As growers and suppliers move toward data‑driven and increasingly autonomous greenhouse operations, cybersecurity becomes a critical foundation rather than an afterthought. This session presents insights from the GITS project, highlighting the real vulnerabilities that emerge when greenhouse IT systems interact with operational technology such as climate computers, sensors, and automation controllers. Learn how attackers can exploit weak links, how data manipulation can disrupt models or crop decisions, and why continuous monitoring, anomaly detection, secure architectures, and sector‑wide cyber‑resilience practices are essential to safeguard modern greenhouses. Discover what it takes to build a cyber‑secure horticulture ecosystem that growers and technology partners can trust.

Thijs Klooster, Moderator: Annie van de Riet, Gerben Broenink, Cristian Teodor Anastasiu

Cybersecure Growing: Protecting Data‑Driven Greenhouses from IT/OT Threats

Founder & CEO

Ramon van Esch is a plant specialist at HempFlax Agro BV, where he works on tissue culture, specialized metabolite analysis, and integrated pest management in cannabis and hemp. He has a background in Plant Sciences from Wageningen University & Research, with a strong focus on controlled environment agriculture, plant physiology, and medicinal cannabis cultivation.
Ramon combines hands-on experience in EU-GMP medicinal cannabis cultivation with applied research experience in contract cannabis trials, focusing on how cultivation strategies influence plant performance, flower development, and specialized metabolite profiles.
During his research at Wageningen University & Research, he investigated the effects of UV-A radiation on medicinal cannabis, contributing to a deeper understanding of how light quality can influence cannabis growth, physiology, and phytochemical composition.

Plant Specialist

Industrial PhD candidate since 2023, specializing in greenhouse cultivation of Cannabis using supplemental LED lighting. Focused on developing new strategies to improve crop efficiency, product quality, and energy sustainability through precise resource control.

PhD student

Dr. Hanneke M.J. Later-Nijland specialises in EU and Dutch regulatory life sciences law and has significant experience in both contentious and non-contentious work. Due to her dual background as a lawyer and a pharmacist, Hanneke is eminently qualified to handle the full range of issues relating to marketing authorisations, clinical trials (and agreements), compliance, issues with ATMPs, compounding, demarcation issues, advertising, administrative fines, reimbursement, financial arrangements, preference policy procedures and inspections - both human and veterinary medicinal products. Next to the aforementioned, she also worked on several large (medicina) cannabis cases.
Due to her background as an Inspector for Healthcare, she is often asked to interact with the various competent authorities in the Netherlands (e.g. CBG, IGJ, Ministry of Health, KNMP, NVWA), and/or the EMA, on behalf of her clients.
Furthermore, due to her scientific background, she works (with patent attorneys) on issues at the interface between genomics, regulatory and IP.
Hanneke’s mission is to advance transactions in the life sciences space by way of securing life sciences regulatory law as a building block in such transactions. Therefore, Hanneke has launched a network of corporate and regulatory lawyers focusing on life sciences transactions (www.thegenotypenetwork.com).
 
Hanneke obtained a MSc and PharmD in pharmacy (Utrecht, 2003 and 2004) as well as a Master of Law (LLM, Utrecht, 2006) and holds a PhD (Nijmegen, 2010) in pharmacy, which makes her the only pharmacist-lawyer holding a PhD in the Netherlands. She is admitted to the Bar of Amsterdam and allowed to practise throughout the Netherlands. Hanneke lectures pharmaceutical law at Leiden University and speaks regularly at (inter-)national conferences.
Hanneke founded Genome Lawyers in 2019, a boutique law firm in Amsterdam serving pharma and biotech clients across the globe, e.g. the US, Canada, Hong Kong, UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
Who’s Who Legal1 recommends Hanneke for Life Sciences: “Hanneke is singled out by market sources as a “very knowledgeable and pragmatic” practitioner who “really knows what she is talking about” thanks to her strong technical background in the life sciences arena.” Lastly, she is ranked in the upcoming edition of Chambers Europe 2024.

