2026 Annual Conference

Martin has led the Digital Transformation of Crop Protection R&D since 2019, and is responsible for R&D Collaborations and Sustainability including Soil Health. He is a passionate advocate for the integration of science and new technology in a future vision for global agriculture and has led or contributed to strategies for R&D Innovation, Digital Transformation, Crop Protection, CP Sustainability and Plant & Soil Health.​

Over 37 years of industry experience with Syngenta, Martin has held senior R&D leadership positions in the UK, USA and Switzerland, including Crop Protection Research, Biotech R&D for Seeds, Project & Portfolio Management for CP and Seeds, and Global Product Biology.​

For 13 years, Martin chaired the Plant Sector Advisory Board for Innovate UK Business-Connect, the network partner of the UK government agency - Innovate UK - linking science to industry, retiring from the role in 2025.​

He holds a PhD in insect environmental physiology from the University of Leeds and Bachelors degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Birmingham, UK.

Barry Cowen was elected in June 2024 to the European Parliament as an MEP for the Midlands North-West constituency. He now serves on the European Parliament’s Agriculture and International Trade committees where he focuses on securing better outcomes for farmers, advancing renewable energy and safeguarding Ireland’s pro-enterprise economy.

A native of county Offaly, Barry has over three decades of experience in public office, beginning as a local councillor and later serving as a member of Dáil Éireann from 2011 to 2024 where he represented the Laois-Offaly constituency.

During his time in national politics, Barry held several prominent roles within Fianna Fáil, including key spokesperson and Programme for Government negotiating team positions, as well as serving as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in 2020.

Dr. Fabrice DeClerck is the Chief Science Officer at EAT. In this role, Dr. DeClerck leads the development of EAT’s research and synthesis science. He holds a joint position with the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT of the CGIAR where he is a senior scientist. Fabrice is a member of the Earth Commission. He works closely with EAT’s partners and programs as the interface between science and practice.

Dr. DeClerck’s professional background is in agricultural and environmental sciences with more than a decade focusing on sustainable development in Latin America, Africa, and South East Asia. His collaborations with the health and nutrition community date back to 2004 focusing on dietary and environmental health in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Dr. DeClerck maintains a role as Senior Scientist at Bioversity International, a member center of the CGIAR. His engagements with EAT enable him to engage closely with UN agencies such as FAO, UNDP, UNICEF and UNEP; progressive private sector partners; and individual farmers and farming communities on the radical food transformation needed in support of human health and environmental sustainability.

Dr. DeClerck has a long publication record, with more than 110 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters on integrated approaches to conservation, food production, and environmental health, including several published in Science and Nature. He has co-edited several books, including a two-volume book on Integrating Ecology into Poverty Reduction published in 2012. Dr. DeClerck is a contributing author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and has held adjunct faculty positions with Columbia University, CATIE in Costa Rica, and the University of Idaho. He serves on the Science Advisory Board for the Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP). He was Humboldt State University’s “Person of the Year” in 1995 and the recipient of the Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development’s Young Professional of the Year in 2005.

Dr. Fabrice DeClerck is a Belgian national, although he spent the majority of his life in California. He is fluent in French, English, and Spanish and has lived in Africa, Latin America, and Europe. He earned his doctoral degree in geography and ecology from the University of California Davis (2004), and completed his postdoctoral fellowship with the Earth Institute at Columbia University in 2008. He holds a master’s degree in Forest Biology from Iowa State University, and a bachelor’s degree in Plant and Forest Ecology from Humboldt State University. He currently resides in Montpellier, France, with his wife and two children. Dr. DeClerck is an avid brewer, gardener, and chicken farmer.

Sandrine Dixson-Declève is Global Ambassador for The Club of Rome and Executive Chair of Earth4All and divides her time advising, lecturing, and facilitating difficult conversations. She also sits on several non-executives and advisory boards including the Climate Governance Commission, EDP, BMW, UCB Climate KIC, Leonardo Centre, Imperial College London and is a Senior Associate and faculty member of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), an Ambassador, for the Energy Transition Commission (ETC) and the Wellbeing Alliance (WeAll) and a Fellow of the World Academy of Science & Art.

Until recently, Sandrine was Chair for the European Commission Expert Group on Economic and Societal Impact of Research & Innovation (ESIR). She has also sat on the European Commission’s Mission on Climate Change & Adaptation.

Sandrine is a TED global speaker and recently published “Quel Monde Pour Demain” lucpire editions and Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity. She was recognised by Reuters as one of 25 global female trailblazers in 2023 and by GreenBiz as one of the 30 most influential women across the globe driving change in the low carbon economy and promoting green business.

Nomindari currently serves as CEO of the Mongolian Nature’s Legacy Foundation (MNLF), an environmental trust fund established in 2024 as part of the ‘Eternal Mongolia’ Project Finance for Permanence Initiative jointly implemented by the Government of Mongolia, The Nature Conservancy, and MNLF. Previously she served as CEO of the Mongolian Sustainable Finance Association, as well as Advisor to the IFC-facilitated Sustainable Banking and Finance Network focusing on developing knowledge products on key global sustainable finance topics such as sustainable finance roadmaps. With over a decade of leadership in sustainable finance and public-private partnerships, Nomindari has been a driving force behind many key sustainability initiatives in Mongolia and internationally. She led the design of critical sustainable finance policy documents including the Mongolia Green and SDG Taxonomy, National Sustainable Finance Roadmap, and financing vehicles such as the Mongolia Green Finance Corporation and Billion Tree Fund. Nomindari’s expertise also extends beyond national borders. She held advisory roles with organizations such as the United Nations Joint SDG Fund, UNEP, IFC, ADB, and EBRD, among others, on a number of projects related to portfolio emissions calculation, taxonomy development and piloting, green loan portfolio assessment, green bonds, gender finance, ESG integration, sustainability reporting and capacity building. These achievements earned her a spot on Asia’s Top Sustainability Superwomen List of Honour in 2022, recognition as an EU Young Leader for Development, and One Young World Ambassador in 2017. She holds a Master’s in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and is a certified Adaptation Finance Expert from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.

