MEET THE SPEAKERS

Speakers

Cindy van Rijswick

Rabobank (Netherlands)

Cindy van Rijswick is global strategist for fresh produce at Rabobank. She is responsible for setting and executing the research agenda for the fruit, vegetable, and floriculture sectors within the global RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness team. She and her colleagues publish research that is relevant to fresh produce companies worldwide, both in the corporate and rural domains.
David Alba

Genesis Fresh (Spain)

As managing director of Genesis Fresh, the varietal development and distribution company that is part of the AMFresh Group, David Alba is an expert in developing and managing new protected fruit varieties. He has 20 years’ experience working in the global citrus industry for AMFresh. Prior to that, he was citrus category technical manager at Tesco.
Hugo A-Tjak

Olympic Fruit (Netherlands)

Hugo A-Tjak is international account manager - retail at Dutch importer Olympic Fruit. As experienced retail professional, he has a keen understanding of the impact of trends such as smaller households, an ageing population, and the increasing snacking habits of Gen Z on fruit consumption.
Isaac Mazor

Nanovel (Israel)

Isaac Mazor is CEO of Nanovel, a developer of autonomous robotic harvesters for the citrus industry. A serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience, Mazor founded Nanovel in 2018, drawing on expertise in robotics, artificial intelligence, and vision systems. Previously, he founded JV Semiconductors (acquired by Bruker in 2015) and co-founded KLA-Israel. Recently, Nanovel completed field trials in CA with the Citrus Research Board and secured an EIC grant in early 2026 to commercialise the product.
Lloyd Thompson

Marks & Spencer (UK)

Lloyd Thompson is technical manager, fruit and Marks & Spencer. Prior to entering retail he was head of technical at AMFresh Group. Thompson has been in the produce industry for almost 30 years, having previously held positions at Muñoz Group and Eurodix.
Nicci Stewart

SummerStar Ruby (South Africa)

Nicci Stewart is a strategic marketing expert who connects the dots between strategic thinking and tactical execution. With 26 years’ experience in strategic and creative thinking, she brings sharp insights into the intersection of business strategy, revenue generation and brand-building – and how marketing sits at the core of these. For the past three years she’s played an integral role in the campaign to grow the South African Star Ruby grapefruit category in Europe.
Nuria Pizan

Nurbrands (Germany)

With over 20 years of experience in brand building, creative leadership, and marketing strategy, Nuria Pizan has helped transform the way fruits and vegetables are positioned in international markets. She was part of the founding team that built SanLucar into a globally recognised premium fruit brand, shaping its positioning, storytelling, and retail presence from the ground up. Recognised as a leading voice in the European produce industry, Nuria specialises in premium fruit branding and category transformation. She combines consumer insight, creative positioning, and retail execution to ensure tropical and exotic fruits remain desirable, differentiated, and commercially successful in modern markets.
Oscar Olivares

Todolí Citrus Foundation (Spain)

Oscar Olivares is technical director of the Todolí Citrus Foundation. Since 2010, he has also been technical specialist for the Agriculture and Natural Environment Department of the Gandia City Council (Valencia). Prior to that he was a researcher at the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ivia, working on citrus genetic improvement projects. Olivares has a PhD in Biology (Biotechnology) from the Universitat Politècnica de València and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Florida.
Paco Borrás

Paco Borrás Consulting (Spain)

Paco Borrás is senior advisory consultant at Paco Borrás Consulting. Prior to setting up his consultancy, he worked for almost 40 years in a variety of roles at Anecoop, most recently as commercial director and deputy general manager.
Peter Bouman

Sour Supplier by FMI (Netherlands)

Peter Bouman is co-founder and managing director of Sour Supplier by FMI, a specialist in limes and sour citrus products. He has been in the fruit business for almost 30 years, having previously held positions at Food Investments Group and Solfruit International.
Siebe van Wijk

The Fruit Republic (Vietnam)

Siebe van Wijk is managing director and founder of two Vietnam-based companies: The Fruit Republic and Fresh Studio. The Fruit Republic is one of Vietnam’s premier fruit companies, with unique year-round citrus and exotic fruit production programmes, backed by GlobalGAP, Grasp, Smeta, BRC and organic certification. Over the past 16 years, Fresh Studio has developed into a leading consulting and R&D firm for the sourcing and marketing of sustainable food in South-East Asia.