Attorney-at-law

Niko Simos is an Operations Associate at Agritecture Consulting, specializing in vertical farming, project management, and sustainable food systems development. With a background in agricultural sciences from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an ongoing MSc in Land, Water, Energy Resources, and Rural Environment Management, Niko brings a strong foundation in CEA research and practice. His research includes studying yield optimization for leafy greens under innovative vertical farming systems with artificial lighting.
At Agritecture, Niko manages daily operations across marketing, consulting, and business development, supporting strategic partnerships and delivering CEA workshops globally. His industry publications focus on advancing vertical farming practices, and he is passionate about leveraging technology and collaboration to create resilient food systems for the future.

Operations Associate

Country Director Morocco

Bart van Meurs is Head of Division Q within the Koppert Cress Group, where he focuses on the development and application of innovative technologies for sustainable cultivation. With extensive experience in greenhouse horticulture and innovation-driven projects, he works closely with growers, technology partners and start-ups to support the transition towards a more sustainable and resilient horticultural sector. As moderator of this event, Bart brings together his in-depth sector knowledge, strategic insight and ability to guide constructive dialogue on the future of food, technology and sustainability.

Director

VP of Business Development

Joseph began his career in 2012 in instrumentation and controls engineering, using sensors and PLC systems to control auxilary systems in semi-conductor manufacturing. In 2019, he returned to university to study biosystems engineering at Wageningen University and Research. Since graduation he has worked at Wageningen research modelling water flows through soil to reduce emission of water, nutrients, and PPPs into the environment; optimizing fertilization to accomodate dynamic recirculation throughout the crop cycle; and, since 2023, using biochar as a cultivation susbtrate in greenhouse trials at the WR Glastuinbouw research station in Bleiswijk. Joseph brings a fresh perspective into the horticultural industry and has an eye for both what is possible and what is practical.

Researcher - Rootzone Dynamics and Sensing

Software Development Leader

Comparability is becoming increasingly important for environmental information - but it can only be achieved if data, methodology and processes fit together.
As project manager of the DIN EPD program, I deal with the question of how environmental information for products can be made comparable, comprehensible and internationally compatible.
In the DIN group, I support the development of the DIN EPD program as well as topics relating to environmental product declarations (EPDs), product carbon footprints (PCF) and product category rules (PCR).   My focus:  ✔ Creating comparability  ✔ Developing structured processes  ✔ Enabling credible environmental information

Project Lead DIN EPD Programme

Gonçalo is a Robotics Engineer who started his journey as a researcher at the Institute of Systems and Robotics at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Afterwards he became the CTO, and later CEO of CoolFarm, a cloud-based, AI software company that developed control systems for indoor farming. He is currently the CEO of Periplo Innovation and Head of Software and Robotics at PlanetFarms.

Head of Software and Robotics

I am a senior lecturer and researcher at the HAS green academy University of Applied Sciences ('s Hertogenbosch, NL), department of Agri and Business, Team Horticulture and Arable Farming. Within the research I do, I am associated with the Professorships "Green Health (Groene Gezondheid)" and "Horticulture Technologies". This entails doing research, using modern and innovative technological advances within horticulture, to ensure quality (internal, phytonutrients, product health) of produce, allowing consumers to have an informed choice about the quality of their produce and the health benefits this may provide them upon prolonged consumption. Within the UAS system, the main focus of our research is to closely together with companies, Universities and governement to ensure the research we do is relevant and applicable in the sector. 
My previous experiences include:
PhD (University of East Anglia; John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK) 2002 (cereal starch metabolism);
PostDoc on Pollen-pistil interactions (Radboud University Nijmegen, NL)
Agricultural consultancy ( Sustainable Crop Management; ADAS, Cambridge, UK)
Seed Production Researcher (Nunhems / BASF Vegetable Seeds, NL)
Cereal breeding (Sorghum; DSV, NL)

Senior Lecturer and Researcher

Tom Coen is a Belgian entrepreneur specializing in agricultural robotics. He holds a PhD in engineering sciences from KU Leuven. Coen co-founded Octinion in 2009, where he led R&D projects in mechatronics for the agriculture and food sector. In 2021, he became CEO of Octiva, a merger of Octinion’s agricultural robotics division and Priva’s robotic solutions. With his innovative, solution-driven approach, he can bridge technical expertise with practical applications in the agri-tech industry.