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.

Tassos Haniotis recently retired, after a 33-year career in the Commission, as the Director of Strategy, Simplification and Policy Analysis in the Directorate General for Agriculture of the European Commission. Tassos is Sustainable Productivity Adviser for the Forum for the Future of Agriculture and a Senior Guest Research Scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. He previously held posts as Head of Unit in the Agricultural Policy Analysis and Perspectives unit and the Agricultural Trade Policy Analysis unit in the same Directorate General, as Member and subsequently Deputy Head of the Cabinet of former European Commissioner for Agriculture Franz Fischler (with respective responsibilities the preparation of the 2003 reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, and the agricultural chapter of the Doha WTO Round and the EU-Mercosur negotiations), and as the Agricultural Counsellor of the European Commission’s Delegation in the United States. He holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Agricultural Economics from the University of Georgia, USA, and a B.A. in Economics from the Athens University of Economics and Business, in his native Greece. Before joining the European Commission, he spent six months as a visiting Fellow at the Centre for European Agricultural Studies, Wye College, University of London, focusing on EU-US agricultural trade relations in the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations. He hold a Honorary Doctorate degree from the University of Thessaloniki. Active in the ag research community, he is a member of the International and European Associations of Ag Economics, the International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium, and the EU Nitrogen Expert Panel.

Jörg-Andreas Krüger was elected as NABU President for the first time on November 9, 2019 by the Federal Representatives' Meeting of NABU. He is a member of various steering committees and panels, including the German Council for Sustainable Development and the Future Commission on Agriculture.

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

Justin Rose is president, Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division, Small Ag and Turf, and is responsible for the European, African, and Asian markets. He leads a team dedicated to developing equipment and technology solutions for small ag and turf care customers globally. He was named to the role in November 2025.
Justin previously served as president, Lifecycle Solutions, Supply Management, and Customer Success. In this capacity, he oversaw the company's global aftermarket operations, customer support programs, precision upgrade solutions, supply chain strategies, and business transformation initiatives. He was also
accountable for advancing recurring revenue growth and achieving customer success targets.
Before joining Deere, Rose worked at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for twenty years, serving as senior partner and managing director. He led BCG’s North American industrial goods practice and was part of the firm’s global leadership team, with assignments in Austin, Chicago, Bangkok, Tokyo, and Mexico City. During his time there, he partnered with Deere on multiple projects and contributed to the development of the company’s Smart Industrial Strategy and Operational Model.
He earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and economics, as well as an MBA from Northwestern University. He has co-authored a book on U.S. manufacturing and serves on the advisory committee for the World Food Program’s Innovation Accelerator.
Originally from Minnesota, Rose now resides in Germany and works at John Deere’s Mannheim location.

Martin Stuchtey is the Founder of The Landbanking Group, which uses systems-thinking to stop and reverse nature loss and redefine prosperity for the long-term. In addition, Stuchtey is an Honorary Professor of Resource Strategy and Management at the University of Innsbruck School of Management. He was previously a Director at the Munich office of the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment. In 2007 he co-founded McKinsey’s Sustainability & Resource Productivity Practice. In 2014 Martin became Director of the McKinsey Global Center for Business & Environment. Both for strategic and financial investors, he analyzed the resulting growth opportunities in the “circular economy”

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.

Mark joined SpiritsEUROPE as their Director-General in September 2025, having enjoyed a long career in the agri-food sector, principally at Syngenta where he held several senior leadership and executive level positions in corporate affairs and business sustainability in the EAME region and globally. After leaving Syngenta in 2017, Mark became the CEO of EngineeringUK before joining Indigo Ag, where he held a variety of different roles before becoming Head of Corporate Affairs and a Member of the Executive Team in 2024. Mark is a Co-founder and a former Director of the Forum for the Future of Agriculture. He is now a Member of the Forum’s Advisory Council and a Senior Fellow at the Transatlantic Policy Network.

Kurt was appointed Director General of DG CLIMA on 16 January 2023. Until then, he was the Green Deal and Health advisor to President Ursula von der Leyen since 1 December 2019. He had joined the cabinet of the President coming from DG Research and Innovation where he was Director for Policy & Programming since 1 February 2016 and Acting Director for Research & Innovation Outreach since 1 June 2019. Before that, he was Director for 'Climate action and resource efficiency' at DG Research and Innovation since July 2013.

He served in the Cabinet of Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin (1999-2004) and as Head of the Cabinet of Janez Potočnik, who was Commissioner for Research and Innovation (2004-2009) and subsequently for Environment (from 2010). Kurt joined the European Commission in 1996 as co-ordinator of the Commission’s Intermodal Transport Task Force and of the Transport Research Programme.
Before entering the Commission, Kurt worked for four years as a manager at Ernst & Young Association Management, where he set up, managed and represented international trade associations.

After reading French and Italian literature at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) and obtaining a degree in Public and International Affairs at the University Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve (UCL), Kurt gained a Master of Arts degree in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (S.A.I.S.) in Bologna, Italy and Washington D.C., US., and subsequently, acting director for research and innovation outreach at DG RTD. He also served as head of the cabinet of EU Commissioner Janez Potočnik between 2004 and 2010, and in the cabinet of Philppe Busquin from 1999 to 2004. He holds a master’s degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.