MEET THE SPEAKERS

Cedric Canovas

Source.ag (Netherlands)

Cedric Canovas, vice-president of Data & Plant Science at Source.ag, leads a team of data scientists and plant scientists in developing AI-powered plant models to support commercial greenhouse growers worldwide. With a background in consulting and data science for large businesses, Cedric now combines his expertise in plant science and data science to directly benefit fruit and vegetable growers. He holds MSc degrees in electrical engineering and operations research.

Eva Ketel

Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands)

Eva Ketel has a BSc, MSc and PhD in Nutrition and Health. She is working as a scientific researcher in the Physiology and Product Quality team of the Business Unit Greenhouse Horticulture at Wageningen University & Research. Her work aims to define, measure and predict post-harvest product quality using new techniques such as imaging analysis and non-destructive sensors.

Eytan Heller

Arugga AI Farming (Israel)

Eytan is the co-founder and VP business development at Israel-based Arugga AI Farming. Arugga is bringing robotic solutions to greenhouse farming with a view to automating labour-intensive tasks and optimising yields. Prior to co-founding Arugga, Eytan led European sales efforts at SolarEdge Technologies. Eytan started his career as an economic and trade advisor for the European Commission in Israel and holds an MSc in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics.

Geert Janssen

BASF | Nunhems (Netherlands)

Geert studied plant breeding at Wageningen University in the Netherlands where he also did his PhD on nematode resistance in potatoes. After two years of post-doc work in Wageningen and Norway, he became a sugar beet breeder in Sweden in 1997. In 2012, he joined BASF | Nunhems in Italy as regional head of breeding. After various positions in R&D and moving back to the Netherlands in 2017, he has been crop lead in operations for tomatoes and other vegetable crops since 2024.

Glenn Sebregts

BelOrta (Belgium)

Glenn Sebregts, head of marketing at BelOrta since 2019, is an avid local fruit and vegetable lover and promotor. His mission? Getting the world, starting with Belgium, to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. In his talk, he’ll guide you through the technique of customer centricity and how it will benefit your sales.

Karin Gorree

Normec Foodcare (Netherlands)

Karin is director of quality and business development at Normec Innovative Fresh, formerly Innovative Fresh and now part of Normec Foodcare. She has a background in tropical agriculture and has been working in fruit and vegetables and quality since graduation, covering most product categories including greenhouse vegetables, exotics and berries. At Normec Innovative, Karin monitors product quality, taste, appearance and shelf- life through the eyes of the consumer.

Lambert van Horen

Rabo Research (Netherlands)

Lambert van Horen is Rabo Research’s senior specialist fresh produce. His focus is on greenhouse horticulture, floriculture and mushrooms. He has been with Rabobank since 2000, working in several roles, always related to horticulture. Before joining Rabobank, he worked with Wageningen Economic Research and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture. Lambert holds a master’s degree in horticulture from Wageningen University.

Margriet Looije

Looye Kwekers (Netherlands)

Margriet is the commercial director at Looye Kwekers. She and her sister are the third generation in the company and oversee the daily management. The Looye sisters believe in the power and beauty of the collaboration between humans and nature, and want to enable as many people as possible from all generations to enjoy flavourful tomatoes together.

Martijn van Keulen

RedStar (Netherlands)

Martijn has been working for RedStar for three years, with a clear mission in mind: help RedStar strengthen her tomato focus and embrace a customer focus. Outside in. For this, customer understanding is key: know the customer’s needs, make it easy for them and create joy to get them to come back.

Martin Van Tol

Let’s Grow (Netherlands)

Martin boasts a lifelong commitment to horticulture, starting as a production employee in the Westland area. With a background at an energy and automation company, Martin is now dedicated to guiding growers globally toward data-driven growing practices and is committed to empowering growers with innovative solutions for enhanced cultivation.

Michal Taraska

Hazera (Poland)

Michał Taraska, Hazera’s Global Value Chain Leader, has been in the food market for the last 15 years. Born on a family farm and a fan of healthy living, he champions quality in agriculture. His focus is on introducing new high-quality varieties to retail chains worldwide

Niels van der Geest

Delphy Digital (Netherlands)

Niels van der Geest has a Master’s in Biosystems Engineering from the University of Wageningen. As a cultivation engineer at Delphy, Niels develops data-driven cultivation management tools that support growers by helping them to optimise their strategic decisions based on data and taking into account the local conditions.

Ronald Hoek

Blue Radix (Netherlands)

Ronald Hoek is CEO and co-founder of Blue Radix, a pioneering company revolutionising horticulture through AI-driven solutions. With a profound commitment to sustainable greenhouse production, Ronald spearheads innovations that optimise crop yields while minimising resource usage. With his team he unlocks the value of autonomous growing for greenhouse companies worldwide.