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

Founder & Director

Friso Klok is Chain Manager South & East Asia at Rijk Zwaan, where he focuses on strengthening strategic partnerships and value chain development across the rapidly evolving horticultural markets of South and East Asia. In his role, he works closely with growers, retailers, processors and supply chain partners to align market demand with innovative vegetable concepts and genetics.
With a strong focus on collaboration throughout the fresh produce chain, Friso supports the introduction and expansion of high-value vegetable categories, helping connect consumer trends, retail strategies and production opportunities across diverse international markets. His work contributes to the development of sustainable, market-driven horticultural solutions that create long-term value for both growers and commercial partners.

Global Chain Manager South & East Asia

Roel Janssen is Chief Business Development Manager at Eternal.ag. Before joining Eternal.ag, Roel served as Chief Business Officer at Planet Farms, a technology company that builds and operates fully autonomous vertical farms at scale. Prior to that, he spent 13 years at Signify (previously known as Philips Lighting), where in his latest role he was the Global Director for City Farming. Through his years at Signify and Planet Farms, Roel established himself as an industry expert in high tech horticulture and vertical farming and has been invited to speak and share his views around the globe. He has also served as a guest lecturer at the HAS University of Applied Science in the Netherlands. Roel holds a degree in Business Administration from Eindhoven, where he still lives with his wife and two children. Alongside his passion for sustainable agriculture, Roel is an avid wine enthusiast and holds a WSET Level 3 certification.

Chief Business Development Officer

Prof Harrison is the Managing Director of the Plant Sciences Group, which comprises approximately 1400 staff across 20 chair groups in Wageningen University and the insitute Wageningen Plant Research. In the Netherlands he is a member of the Top Team “Tuinbouw en Uitgangsmaterialen/ Horticulture and Starting Materials”, representing all Dutch Knowledge Insitutes . He provides strategic oversight of several programme boards for large regional and national initiatives on behalf of Wageningen U&R.  He is an honorary  professor at the University of Birmingham,UK. 
Previously he was an executive Director at NIAB (UK) with overall responsibility for NIAB’s portfolio of arable genetics, pathology, biotechnology, data science and crop characterisation. Alongside that he led NIAB’s contribution to the Crop Science Centre, the alliance between the University of Cambridge and NIAB, designed to bridge the gap between discovery science and societal impact. This alliance has received significant philanthropic support and rapidly established its position in the national innovation landscape. Prior to his role in Cambridge, he worked at East Malling as head of genetics, where he specialised in horticultural genetics and genomics of fruit crops.  
Prof Harrison has a PhD in evolutionary systems biology. His research group has worked to understand the evolution and genetic basis of complex traits, such as interactions between plants and microbes, particularly in horticultural crops. Outputs have included scientific knowledge, tools, techniques and products to underpin the sustainable development of the agricultural, horticultural and food industries, using both breeding and biotechnology solutions. His group was among the first to implement gene editing techniques in key horticultural crops and in fungi used for alternative protein production. Through collaborative work with industrial partners, he and his team have delivered disease resistance traits into multiple commercial breeding programmes, as well as having initiated new public-private breeding programmes funded by global partners.

Managing Director Plant Science Group

Jouke Campen became an engineer in Applied Physics at the Technical University of Delft, specialized in heat and mass transfer. He started working at Wageningen UR in 1997. His main field of research is energy and climate control in protected horticulture. He finished his PhD on dehumidification of greenhouses October 2009. Currently he is the coordinator of the energy program of the ministry of Agriculture in The Netherlands involving annually 7 million EURO of projects on reducing energy use in the Dutch protected horticultural sector. Aside of this task he is international project manager for the last 20 years working on numerous projects all around the world.

