3 - 4 September 2025
Lelystad, The Netherlands

Guido Van den Ackerveken (Utrecht University, Netherlands) is professor of Translational Plant Biology. His research has provided important insights into the plant immune system and mechanisms of disease susceptibility. He is active in translating fundamental research into applications in crop disease resistance breeding, primarily through public-private partnerships.

He is currently leading CropXR, an institute aimed at developing methodologies to understand plant resilience and deploy mechanistic & crop modeling using AI approaches to breed for climate-adapted and robust crops. The Holland Innovative Potato consortium is a major partner in CropXR-Potato joining forces to prepare for the challenges of sustainable potato production.

Timo Sprangers works as a researcher in Crop Health for Wageningen Plant Research. The main focus area of his work is management of weeds in arable cropping systems. In the Crop Health team,  together with colleagues who specialise in control of pests, diseases and nematodes, he is involved in research on the redesign of cropping systems that are more resilient against pests, diseases, nematodes and weeds. The concept of Integrated Crop Management (ICM) was developed to aid the systematic design of such cropping systems. In various projects, Timo is active in both research on the design and performance of such integrated systems, and contributes to on-farm projects that aim for the adaptation of ICM-practices.

Barbara is a Plant Biotechnologist at University College Cork, Ireland, where she leads research on sustainable food production. Her expertise spans, soil microbiome management, integrated pest management and genome editing for crop protection: applying CRISPR/Cas and related tools to enhance disease and stress resistance in food crops. Building on this foundation, she has recently expanded her work to include forestry species and tropical peatland ecosystems, exploring carbon sequestration and biodiversity. A passionate advocate for science communication, she regularly engages with schools, industry partners, and the public—and you can follow her latest outreach initiatives on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dr-barbara-doyle-prestwich. 

Paul Ravensbergen holds a PhD in agronomy from Wageningen University. In his PhD, he explored variability in yield, resource use efficiency, and environmental impact of ware potato production in the Netherlands. Currently, Paul is a postdoctoral researcher at the Plant Production Systems group of Wageningen University. His research focuses on understanding variation among farmers in terms of input use, crop productivity, and environmental impact at crop rotation level.

Guy Hareau is an agricultural economist and Principal Scientist at the International Potato Center (CIP) in Lima, Peru. He has experience as a farmer and as an extension agent and worked for the National Agricultural Research Institute of Uruguay (INIA) for 17 years. In 2008, he joined the International Potato Center based in Lima, Peru.  As an impact assessment expert, he conducted several studies to provide evidence of CIP’s contribution to reducing poverty and hunger around the world. Between 2016 and 2023, he was the Leader of the Social and Nutritional Sciences Division at CIP.  He has a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Virginia Tech, USA.

Robert Graveland is the Director of HZPC Research and Executive Member of the Royal HZPC Group. The Royal HZPC Group is a global leader in potato breeding and seed potato trading. He is enjoying a pivotal role in steering the company’s scientific and strategic direction, particularly in the development of sustainable and innovative potato varieties. With a strong belief in the power of science and collaboration and use of cutting-edge breeding technologies, including data driven molecular breeding for our clonal and TPS variety development. Robert is deeply aligned with HZPC’s mission: "To contribute to the development of responsible food for a growing world population." Everyone has the right to healthy food, cultivated in a way that respects both people and the planet. Their work supports HZPC’s global ambition to make potato cultivation and value chain partner enterprises viable, in diverse climates from deserts to tropical regions. Ensuring food security and sustainability with a fair income and future for the next generation farmers.

Curtis Frederick is Senior Agronomist at Aviko and leads the Agronomy team. In this role, he ensures that agronomic strategies align with Aviko’s broader objectives for quality, sustainability, and innovation in potato production. With over 15 years of international experience in agronomy, Curtis has held senior roles across research institutions and commercial enterprises in Europe, the United States, and Africa. His expertise spans hybrid potato systems, commercial farming, post-harvest physiology, and data-driven crop management. Throughout his career, he has successfully managed multidisciplinary teams and complex R&D initiatives, contributing to advancements in both scientific understanding and practical agricultural outcomes.

Peter is a seed sector expert with a focus on potato seed systems in sub-Saharan Africa, and is co-founder of the Sepia Foundation.

He has 25 years of experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of agricultural sector transformation projects and programs across Africa. He is an applied researcher in agronomy and sustainable economic development. Prior to the Sepia Foundation, he worked as knowledge director and senior advisor at KIT Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, International Potato Center (CIP) in Nairobi, the National Tree Seed Center (CNSF) in Burkina Faso, and Wageningen Field Crops Research - Trees and Fruit.

Geert Kessel is a plant pathologist educated at- and working for Wageningen University and Research since 1991. His main interest is to develop, validate and communicate smart, fully integrated control strategies for fungal, arable pathogens, using as little pesticides as possible. He is currently working and communicating on the development and validation of ICM (Integrated Crop Management) strategies for the control of “above ground” fungal pathogens of arable crops. Potato late blight has his special interest as the “ultimate challenge” for plant pathologists and the arable sector. 

With over three decades of leadership across the Asia-Pacific, Soundararadjane S. is reshaping the future of Indian agriculture — combining strategic vision with a deep, on-the-ground understanding of smallholder realities.

As the driving force behind HyFarm at HyFun Foods, he is leading an ambitious mission: to scale the smallholder network from 7,000 to 30,000 farmers and deliver 1 million metric tonnes of climate-resilient, processing-grade potatoes by 2028.

His model is grounded in impact and innovation — fusing regenerative agriculture, digital enablement, and science-led practices to build a farmer-centric, globally competitive Agri-ecosystem. Under his leadership, HyFarm is not just growing crops — it is catalysing India's rise as a global leader in sustainable agriculture and rural transformation.

Soundararadjane’s journey is defined by scale, strategy, and purpose — empowering smallholders, transforming value chains, and repositioning India at the forefront of the global agribusiness landscape.