MEET THE SPEAKERS

Speakers

Ana Hernández Buendía

Grupo Paloma (Spain)

Ana has been working at Grupo Hortofrutícola Paloma for over 16 years, representing the third generation of the company founded by her grandfather in 1968. The company exports not only tomatoes but also seedless grapes, peaches, nectarines and pomegranates throughout Europe, cultivating over 1,250ha in the Murcia region. Ana develops new crop varieties and oversees calculation and implementation of water and carbon footprint metrics, remaining committed to fostering a sustainable, dynamic agricultural model based on the circular economy. She also serves as president of the Mazarrón Irrigation Community.
Antony Chapman

Phytoform (UK)

Dr Antony VE Chapman is the lead tomato genome engineer at Phytoform Labs. He has over 15 years’ experience in plant genetics and now specialises in applying Crispr precision breeding to accelerate tomato improvement. His developed traits include the Tiny Tomato trait system for low labour, high yield glasshouses.
Celine Montauriol

Azura (France)

Céline is the sustainability director at Azura Group. With more than 15 years of experience in sustainable agriculture, she leads environmental and social sustainability initiatives, focusing on climate action, water stewardship, responsible supply chains and agricultural transition.
Clara Romero González-Quijano

Food Experts (Spain)

Clara is a product owner at Food Experts, with over 15 years’ experience leading international, multidisciplinary projects in research, sustainability and digital innovation across Spain, Germany and Switzerland. She leads the development of sustainability solutions for the agri-food sector, turning environmental data into practical, measurable insights.
David Del Pino

Freshtrategy (Spain)

David Del Pino is an agricultural engineer, son of growers, and author of Freshconomics. His produce career spans Spanish citrus, logistics and sales in the US, international trading and the general management of a large Spanish cooperative. He now builds a knowledge and strategy platform for the produce business.
Dr Eduardo Tranque Montes

Axia Semillas (Spain)

Dr Eduardo Tranque Montes is a genomic greeder at Axia Vegetable Seeds, where he applies genomics, quantitative genetics and data analysis to support tomato breeding programmes. His work focuses on translating genomic information into practical breeding decisions, integrating new technologies and developing tools that help breeders improve selection efficiency and accelerate genetic gain.
Ed Moorhouse

Oasthouse Ventures (UK)

Ed Moorhouse is leading the Rivenhall Greenhouse project, developing next-generation CEA infrastructure to strategically re-shore UK fresh produce. Powered by low-carbon, fixed-price energy, Rivenhall will deliver year-round, climate-resilient, competitive production at scale—strengthening domestic supply chains, reducing import dependence and supporting long-term British food security.
Jacqueline Looije

Looije (Spain)

Jacqueline is managing director at OP Looije, a grower’s organisation for loose cherry tomatoes, brown cherry tomatoes and plum tomatoes, based in Águilas, Murcia. The organisation produces tomatoes 12 months a year with 30 growers, its prime focus being on delivering consistent quality throughout the year.
Jaime Mendizabal Nuñez

MAF Roda (Spain)

Jaime is national commercial director of MAF Roda Agrobotic in Spain, with a solid track record in post-harvest technology for the fruit and vegetables sector. At Fruitnet Tomato Congress, he will address the main challenges of the post-harvest industry and how to tackle them through smart warehouse automation.
José Luis Molina

Hispatec (Spain)

José is an agricultural engineer, having graduated from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM). With a background in economics, management and leadership, José has over 30 years of experience in technology and digital innovation.
Konrad Jaszczynski

Agrodrone (Poland)

Konrad Jaszczyński is country manager España at Agrodron, responsible for developing Agrodron España’s professional drone services for growers in southern Spain, ranging from greenhouse shading and cleaning to biological pest control and multispectral crop monitoring. Through his own consultancy group, Konrad has managed over 100 EU-funded projects, including more than a dozen research and innovation initiatives focused on the practical implementation of new technologies.
Lambert van Horen