International Project Manager

Erik Pekkeriet (1970) is Program Manager Vision + Robotics. He studied Mechanical Engineering at the NHL-Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Emmen. He specialized himself in Maintenance Technology and Management. After he finished his BSc he started his career at Philips as a project employee in maintenance management. In 1996 he started a new position within innovation management in a Greenhouse Horticulture Association. He started as a single consultant, but built and led a department with 5 innovation consultants. After 7 years he made a change to Wageningen University & Research, building great robots, vision sorting systems and new greenhouse production systems for, and together with farmers and machine manufacturers. Main projects he developed and worked on were: vision sorting systems for pot plants, cut flowers and vegetables in X-ray-, NIR-, Fluorescence- and RGB-technology in 2D and 3D; robot harvesting systems for cutting roses, gerberas, cucumbers, sweet peppers and tomatoes and new moving greenhouse production systems for chrysanthemum, pot plants and vertical farms. Erik coordinated the EU-project PicknPack (flexible robotic packaging systems) and NXTGEN Hightech Agrifood. Erik is also the founding father and network coordinator of the European Digital Innovation Hub network on Robotics named: agROBOfood
The last decade Erik broadened the robotic scope from greenhouse horticulture to open field, livestock, marine, food and other Wageningen agri-food domains. Erik is now leading the agilie team of the Agro Food Robotics Program which consist of 60 experts from Wageningen Reserarch. Erik is also an IPMA-C certified project manager. Other positions are:
<ul>
<li>Boardmember of the topicgroup on Agricultural Robotics at EU Robotics</li>
<li>Chair of topicgroup Greenhouse Horticultuire at the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Techniek in de Landbouw (Dutch Society of Technology in Agriculture)</li>
<li>Network coordinator at the European agROBOfood network</li>
<li>Advisory board member of the European Machine Vision Forum</li>
</ul>

Programme Manager Vision + Robotics

Project Manager, Business Development

Dr. Zhen Liu is a Program Manager of Artificial Intelligent at the Wageningen Academy and Business Development Manager at Wageningen Food & Biobased Research of  WUR, the Netherlands.
She holds a PhD in Innovation Management from WUR and has extensive experience in agrifood innovation, executive education, and international collaboration. Dr. Liu specializes in connecting science, industry, and entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on sustainable agriculture, food systems, digital agriculture, and agrifood business development. She has designed and led numerous international executive programs, summer schools, and industry-academia partnerships involving participants from Europe, China, and other regions.
In addition to her work at WUR, she is co-founder of DeCi AgriTech, an AI-driven startup developing autonomous greenhouse growing solutions for sustainable food production.

Program Manager AI of Wageningen Academy

Business Lead

Greenhouse Consultant

Born and raised near the city of Mechelen, in Belgium’s main greenhouse vegetable‑growing area. As the son of a tomato and lettuce grower he literally grew up between the plants in a greenhouse. That’s where his passion for plants and greenhouse growing originates.
 
Specialized in hydroponic growing of leafy vegetables and herbs in open field, greenhouses or closed environments, and plant propagation. Currently consulting and supporting projects all over the world in different climate zones (like Japan, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and North America).

Managing Partner

I am Niels van der Geest, graduated in Biosystems Engineering from the University of Wageningen and currently working as a cultivation engineer at Delphy, the Netherlands, with the focus on Greenhouse Vegetables. As cultivation engineer, I develop data-driven cultivation management tools that support growers in making data driven decisions!

Specialist data-driven growing

Wesley Petzer is a South African-born cultivation and international market development specialist based in the Netherlands. He is Global Brand Representative and Growing Consultant for Atami Nutrients and Founder of Petzer Consulting BV, a consultancy focused on cultivation strategy, nutrient programmes, brand development and commercial growth within cannabis and controlled-environment horticulture.
With more than ten years of hands-on cultivation experience, Wesley has worked across legacy, regulated and emerging cannabis markets. His background combines farming, agricultural economics, compliance, software, product education and business development, allowing him to connect technical cultivation realities with broader commercial and market opportunities.
Before founding Petzer Consulting BV, Wesley worked as Business Development Manager Africa at Cannavigia, supporting the expansion of cannabis compliance technology in developing and regulated markets. Today, he works with growers, brands, distributors and industry partners across Europe, Africa, North America and emerging markets, helping translate cultivation knowledge into stronger positioning, trusted partnerships and scalable market strategies.
Wesley’s work is driven by a belief that the future of high-value horticulture depends not only on better products and better cultivation, but also on education, transparency, credible branding and meaningful international collaboration.

