2022 Regional Event Czech Republic

Petr is Head of Sales and Country Leader for Czech Republic at Syngenta Crop Protection. He studied at the Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague and he started working in farming in 1988 and moved into sales positions in 1992 in multinational crop protection and seeds businesses. In 1996 he became a Commercial Manager for Monsanto and in 2010 he joined Syngenta as Commercial Head CZ/SK.

Pierre Bascou is the Director for Sustainability and income support, DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission. Between 2010 and 2014 he was Head of the Unit responsible for Agricultural Policy Analysis and Perspectives. From 2003 until 2009 he was heading the Unit in charge of the economic analysis of EU agriculture for the conception, the management and the evaluation of the Common Agricultural Policy. He received his PhD in Agricultural Economics (1989) from the Imperial College London, UK) and “Ingénieur” in agronomy from ESA Toulouse in 1986.

Dr. Miroslava Bavorová is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and Development at the University of Life Sciences in Prague. She received her PhD in agriculture from the University of Göttingen. Since 2002, she has held a position as a researcher at IAMO in Halle and since 2008-2017 at the Martin-Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg. Her research is interdisciplinary and mainly based on economic, sociologic, and psychologic theories. She is interested in analysing actors’ behaviour regarding environment, food safety and security, migration and willingness to work in agriculture as well as consumer behaviour. She established a research group '“Behavioural studies in agri-food sector'”.

Alessandro Cescatti, PhD in Forest Ecology, leads the research group “Land-Climate Interactions” in the Bio-economy Unit of the Directorate for Sustainable Development of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. He has broad expertise on the use of Earth observations from multiple platforms and technologies, including network of flux sites, national forest inventories and advanced remote sensing based on different techniques and platforms. He focuses on the quantification of biophysical and biogeochemical processes that occur in the land-climate system at various spatial and temporal scales. He has (co)-authored about 180 peer-reviewed papers in that field. He is co-responsible for the development of the activity in Europe of the “EU observatory on deforestation, forest degradation, changes in the world’s forest cover, and associated driver” that the Joint Research Centre is currently establishing.

Thierry de l’Escaille was born in Belgium on 11 May 1955. He studied first at the Faculté Universitaire Saint-Louis, Brussels (1976-78), where he obtained the Diploma in Law, and then at the Université Catholique de Louvain (1978-1980), where he obtained the Licence en droit. He subsequently carried out his Military Service as a Cavalry Officer, 1^er Regiment de Guides (1981-1982) in Germany, current rank: Commandant. Since 1979 Thierry de l’Escaille has been running a family farming enterprise active in Belgium and the Netherlands, in particular in vegetables, sugar beet, potatoes, cereals and flowers. He was the founder of Agriland in 1985. Since 1994, Thierry de l’Escaille has been Secretary General of the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO).  He is also Vice-President of Landelijk Vlaanderen, Member of the Agricultural Reform Group (London), Board member of the Transatlantic Policy Network, Sorgho EU, Société Royale forestière, President Patrimoine Culturel Immobilier, Chairman of various funds. Since 1998 he is also Secretary General of Friends of the Countryside (FCS), and member of different committees. He is currently Member of the Board of several agro-industrial companies in Europe, America and involved in Africa. He is a founder of the Forum for the Future of Agriculture, of the Wildlife Estate Label and deeply committed in private conservation such as in reasonable agriculture. He is member of the Board of Directors of a major protected area in Latin America. President of the board in a work promoting rural development and supporting education of young rural citizens in Colombia. More information Website – www.elo.org Twitter – @EULandownersOrg Facebook – europeanlandowners LinkedIn – thierry-de-l-escaille-6728724

Bio to follow later.

Martin was born on 14 January 1980 in Polička. He graduated at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, as well as at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including also studies in Universidad de Seville in Spain in 2002. He has passed several dedicated trainings and courses in Spain, Belgium, USA and Switzerland. As from 2015 he is a member of PhD courses at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague with a focus on international trade. I speak fluent English, Spanish and French. I am married with two kids.

After his studies he started his professional career as a diplomat in Greece, Athens and later on within the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic in the EU. He was head of the agriculture and environment unit, participating in the negotiations of the previous EU Common Agricultural Policy as well as national items such as protection of local, traditional Czech products (famous trademarks of Karlovy Vary wafers, Czech carp or Olomouc curd cheese). As from January to October 2012 he was a Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Czech Republic and moved from 2013 to Phillip Morris Company.

He made a personal decision to move into the European Parliament to actively promote the interests of the Czech and European citizens in the area of agriculture, food sector and rural development. Therefore he was happy to become a member of the Agriculture committee and be able to actively shape the future of the European farmers.

Constantin Kinský is a Czech patron and financial advisor. He grew up in France, where he graduated from three universities and lived with his parents in Scotland for one year. He worked in the London and Paris branches of the Merill Lynch bank. In 1997, he returned to Moravia and manages the estate in Žďár nad Sázavou. He runs the family company Kinský Žďár, which manages 750 ha of ponds, forestry and agriculture. Since 2006, he has led a branch of the consulting firm Roland Berger. From 2011 to 2017, he chaired the French-Czech Chamber of Commerce. He is currently engaged in consulting in the financial sector on a freelance basis.

Ladislav Miko was Deputy Director-General for the Food Chain in the European Commission’s health and food safety department (DG SANTE) since January 2011. His portfolio covered issues of food safety throughout the whole food chain, including plant and animal health, pesticides, biotechnology, food hygiene, nutrition and food sustainability. He was also acting Director-General in 2014 to 2015. From 2005 to 2010, he was Director for Nature in the Commission’s environment department. He was recently appointed special advisor to Czech Minister of Environment. During the Czech Presidency of the EU in 2009 he was appointed minister of the environment in the Czech government. Before he started his career in the Commission, he was deputy minister in the Czech environment ministry. Before that, he worked for nine years as a professional soil biologist in the Slovak Academy of Sciences. He holds a doctorate in zoology and ecology and he is Associate Professor of Prague University of Life Sciences and Guest Professor at University of Antwerp.

In January 2022 Emmanuelle Mikosz took the role of 'Forum for the Future of Agriculture' Programme Director. Previously she was the coordinator of the regional events of the Forum. Since 2005 Emmanuelle has been an ELO adviser specialised in property rights, agricultural and environmental policies dedicated to Central & Eastern European countries. Trained as a lawyer, she earned a Master of Arts degree from the College of Europe (Natolin). Emmanuelle is involved on a daily basis with the formulation of ELO members' positions regarding national land laws and management of enterprises. The European Landowners’ Organization - ELO asbl, created in 1972, is a unique federation of national associations from the EU27, which represents the interests of the landowners, land and forest managers and rural entrepreneurs at the European political level. Emmanuelle is the Editor-in-Chief of the ELO bimonthly "Countryside Magazine", edited in English, French and Spanish. She is also an expert representing ELO at different international events as well as at the European Commission Civil dialogue groups or biogeographical consultations processes. She has a personal interest in innovation and research policies, including aviation and protection of data regulations. She believes that the future of European agriculture relies on sustainable development hand in hand with the protection of biodiversity and access to water.

Chairwoman of the Board of the Agricultural Cooperative Všestary, manager and executive of a number of other companies. Member of the Board of the regional branch of the Czech Agrarian Chamber in Hradec Králové and the Association of Sugar Growers of Bohemia. Chairwoman of the Review Panel of the Association of Owners, Operators and Users of Irrigation Facilities of the Czech Republic and member of the Supervisory Board of the Vegetable Union of Bohemia and Moravia. Her name is associated primarily with the success of Všestarská cibule (Všestary Onion), registered in the EU Register of Protected Geographical Indications of Origin. Under her leadership, the company was able to react flexibly to climate change and, in addition to onions, also became the largest domestic producer of broccoli. She holds a number of top management and social awards. She is one of the few women in the Czech Republic who have been awarded the honorary title of Lady Pro. She is often referred to as the first lady of Czech agriculture. She supports community life and helps non-profit organizations in the region, supports the preservation of the nation's cultural heritage by financing the restoration of church buildings. It organizes the Všestary Onion Celebrations, which are attended by over 3,000 people. She is being invited, on a regular basis, as an expert in the field of agricultural production and leadership for discussions at various forums for both professionals and the general public. She personally advocates the promotion of Czech agriculture, raising awareness of the quality of Czech agricultural production and the importance of agriculture for maintaining the landscape and developing life in the countryside. More information Website – www.vsestary.cz Facebook – zdvsestary

Barbara Pia Oberč is a policy and project officer at IUCN’s European Regional Office in Brussels, where one of her key focus areas is sustainable agriculture. She has a background in sustainable development. She has previously worked as a consultant at Ecorys, carrying out research projects to inform EU environmental policy. She was also a trainee at the European Commission, focusing on agri-environment-climate measures, and at the UNFCCC, focusing on nationally appropriate mitigation actions.

More information
LinkedIn – bpoberc

Johanna leads sustainability work in Stora Enso Wood Product division. Prior joining Stora Enso, Johanna has long career in sustainability in stock listed companies covering different industries. She holds master’s degree in environmental engineering.

Dr Janez Potočnik graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. After a successful career starting in 1989 in Slovenia as a researcher at the Institute of Economic Research, Director of the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (1994), he was appointed Head of the Negotiating Team for the Accession of Slovenia to the EU (1998). He was also Director of Government Office for European Affairs (2000), Minister Councillor at the Office of the Prime Minister (2001) and Minister responsible for European Affairs (2002). In 2004 he joined the European Commission, first as "shadow Commissioner for Enlargement and then as Commissioner responsible for Science and Research. In 2010 Dr Potočnik became Commissioner for Environment. His term ended in November 2014 and he was appointed as a Co-Chair of UN Environment International Resource Panel and was also appointed as a Chairman of The Forum for the Future of Agriculture and RISE Foundation and a Member of the European Policy Centre's Advisory Council. From April 2016 he is also the Partner in SYSTEMIQ. More information Twitter – @JanezPotocnik22 Facebook – potocnikjanez LinkedIn - janez-potocnik-872470a7

Alžběta Procházková, completed her MA studies at Charles University in Prague and her PhD studies at the University of South Bohemia. In her PhD thesis she focused on the importance of plants’ water and energy fluxes for microclimate and the surrounding ecosystems. With her main interest being eco-physiology of plants and role of vegetation in functioning of landscape in particular, she has dedicated herself to environmental coaching and agricultural landscape protection. Since 2021 she has worked for Čmelák, the Czech environmental NGO, focusing on lobbying for higher green ambitions for eco-schemes in the legislation process of the Czech Strategic plan of the CAP. In 2022 she joined in WWF Central and Eastern Europe, Prague.

Jiří Svoboda graduated at the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Agriculture in Brno. He worked at the Research Institute of the Academy of Sciences. Since 1996 he has been working in the Forest Cooperative of the Municipalities in Přibyslav (5,780 ha). Since 2001 he is a director of that company. He is currently President of the Association of Municipal, Private and Church Forest Owners in the Czech Republic (SVOL), whose primary goal is to promote and defend the principles of sustainable management of Czech forests while respecting property rights.PHD in agricultural economics from the Academy of Economic Sciences in Bucharest.

Jurgen Tack studied biology (marine ecology) at Brussels Free University where he also obtained his PhD in Sciences. Within the Framework of the Kenya Belgium Project in Marine Sciences (Coastal Farms Kenya) he developed a number of oyster farms along the Kenyan coast. In 2000 he joined the team of the Belgian Biodiversity Platform (Belgian Science Policy Office) where he was responsible for European and international science policy in the field of biodiversity and biodiversity related research. In 2007 he became the CEO of the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (a research organization under the umbrella of the Flemish Authority). In 2015 he became Secretary-General of the National Science Foundation (Flanders) In 2016 he took the position of Scientific Director at the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO), CEO at Landelijk Vlaanderen (Flemish Landowners’ Organisation) and CEO of the Aanspreekpunt Privaat Beheer Natuur en Bos (an advisory organ for private landowners on the management of nature and forest). In 2023 he became Secretary-General of the European Landowners Organisation (ELO). He coordinates several EU projects on private land conservation. On behalf of ELO he chairs the European Commission’s Large Carnivore Platform and acts as expert for the EU Biodiversity Platform and the EU Expert Group on Cultural Heritage.

Erwin Ulrich is since October 2020 the National coordinator in the mission to adapt forests to climate change at the Office National des Forêts, DFRN, where he leads the coordination of all activities related to this subject at national level for the needs of the ONF.

He received his Diploma in Forestry Engineering from the Vienna University of Agriculture (1987) followed by his PhD from the same University two years later.

Elwin Ulrich is recognized as an "international expert" by the Commission d'orientation et de suivi de l'expertise (COSE) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. He also received in 2004 the Gold medal diploma of the French Academy of Agriculture for the remarkable role of animation in the implementation and operation of the national network of long-term monitoring of forest ecosystems of the ONF. Then in 2003, he was honoured with the honorary diploma of the Ministry of Agriculture, Bucharest, Romania for the exemplary collaboration with the researchers of the Forestry Research and Management Centre (ICAS) of ROMSILVA.

Since 1987, he published about 290 documents in peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed scientific journals, peer-reviewed books, other books, review articles, conference papers, colloquia, popularisation articles, scientific reports or books, technical reports and mission reports, reference manuals, technical sheets and diplomas.

Lukas Visek is a member of the Cabinet of Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans. In the context of the European Green Deal, his responsibilities cover the Farm to Fork Strategy, agriculture and the EU’s common agricultural policy as well as the zero pollution initiatives. He also advises on policies related to health, food safety and animal welfare. Lukas started working in the European Commission in 2001 after three years in the Czech Ministry of Agriculture. Lukas graduated as an economist from the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.

Ass. Prof. Dr. Tomáš Vrška studied forestry at Mendel University in Brno, Ph.D. in Forest Ecology (1997) and obtained a habilitation in Silviculture (2010). He started his career in Forest Management Planning Institute (1989), but in 1994-2018 he was the team leading scientist researching the dynamics of natural temperate forests across the world. His main focus was oriented into the practical application of scientific knowledge in the practice of close-to-nature forestry and restoration management of forests in protected areas. Since 2019 he is the director of the University Forest Enterprise Křtiny at Mendel University in Brno. At the university forest enterprise (10.500 ha), he focuses on the real adaptation of forests to climate change – developing and testing new silvicultural models for the future forests. He lectures on this issue at universities. He is currently the 1st Vice-president of Pro Silva – an international association of foresters who practice close-to-nature forest management.