Rabobank (Netherlands)

Lambert is a senior specialist fresh produce at RaboResearch in the Netherlands. His focus is on greenhouse horticulture and floriculture. Lambert has been with Rabobank for more than two decades, joining the organisation in 2000 as sector manager for horticulture. He subsequently worked as a relationship manager supporting businesses across the horticultural industry. Lambert regularly publishes articles and speaks at conferences on developments and trends in international horticulture. Before joining Rabobank, Lambert worked at the Agricultural Economics Research Institute (LEI) of Wageningen University and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture. Lambert holds a master’s degree in horticulture from Wageningen University.
Lena Maas

Hudson River (Netherlands)

Dr Lena Maas is head of R&D operations at Hudson River Biotechnology, where she translates R&D strategy into executable programmes across genome editing and plant regeneration. Her work focuses on integrating complex traits into commercial varieties, scaling multidisciplinary workflows and turning advanced biotechnology into practical, commercially relevant crop improvement solutions.
Loes van der Velden

Den Berk Delice (Belgium)

Loes van der Velden leads sales and marketing at Den Berk Délice. Together with her team and retail partners, she combines category management, consumer insights and innovation to grow the tomato category. With taste at the heart of everything, Den Berk Délice aims to create consumer value and inspire people to eat more tomatoes.
Maria Wieloch

Retail specialist (Sweden)

Maria Wieloch has been in the produce industry for 18 years and has extensive experience in driving sales and a strong passion for working to increase consumption of fruit and vegetables. Maria is also a board member of the International Fresh Produce Association.
Nejra Solo

Enza Zaden (US)

Nejra Solo has a background in molecular biology and plant pathology and has spent the last six years at Enza Zaden, working mostly on tomatoes. She is passionate about translating scientific discoveries into practical solutions that help improve crops and support sustainable agriculture.
Nico van Vliet

Yuksel Seeds (Netherlands)

Nico Van Vliet is a vegetable industry professional with extensive experience in downstream integration, stakeholder management and global collaboration. As downstream integration lead at Yuksel Seeds, Nico drives strategic initiatives that bridge business needs and operational excellence. He is passionate about innovation, sustainable growth and creating value through partnerships that increase vegetable consumption worldwide.
Paul Simmonds

Rijk Zwaan Iberica (Spain)

Paul Simmonds has seen it all after more than 20 years in high tech tomato cultivation, and he still loves the business, especially the people. Over the last nine years he has been developing the Tech tomato portfolio at Rijk Zwaan, working globally from his new base in Spain.
Pedro Ruiz Garcia

Granada La Palma (Spain)

An agricultural engineer and farmer with over 30 years of experience, Pedro Ruiz García has firsthand knowledge of the realities of farming and the challenges facing the agri-food sector. As president of Granada La Palma, he leads a cooperative venture that blends agricultural tradition, innovation, sustainability and a commitment to people. The cooperative works to create value for its farmers, advance toward increasingly efficient and sustainable production models, and meet the evolving demands of markets and consumers. His vision is deeply rooted in cooperative values: responsibility, equality, solidarity and a commitment to the local community. He views these principles not merely as part of La Palma’s identity, but as the foundation upon which to build the future of agriculture.
Renko Schuil

TTA-ISO (Netherlands)

Renko Schuil has been immersed in fresh food production from an early age, having been born and raised in the heart of the Dutch Westland. His career in the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) industry spans over two decades, during which time he gained extensive expertise across various facets of the sector.
Shayne Tyler

Tyler Bladon Practical Ethics (UK)

Shayne is a highly experienced practitioner in the identification, investigation and resolution of worker welfare issues, having worked on hundreds of cases affecting thousands of victims. A practical and hands-on director with over 30 years of people leadership within the food industry, Shayne has actively helped shape legislation, guidance, best practice and support mechanisms for the prevention and eradication of worker abuse.