Global Brand Representative & Growing Consultant, Atami Nutrients | Founder, Petzer Consulting BV

Ms. Karcey is a cannabis industry executive with over twenty years of experience specializing in cultivation, facility design, permitting, and environmental optimization. With extensive hands-on expertise across indoor, greenhouse, and outdoor cultivation environments, she brings practical operational knowledge to complex cultivation and manufacturing projects.
She is the founder of Cultivo, Inc., a Northern California–based cannabis facility design and consulting firm established more than eleven years ago. Under her leadership, Cultivo has supported projects across more than 25 U.S. states and three countries, providing services including site selection, permitting, regulatory strategy, facility design, HVAC integration, and construction management for cultivation and manufacturing operations.
From 2020 to 2026, Ms. Karcey also founded and led Artemis CoPack, a 67,000-square-foot cannabis manufacturing and post-processing operation in Lake County, California, offering vertically integrated co-packing, extraction, packaging, and logistics services while managing multiple sun-grown cultivation sites.
Ms. Karcey has been featured in Forbes, National Geographic, Cannabis Science and Technology Magazine, Marijuana Venture, Marijuana Business Daily, Yahoo Finance, High Times, and other leading publications.

Founder and CEO

Simone is the chairman of the Union of coffeeshop retailers in the Netherlands, kandidate for the European Parlement and working at the national and international level to advance regulation of cannabis and to professionalize the emerging industry. She is ons of the key figures who advocates on the legalization on a European level.

Chairman

Green architect, inspirator and strategist.

Hassan Halawy is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Elite Agro Holding, a leading integrated agrifood platform headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates with a growing footprint across the GCC, Africa, and Europe. With over two decades of experience spanning agriculture, infrastructure, and digital systems, Hassan has built a career at the intersection of large-scale farming, engineering, and food systems development. He began his career in Africa, gaining hands-on experience in complex agricultural operations, before bringing this expertise to the UAE, where he has played a pivotal role in advancing modern, climate-resilient agriculture and contributing to national food security objectives. Prior to his current role, Hassan led and delivered large-scale agricultural projects across multiple geographies, combining open-field and controlled-environment agriculture to optimize productivity, resource efficiency, and year-round production. His work integrates engineering discipline, agronomic expertise, and digital innovation to address the structural challenges of farming in arid and water-stressed environments. At Elite Agro, Hassan leads the company’s strategic transformation into a fully integrated, technology-enabled food production platform. Under his leadership, the group operates across the full agricultural value chain, from engineering, procurement, and construction of farming assets to farm management, production, and distribution; delivering resilient and commercially viable food systems. In addition, Hassan has been actively involved in government-to-government (G2G) initiatives, leading and supporting strategic agricultural projects in collaboration with governments, international organizations, and development partners. These engagements focus on advancing food security, enabling knowledge transfer, and developing sustainable agricultural ecosystems in emerging markets. Beyond operations, Hassan contributes to global dialogue on food security and climate-smart agriculture. He has participated in high-level forums including COP16 Riyadh, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, and other international platforms, where he engages on topics such as supply chain resilience, Agri-tech innovation, and sustainable food production. Hassan is recognized for his execution-driven leadership style and his ability to bridge public and private sector collaboration, positioning agriculture as a scalable and investment-ready sector. He holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering from the American University of Beirut.

Chief Executive Officer

Business Developer

Janneke Grit, MSc earned her MSc degree in Greenhouse Horticulture in 2015 at Wageningen University. Thereafter she was a lecturer at HAS Green Academy teaching in the Horticulture & Business Management program. She instructed students plant physiology courses, provided courses to professionals and conducted applied research mainly in the field of greenhouse horticulture and vertical farming. Since 2023, she has been working as scientist at the Business Unit Greenhouse Horticulture of Wageningen University and Research. Her main area of expertise is greenhouse crop physiology, with a current focus on the safe application of new CO2 sources for horticulture and transitions to new cultivation systems. Her research is carried out in close collaboration with growers, the supply industry and the government.

Scientist Greenhouse Crop Physiology

Researcher Delphy Improvement Centre

Dr. Nils Borchard is Head of Research and Innovation at DLG (the German Agricultural Society) and Visiting Associate Professor at Lisbon School of Economics and Management. He studied geography at Humboldt University Berlin and holds a doctorate from the University of Bonn. His career spans leading research institutions across Europe and Asia, including Forschungszentrum Jülich, the Center for International Forestry Research, and the Natural Resources Institute Finland, where he served as the scientific heads of agriculture and horticulture. At DLG, he builds up and drives R&D&I activities across the entire agri-food value chain, with a particular focus on food systems innovation and knowledge management.

Head of Research and Innovation

Consultant in global controlled environment agriculture space with 8+ years of experience across vertical farming, greenhouse systems, and fresh produce supply chains. Co-founder and editor at VerticalFarmDaily, part of a global family media group with 16+ industry publications, where I built a strong network and in depth market insight. I now support companies and startups with market research, go to market strategy, and business development.

Owner

Gerrit Polder is senior researcher Computer Vision & Plant Phenotyping at the department Greenhouse Technology and the Agricultural Biosystems Engineering chair group of Wageningen University & Research. His research interests include photonic based sensing, including imaging spectroscopy and spectral imaging for disease detection and high throughput automated plant phenotyping both in protected cultivation and arable farming.

Computer Vision & Plant Phenotyping

For me - it's all about agriculture.  As business developer for www.festo.com I scout for AgTech topics, startups and business to bring more smart technology into a sector we all heavily depend on. At our family farm, we produce and market organic, regional and seasonal vegetables: www.heidehoefe.de und www.kartoffel-post.de

Business Development Agriculture

Director Construction

Policy Specialist Water & Environment

Born and raised in the heart of the Dutch Westland, Renko Schuil has been immersed in fresh food production from an early age. His career in the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) industry spans over two decades, during which he has gained extensive expertise across various facets of the sector. From hardware and growing systems to climate control, lighting, logistics, and automation, Renko has developed a comprehensive understanding of the intricate relationships between these key components. His broad experience enables him to take a holistic approach, helping growers and industry leaders optimize their operations with innovative solutions.
Renko is now representing TTA-ISO as Sales Manager Food. At TTA-ISO, ‘Food’ refers to all edible and medicinal crops grown in controlled environments, from high-tech greenhouses to fully enclosed vertical farms. With a strong focus on plant handling and processing, TTA-ISO applies its 25+ years of expertise in robotics and automation to develop turnkey solutions that improve efficiency and consistency in indoor farming.

Sales Manager Food

Researcher

Simkje Kruiderink is Team coordinator of NL bilateral relations at the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. Her international career of 20 years includes also being seconded to the University of Wageningen for a year to work on agriculture and water related issues and aa well as, four years, to the European Commission.

Team Coördinator International Relations

Sector Head Agrifood

Dr. Silke Hemming is head of the Greenhouse Technology research team at Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands. She is an expert on the field of novel greenhouse design concepts and modern greenhouse coverings for different climate zones world-wide with focus on resource efficiency. Her research is related to greenhouse covering and screen materials increasing light transmission, changing light spectrum, the effect of diffuse light, and energy saving by coverings, coatings and screens. Silke Hemming initiated research on the field of artificial intelligence and greenhouses control. She was leader of three International challenges on Autonomous Greenhouses and will present intermediate results of the 4th edition during Greentech. Her research group has expertise on the field of energy saving, greenhouse climate, modelling, data science, sensors and AI for greenhouse and indoor farming applications

Head scientific research team Greenhouse Technology

Stef Maree (PhD), is programme manager Autonomous Cultivation at Wageningen Research. He focusses on bringing the latest development from the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning into agriculture, helping growers to grow more sustainably and making healthy food available worldwide.

Programme Manager Autonomous Cultivation

Tom Zoellner is a proven expert for innovative agri-tech initiatives and has 25 years’ experience in agricultural consulting as well as in being in the forefront with innovation and resilience solutions in the agriculture community. Tom helped initiate and develop numerous major international projects for acclaimed agriculture innovation showcases in the US, CH, DE and the Benelux and has a MSc. in environmental policy from the Bard Graduate Center for Sustainablity, New York.
He is the co-founder and the secretary-general of the FarmTech Society based in Brussels with many years being part of the agriculture expert networks and policy development working groups in the US and the EU.

Secretary-General

Thank you for your interest! 
My name is Serge de Reuver, 42 years young, father of 3 children. I have a passion for sports and for raising the bar; On a personal ánd business level.
After completing my university studies, I worked for a large Dutch bank for 15 years. In my last role, as Director of Business Banking within the Midcorporate segment, I was responsible for, among others, the high-tech horticulture sector. After 15 years of analysing business models, helping shareholders to sell and buy (their) companies, arranging complex financing et cetera, I decided three years ago to contribute my part to a leading global sector, and specifically to one of the leading companies active in this sector worldwide: KUBO Group.
Very happy to take you into the world of Ultra Clima. We have recently launched a number of frame-breaking innovations that will make your business model both more profitable, less risky and more future-proof.
I look forward to seeing you there at the Greentech!

Head of Sales

Trainer & Consultant international

Marc Celis is an internationally experienced hydroponic leafy greens specialist at Rijk Zwaan, with more than 30 years of expertise in hydroponic lettuce production and controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Originally from Belgium, he supports growers, investors and horticultural partners worldwide in the development of hydroponic and high-tech leafy green projects.
 
His work focuses on integrating genetics, cultivation strategies and production systems to optimize yield, quality, shelf life and operational efficiency in greenhouse and indoor farming environments. Marc Celis is widely recognized for his practical and market-oriented approach to hydroponic production and regularly shares his expertise through international industry events and project collaborations.

Hydroponic specialist lettuce

Joost Damen is an Integration & Automation expert at Dots & Arrows, a member of Spire, where he helps organizations build scalable digital foundations through API-led integration and intelligent automation. With a strong focus on connecting systems, data, and processes, Joost works with companies to modernize their integration landscapes and enable faster innovation across the enterprise.
Passionate about the practical application of emerging technologies, Joost specializes in designing integration architectures that are secure, governable, and future-ready. His work bridges the gap between enterprise integration strategy and the next generation of AI-driven operations, helping organizations prepare for the shift toward agentic enterprises.
In his sessions, Joost combines hands-on experience with a forward-looking perspective on how APIs, automation, and intelligent agents can work together to create resilient and adaptable digital ecosystems.

Integration & Automation expert

Experienced cannabis industry professional with a strong background in operations, business development, and regulated cultivation environments.
Proven expertise in mother plant management, propagation scaling, GMP-oriented processes, and cross-border project coordination.
Adept at working with government bodies, universities, civil associations, and multidisciplinary teams across Europe and Latin America.

Founder / CEO

The workplace is the best learning environment. Beanstalk assumes that all knowledge is already available.
As coach and trainer I am concerned with the individual people in the organization and I facilitate coaching processes to realize human growth.
Beanstalk helps to build future-proof companies in the agricultural sector by developing the people in the organization.
We approach learning and development of people as a growth process. We are continuously learning and developing! You can accelerate this process by working consciously and purposefully on development.  Together with Peter Klapwijk and Sjoerd Nieboer (family business 😊), we also organize away days for directors, management and entrepreneurs to reflect on leadership, trends, day to day activity and the future. 
I am also involved with Peter Klapwijk in the content and development of this Power day. Nice to meet you there.

Trainer/coach

Sector Developer

Ot Messemaker is Head of Business Finance at Skytree, an Amsterdam-based Direct Air Capture (DAC) company developing systems that capture CO₂ from ambient air on-site at greenhouses and integrate seamlessly with local infrastructure. In his role, Ot structures the subsidy programs and financial incentives that make DAC the most economical CO₂ source available on location. He brings over four years of experience at the intersection of DAC and Dutch horticulture, has led subsidy applications totaling more than EUR 100 million for greenhouse projects, and currently works with growers across more than 150 hectares of greenhouse area on DAC deployments.

Head of Business Finance

Ir. Eric Poot has been manager of Delphy Improvement Centre in Bleiswijk since April 2024, where he leads applied research in greenhouse horticulture. With his team he focuses on the development and application of knowledge and technological innovations within cultivation systems, with the aim of making the sector more sustainable and future-proof. The Improvement Centre is also a leader in testing and demonstrating new varieties and technologies for high-tech greenhouse cultivation. Before his position at Delphy, Poot worked for years at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). Poot is an advocate of knowledge sharing and cooperation between research, business and education. He emphasizes the importance of integral approaches, in which factors such as light, climate and energy consumption are jointly optimized, and in which digitalization plays an essential enabling role. His vision is that horticulture makes an essential contribution to a healthy diet and the well-being of people worldwide, and that knowledge and technology play key roles in achieving sustainable food production.

Manager Improvement Centre

Reinier Wolterbeek is the Chief Product Officer at ONNA Greens, Norway's largest commercial Indoor Vertical Farm. He is largely accountable for moving trial crops into commercial crops.
Before joining ONNA, Reinier was the co-founder and CTO of Sundrop Farms, developing, building and operating 6 medium & high-tech greenhouses in Australia, the Middle East, Europe and USA, growing tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, strawberries & raspberries. 
Reinier has over &gt;20 years of innovative CEA experience with MSc degree from Wageningen University & Research.

Chief Product Officer

Project Manager and Lead partner for Interreg NWE Project Re-Greenhouse at Inagro, Research and innovation in agricultural sector.

Project Manager

Johanna Bac-Molenaar became biologist, because she is fascinated by the living world around here in which each creature has its own role and place due to adaptations and interactions. During her studies in biology and in her PhD research, she specialized in the study of plants and their interaction with the environment. She currently works as a 'Plant Health' researcher at the Greenhouse Horticulture business unit of Wageningen University and Research, on the design and testing of resilient and sustainable cultivation systems. Her research aims to minimize pesticide use and to work more and more circular. As a specialist in strawberry cultivation, she likes to see the cultivation cycle (propagation, nursery and production) as one interconnected system for which integral solution work best.

Researcher Plant Health

Assistant Professor, Horticulture & Product Physiology

Hung has R&D background in crop physiology and vegetable seed industry. Currently, Hung works at Rijk Zwaan Viet Nam as a PDS focusing on the North. Hung promotes the choice of Rijk Zwaan varieties and helps growers achieve the best possible results. This includes various activities through vegetable value chain. 
In his free time Hung enjoys running and hanging around with family.

Production Development Specialist

Aurélie Bovi is the Innovation Lead for the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) sector at the UK Agri-Tech Centre. A molecular biologist and geneticist by training, with 10 years’ experience in laboratories and a specialist technical knowledge in plant sciences, Aurélie has worked in business innovation facilitating roles for over 16 years, engaging and collaborating with UK and international organisations in cross-cutting industry sectors and disciplines to deliver solutions to the agri-food sector. She has built an enviable network of contacts across research, industry, policymakers and government bodies. Through her roles she has gained broad view on the innovation landscape (including funding) and cross-cutting R&D knowledge across an array of industry sectors and technologies relevant to the agrifood and broader bio (circular) economy - including agri-tech; biotechnologies (industrial; synthetic biology); (bio)renewables; big data/AI; indoor farming (horticulture; CEA). Over the past few years, Aurélie has expanded her knowledge and expertise of the horticulture and indoor farming, working closely with stakeholders on the development, delivery and adoption of novel/disruptive technologies, processes, and approaches in those sectors.

Innovation Lead, Control Environment Agriculture

Rudolf de Vetten is Chief Product Officer and co-founder of Blue Radix. Blue Radix controls climate & irrigation in greenhouses with AI. Based on the goals and strategy of the grower, Blue Radix helps growers to produce more with less resources. Many growers have embraced this solution in the past years, winning back control and time. Rudolf de Vetten is responsible for the product strategy, data science development and HR. With a strong track record in business and product development, he has realized succesful data driven innovations in the horticulture market. Solid background in the field of software development, project management and energy technology.

Energy used to be predictable.  Crop growth used to follow stable patterns. Today, neither is true and growers are expected to manage both.
Nienke Veenendaal, MSc, is Product & Engineering Director at Priva, working at the intersection of crop science, energy systems, and digital technology. She challenges how the industry deals with volatility: not as a constraint, but as something that can be actively steered.
With a background in Industrial Design Engineering from TU Delft, she brings a systems-thinking approach to balancing energy cost and crop stability. