part (open) – 14.00 – 16.00
Background and professional experience:
Jovan is a plant breeder & seed executive with over 25 years of experience in the field crops and vegetable seed industries. His career began in France in 1996, as a Corn Breeder for Monsanto. Jovan continued in Canada as the Canola Breeding Lead for Monsanto, then in California as the R&D Team lead for Bayer/BASF. Throughout his prolific career, he has been a part of over 200 releases of hybrid varieties of corn, canola, tomato, pepper, sweet corn, watermelon, melon, cucumber, onions, carrots, and leek. In addition to being an SBC director of education, instructor for Plant Breeding academies and other SBC courses, Jovan is one of the founders and board director for Murray River Seeds and an industry consultant for plant breeding and business strategies with F2Gen LLC. He is looking forward, together with the SBC team of instructors, to impart his experiences to future generations of plant breeders and other seed industry professionals.
Dorfmann Herbert
Member of the European Parliament, Group of the European People’s Party (EPP),
spokesperson and coordinator for EtheCommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI)
Tuesday,15th October:
Assembly General – Open Part (open) – 14.00 – 16.00
Background and professional experience:
Herbert Dorfmann is an Italian MEP for the Südtiroler Volkspartei, part of the European People’s Party. Dorfmann was re-elected to the European Parliament in 2019, having firstly been elected in 2009. He is the spokesperson and coordinator of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) and substitute member in the committee on budgets (BUDG), committee on economic and monetary affairs (ECON) and committee on regional development (REGI). Dorfmann’s political career started when he became the mayor of his hometown, Feldthurns, in 2005. Prior to that he was director of the agriculture department at the Bolzano Chamber of Commerce and went on to direct the South Tyrolean Farmers’ Federation for nearly ten years. Dorfmann started his professional career as a professor at the Agricultural College in Ora. Dorfmann holds a degree in Agrarian Sciences from Piacenza.
Dufourcq Jean-Pierre
Oilseeds Business Line Leader at Lidea Seeds
Monday, 14th October:
SOF Section Oil and Fibre (open) – 11.00 – 13.00
Elmegaard Nils
Secretary General at Danish Seed Association
Monday, 14th October:
SCP Section Cereals and Pulses (open) – 08.30 – 10.30
Background and professional experience :
Nils Elmegaard is Secretary General at the Danish Seed Association. In the past, he worked for Cand.agro (1991) and as an agricultural college teacher (1992-1996). Afterwards, he joined the Danish Agricultural Council (2001-2006). After that, he joined the Danish Seed Council (2007-2012). He joined the Danish Seed Association (2015), where he covers the position of Secretary General.
Eriksen Birger
Managing Director at Sejet Planteforædling (Danish Breeders Association)
Monday, 14th October:
SCP Section Cereals and Pulses (open) – 08.30 – 10.30
Background and professional experience:
Birger Eriksen is Danish and hold a M.Sc. in Agriculture from Copenhagen University, 1987. Birger has spent his entire career in the breeding sector mainly in the company Sejet Plant Breeding, where he has for 25 years been in charge of the barley research / breeding and for the resent 10 years been managing director. As responsible for the winter and spring barley program, Birger has been involved in all aspects of breeding from selection and registration to IP rights and marketing. Sejet Plant Breeding is part of the DLG Group which is a farm supply company with significant activities in Denmark, Sweden and Germany and Birger has over the years been involved in all aspect of seeds activities at DLG.
Birger has since 2014 been chairman of the Danish Breeders Association (Variety Denmark) and has through the years been member / chairman of numerous steering committees for a wide range of research projects.
Fernandez Nuria Urquia
Vice President at CPVO
Monday, 14th October:
SFG Section Forages and Grasses (open): – 14.00 – 16.00
Background and professional experience:
Ms. Urquía holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and a Master of Science in Law and Policies of the European Union. Her extensive expertise in biotechnology and intellectual property rights, combined with her leadership skills, makes her an ideal fit for the Vice President position at CPVO.
Before joining the CPVO, Ms. Urquía served as the Head of the Registry of Commercial and Protected Varieties at the Spanish Plant Variety Office. Her tenure at the FAO as a Representative in Mexico and a Senior Agricultural Officer at the organization’s headquarters in Rome, Italy, highlights her strong record in resource mobilization and influence in agricultural policies.
In her new role at CPVO, Ms. Urquía is set to oversee critical projects and initiatives, furthering the CPVO’s mission to foster innovation in plant varieties through effective intellectual property protection. She is committed to ensuring the CPVO’s efforts are inclusive, sustainable, and aligned with the evolving needs of the agricultural sector.
Fevrier Christophe
Director General, Hemp it
Monday, 14th October:
SOF Section Oil and Fibre (open) – 11.00 – 13.00
Garbato Francesca
Intellectual Property and Legal Affairs Manager at Euroseeds
Monday, 14th October:
SFG Section Forages and Grasses (open): – 14.00 – 16.00
Background and professional experience:
Francesca is Italian and holds a Master’s Degree in Law from the University of Bologna, an LL.M. in International Business Law from the University of Tilburg and an LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law and Knowledge Management from the University of Maastricht.
Francesca worked as an Intellectual Property Law expert in different international organisations and has extensive knowledge in this field.
Francesca joined the Euroseeds team in December 2023 as Manager Intellectual Property and Legal Affairs and advises on IP and legal matters.
Gheslain Lannelle, Catherine
Director Strategy & Policy Analysis, DG AGRI, European Commission
Monday, 14th October:
SMS Section Maize and Sorghum (open): – 16.60 – 18.30
Background and professional experience:
Since 1 January 2023, Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle has been Director Strategy and policy analysis at DG AGRI (European Commission). From 1 September 2020 to 31 December 2022, she was Director at the General Secretariat of the Council, responsible for Veterinary and Plant Health Questions, Food and Forestry.
Between December 2019 and August 2020, she was Deputy Head of Cabinet of the EU Commissioner responsible for agriculture and rural development. Between 2013 and 2018, she was responsible for the implementation of the CAP in France, in her capacity as Director general for Economic and Environmental Performance of Enterprises. Between 2006 and 2013, she was Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Prior to that, she was Director General of the Food Department within the French Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. She also worked at the European Commission from 1991 to 1993.
Gohn Michael
Euroseeds President and Head of the Austrian Seed Association
Tuesday,15th October:
Assembly General – Open Part (open) – 14.00 – 16.00
Background and professional experience:
Dr. Michael Gohn is Austrian and holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Vienna (1976), after which he worked as Research Assistant at the Institute for Radiation Chemistry of the University of Vienna. He then was employed at the Products Development Department of the OMV AG, the Austrian Petroleum Company. From 1990 onwards he progressed in his career as Assistant to the management at the Fritz Mauthner Company Group. From 1999 onwards he became Manager of Probstdorfer Saatzucht and other companies of the group. Since 2000 Michael became head of the Grain Trade at the Federal Agricultural Trade Association in Austria.
Besides being Chairman of the Euroseeds Section Cereal and Pulses (SCP), he is also Chairman of the DG AGRI Advisory Group Seeds and Head of the Austrian Seed Association.
In 2018, he became Vice-President of the Euroseeds Board, and in 2021 he became President of Euroseeds.
Gomez Martin
International promotion officer at the French National Federation for Maize & Sorghum Seed Production (FNPSMS)
Monday, 14th October:
SMS Section Maize and Sorghum (open): – 16.30 – 18.30
Background and professional experience:
After obtaining a Master’s degree in international Agribusiness, Martin worked for 4 years as product manager in the field of grain storage sanitation product. Today he works as the French National Federation of the Maize and Sorghum Seeds Production promoting the know-how and the spectacular innovation capacity of Seeds companies and multipliers located in France.
Halbye Søren
Group CEO, DLF
Monday, 14th October:
SFG Section Forages and Grasses (open): – 14.00 – 16.00
Background and professional experience:
Søren Halbye was born in Northern part of Denmark in 1969 and holds two Master degrees within Business Administration. After graduation in 1997 he worked 6 years with medical devices for Beiersdorf and 4 years in Novozymes within business development before joining DLF Seeds A/S as Chief Commercial Officer in 2006. Since November 2022, Søren Halbye has been appointed as Group CEO in DLF. Moreover he is member of ISF Forage and Turf section since 2012. On national level he is since 2010 Chairman of the Danish Seed Traders Association.
Since 2017, Søren is Chairman of the Euroseeds Section Forage Plants and Amenity Grasses, and in 2021, he became Vice-President of Euroseeds.
Herrlinger Christoph
Member of the Management Board, Authorized Signatory Norddeutsche Pflanzenzucht Hans-Georg Lembke KG
Monday, 14th October:
SOF Section Oil and Fibre (open) – 11.00 – 13.00
Background and professional experience:
Christoph Herrlinger is German and holds a law degree of the University of Bonn. Christoph spent almost all his professional life in the seed business. He started his career in 2001 as Head of Legal at the German Plant Breeders Association BDP. In that role he advised – at the interface between law, politics, science and business – seed companies of all size and of different focus on all questions with an impact on seeds. In 2015 Christoph joined NPZ as a member of the Management Board. He also holds management roles in several NPZ affiliates in Germany and abroad.
Through all this time Christoph has served on, and has led, numerous committees of BDP, the International Seed Federation ISF, and Euroseeds, amongst them the Euroseeds Committee Regulatory and Legal Affairs. He has published on IP and seed trade and he is a member of several institutions working on IP in the life science area. Since 2018, he is the Chair of the Euroseeds Section for Oil and Fibre Crops (SOF).
Huerta Yolanda
Vice Secretary General at UPOV
Monday, 14th October:
SFG Section Forages and Grasses (open): – 14.00 – 16.00
Background and professional experience:
Ms. Yolanda Huerta, a national of Spain, took up her duties as Vice Secretary-General of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) on October 23, 2023. Yolanda Huerta works since 2001 UPOV. Previously, she was Legal Counsel, and directed the organization of the governing bodies of UPOV, as well as directing and organizing the implementation of the UPOV training and assistance strategy. Professional experiences include Legal Officer at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Previously, lawyer in the Intellectual Property Department, Bufete Mullerat & Roca, Barcelona, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Barcelona, Director of Legal Affairs, RES International, Ottawa. Ms. Huerta is Licenciada en Derecho (LL.B.) from the University of Barcelona, and holds a LL.M., International Law, from the University of Montreal.
She has published several articles and given lectures on different topics in the field of international intellectual property law.
Jorasch Petra
Euroseeds Manager Plant Breeding Innovation Advocacy
Tuesday,15th October:
SPO Section Potatoes (open) – 08.00 – 09.30
Background and professional experience:
Petra is German and holds a PhD in plant molecular biology from the University of Hamburg.
She is an internationally recognized science, communication and industry advocacy expert with more than 20 years of experience in and a deep knowledge of the relevant policy frameworks for seeds, plant science and breeding, access and use of plant genetic resources as well as relevant intellectual property protection systems.
Petra worked for 13 years in the German seed sector at the interface of science and industry, managing intellectual property rights, public-private partnerships and technology transfer. From 2014-2017 she was Vice Secretary General of the German Plant Breeders’ Association (BDP) and its research branch GFPi (German Federation for Plant innovation).
Petra joined Euroseeds in February 2017 as the spokesperson of the EU plant breeding sector on modern plant breeding methods and innovative technologies. She is also responsible for the Euroseeds working group Plant Breeding Innovation.
Kabouw Patrick
Global Advocacy lead Plant Solutions at Novonesis and Chair Euroseeds CSTP
Monday, 14th October:
SOF Section Oil and Fibre (open) – 11.00 – 13.00
Background and professional experience:
As a Global Advocacy lead Plant Solutions and chair of Euroseeds committee on seed treatment and production group, I have consistently strived to drive the adoption of sustainable seed treatments and plant protection products. Over the course of a decade, I have successfully registered these sustainable solutions, navigating complex regulatory environments with a realistic perspective.
Additionally, I have been actively involved in promoting sustainability schemes, such as the Euroseeds ESTA quality assurance system, to guarantee the highest quality standards for seed treatments. My background and professional experience reflect my unwavering dedication to advancing sustainable solutions in the industry.
Kafka Amalia
Technical Manager Sustainable Seed Technologies
Tuesday,15th October:
SPO Section Potatoes (open) – 08.00 – 09.30
Background and professional experience:
Amalia Kafka is Greek and is agronomist by training. She graduated from Wageningen University in the Netherlands with a double MSc in Plant Science and Food Safety & Food Quality Management. She also holds an MSc in Plant Protection from the Agricultural University of Athens.
After her studies, she worked as auditor for the certification of PDO and PGI products. Additionally, she participated in research projects of the European Food Safety Authority and the Catholic University of Italy.
Within Euroseeds, Amalia is responsible of issues related to plant protection and more specifically, for their sustainable application to seeds through seed treatments technologies or during seed production.
Amalia is also managing the crop sections seed potatoes and sugar beet.
Kardung Max
Dr. / Postdoc
Tuesday,15th October:
SPO Section Potatoes (open) – 08.00 – 09.30
Background and professional experience:
Laurens François,
Senior scientist at Research Institute on Horticulture and Seeds, INRAE
Tuesday,15th October:
SVO Section Vegetables and Ornamentals (open) – 10.00 – 11.30
Background and professional experience:
François Laurens is leading the VaDiPom team in charge of genetic resources collections and breeding programs on apple and pear. He has several responsibilities at the national level: in particular, he is the Director of GISFruits, which brings together the various partners of the fruit sector. He also chairs the scientific council of CTIFL (the French Technical Institute on Fruits and vegetables).
At the international level, he coordinates the European H2020 project INVITE « Innovations in plant Variety Testing in Europe ». From August 2022, he is the President of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS).
Lesigne Philippe
EMEA Crop Regulatory Lead, Corn & Industrial Crops at Bayer
Tuesday,15th October:
SVO Section Vegetables and Ornamentals (open) – 10.00 – 11.30
Background and professional experience:
More than three decades working in the Seed Industry with a diverse professional career allowed me to learn about many aspects of the sector from Plant Breeding to Product Development and Product Management as well as, during the last period, about the Regulatory aspects of this industrial sector.
Those management roles exposed me to various organisations internally and at the industry level. It gave me opportunities to manage people and teams with very diverse backgrounds and cultures.
Luchman Jenna
Senior Specialist Advocacy, Packaging and Bioplastics at BASF
Monday, 14th October:
SOF Section Oil and Fibre (open) – 11.00 – 13.00
Background and professional experience:
With 10+ years of experience in Brussels, Jenna currently leads on the Packaging and Bioplastics’ advocacy for BASF.
Prior to this, Jenna was an Account Director in EU advocacy in consultancy working on a broad range of topics from Energy and Mobility to Sustainable Finance. Jenna has a background in law.
Madre Yves
CEO at Farm Europe
Tuesday,15th October:
Assembly General – Open Part (open) – 14.00 – 16.00
Background and professional experience:
Yves Madre has chaired the European think tank Farm Europe since 2015. Farm Europe is a multi-cultural think tank bringing together committed and active players in the European project, capable of designing, promoting and building tomorrow’s policies to stimulate the sustainable development of rural areas and agri-food economies.
Economist and agronomist, he began his career at the Ministry of Agriculture, working in the field as head of agricultural development services, then in central administration departments and as deputy director general of an agency for the payment of public aid to agriculture, before becoming France’s negotiator for agricultural issues in London and then in Brussels with the European institutions. In 2010, he joined the European Commissioner for Agriculture as his principal adviser in charge of the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and markets developments.
Marondedze Claudius
Euroseeds Technical Manager Plant Health and Seed Trade
Tuesday,15th October:
SVO Section Vegetables and Ornamentals (open) – 10.00 – 11.30
Background and professional experience:
Claudius is Zimbabwean and a French resident. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa following a BSc Honours in Biochemistry from the University of Zimbabwe.
Claudius has several years of international research experience in plant functional biology and seed physiology. In 2010, he joined King Abdullah University of Science and Technology as a postdoctoral fellow and in 2015, he joined the University of Cambridge as a research fellow in the department of biochemistry. In 2017, he received a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship and joined the Laboratoire Physiologie Cellulaire et Végétale at CEA in Grenoble, France. Since 2020, he was Researcher Seed Technology at Rijk Zwaan in the Netherlands.
Claudius joined Euroseeds in September 2021 as Technical Manager Plant Health and Seed Trade.
Moore Nigel
Head of Nutritional Food Ingredients at KWS Group
Tuesday,15th October:
SVO Section Vegetables and Ornamentals (open) – 10.00 – 11.30
Background and professional experience :
Nigel Moore has 35 years working in the plant breeding and seeds sector in senior roles. The ‘red thread’ throughout his career has been plant variety and seeds regulations and IP protection. A past president of Euroseeds, and most recently he has been establishing a new business area within KWS focused on breeding crops for improved plant -based food ingredients markets.
Nanda Amrit
Executive Manager, Plants for the Future (Plant ETP)
Monday, 14th October:
SMS Section Maize and Sorghum (open): – 16.30 – 18.30
Background and professional experience:
Amrit Nanda is originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, and obtained a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology and Physiology from the Australian National University. Subsequently, she pursued her academic research in Japan, the Philippines and Sweden, specialising on plant development in response to abiotic stress.
During her time in Sweden, she also took part and organised several science outreach activities, including the Fascination of Plants Day, and took on the role of Coordinator of the Linnean Centre for Plant Science in Uppsala. With a desire to promote science-based policymaking and a more innovation-friendly policy environment in Europe, she joined Plant ETP as the Executive Manager in February 2020.
Nicault Aurélia
Programme Officer of the Codes and Schemes Unit Trade and Agriculture Directorate at the OECD
Monday, 14th October:
SMS Section Maize and Sorghum (open): – 16.30 – 18.30
Background and professional experience:
Aurélia Nicault is Programme Officer in the Codes and Schemes Unit of the OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate where she supports the implementation of the OECD Seed Schemes programme, in particular capacity building activities in developing countries. Prior to this, Aurelia worked in the Director’s Office for over 10 years coordinating the work and meetings of the Directorate’s Committees for Agriculture, Trade and Fisheries. Before joining the OECD, Aurelia was in the steel industry working as a sales manager for Europe zone at Sumitomo Corporation. Aurélia holds a Degree in Economics & International Trade from Arts et Metiers in Paris.
Nilson Lennart
President of COGECA and Chairman of the Copa Cogeca Oilseeds and protein crop working party
Tuesday,15th October:
Assembly General – Open Part (open) – 14.00 – 16.00
Background and professional experience:
Lennart is an educated mechanical engineer and a farmer since 1990 on the Swedish west coast. He runs a farming business together with wife and 2 brothers in law, mixed farm with arable cropping and beef breeding, 300 ha farmland and 100 purebred Charolais cows. Lennart is a member of the national bord for the federation of Swedish farmers since 2012. He also engaged in the Strategic Dialogue on the future of EU Agriculture as COGECA’s representative.
Onsando Jared
Technical Manager Variety Testing and Registration at Euroseeds
Monday, 14th October:
SCP Section Cereals and Pulses (open) – 08.30 – 10.30
SOF Section Oil and Fibre (open) – 11.00 – 13.00
SFG Section Forages and Grasses (open) – 14.00 – 16.00
SMS Section Maize and Sorghum (open) – 16.30 – 18.30
Background and professional experience:
Jared is Kenyan, and he holds a Master of Science degree in plant breeding from the University of the Free State in South Africa. He also has concluded trainings relating to genetic resources and intellectual property rights from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Institute of European Studies of Macau. Currently, Jared’s academic research interest is in the future of plant breeding and the dynamic landscape in patent and plant breeders’ rights protection in the European Seed Sector.
Most recently, Jared worked as the Agricultural Value chain Advisor at Filatec Inc with a focus on providing clients with solutions in the fields of trade, climate change, sustainability and food security. Prior to that, Jared worked for the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) for a period of 12 years. Initially he was a plant examiner at KEPHIS in charge of management of technical trials and later on took the role of a plant genetic resource manager in charge of variety testing, national listing, plant breeders’ rights registration, and seed certification.
Jared joined Euroseeds as Technical Manager Variety Testing and Registration.
Rabayrol Jacques
Head of Strategic Partnerships and member of Lidea Executive Board
Monday, 14th October:
SMS Section Maize and Sorghum (open): – 16.30 – 18.30
Background and professional experience:
After an Agricultural Engineer diploma, Jacques Rabayrol received a business MBA at ESSEC. He has 36 years of experience in field crops seeds within Euralis Seeds, mainly for corn. He has held several management positions in marketing, international sales, technical development and supply.
In 2021, Jacques became Head of Strategic Partnerships and a member of Lidea Executive Board.
Jacques Rabayrol is Chairman of Eurosorgho, the first sorghum breeding program in Europe.
Renatus Jörg
Managing Director EUROPLANT Pflanzenzucht
Tuesday, 15th October:
SPO Section Potatoes (open)
Background and professional experience:
Jörg Renatus was born in 1962 and holds a degree in Business Administration. His professional experience results from several employments within the potato industry. In 1986 he started his career as export manager in a midsize potato breeding and trade organization. Later on he was appointed as Managing Director of this group of companies. Having gained a vast knowledge in national and international potato breeding and trade industry, he joined in 2002 EUROPLANT Pflanzenzucht, Lüneburg, one of the leading companies in this industry.
Since 2012 Jörg is Chairman of the Section Potatoes (SPO) and member of the Board.
Ruthen Szabolcs
Senior Market Acceptance Manager EMEA, BASF
Monday, 14th October:
SCP Section Cereals and Pulses (open) – 08.30 – 10.30
Background and professional experience:
Szabolcs (Szabi) Ruthner joined ISF in 2015 as Regulatory Affairs Manager where he keeps an eye on international policy developments related to plant breeding innovation, varietal certification, and access to new plant varieties, with the aim of achieving consistent, science- and risk-based regulations across different countries.
Prior to joining ISF, he worked for the Hungarian Seed Association (HSA) as professional assistant in 2004, and in 2006 he was appointed to the position of Secretary General. Szabi is a Hungarian national. He graduated from Corvinus University in Budapest where he completed a Ph.D. degree in molecular plant breeding.
van der Voort Martin
Member of the Board/Sales & Marketing Director Bejo Zaden B.V.
Tuesday,15th October:
SVO Section Vegetables and Ornamentals (open) – 10.00 – 11.30
Background and professional experience:
Mr. Van der Voort is Dutch and holds a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture from the HAS, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands (1979). He started his career at S&G Seeds (currently Syngenta) in Enkhuizen and worked there for more than 15 years. After this, he had international management positions in various vegetables and ornamental seed companies.
Since 2011 Mr. Van der Voort is Member of the Board of the Dutch based family enterprise Bejo Zaden B.V., one of the world’s leading seed companies for the open field Vegetables.
After being active in the Euroseeds Section Vegetables & Ornamentals since 2011, Mr. Van der Voort has become the Chair of this section in 2020.
von Essen Garlich
Euroseeds Secretary General and CEO
Tuesday,15th October:
Assembly General – Open Part (open) – 14.00 – 16.00
Background and professional experience:
Garlich is German and studied Agriculture and Economics at the University of Göttingen. He started his professional career in the European Commission’s DG Agriculture before graduating in Administrative and Political Sciences from the College of Europe. Before joining the seed industry in 1999, he worked in the European Parliament in agricultural and structural policy, specifically on the EU’s R&D policy and funding instruments. Joining ESA as Director Public Affairs, he became Secretary General in 2004.
In Euroseeds, Garlich takes responsibility for the overall management of the association and its staff, the development of strategic policy campaigns on Euroseeds’ priority issues and the positioning of Europe’s seed industry vis-à-vis EU and international bodies and decision makers.
Wais Andreas
Secretary General at ISTA
Monday, 14th October:
SCP Section Cereals and Pulses (open) – 08.30 – 10.30
Background and professional experience:
Dr. Wais began his career at Schering AG before studying Chemistry at the University of Braunschweig. He completed his diploma at the Federal Research Centre for Agronomy, focusing on pesticide residues in soil. Afterward, he returned to Schering AG in quality control, later earning a Ph.D. in Agronomy at the Forschungszentrum Jülich on pesticide residues in soil.
He then served as a postdoc scientific secretary for the German Research Council in Bonn before joining RCC, where he held various leadership roles for over 25 years, including Project Leader and Global Director of Business Unit AgroChemicals and Biocides. In 2011, he became General Manager of Global Registration and Strategic Consulting at RCC.
From 2012 to 2017, Dr. Wais headed Eurofins Regulatory AG in Switzerland, overseeing EU registrations of pesticides and chemicals. Since 2017, he has been Secretary General of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), responsible for administration, marketing, and international representation.
Dr. Wais has over 25 publications, 50 lectures, and 10 posters, with a scientific sojourn in Brazil at the University of São Paulo.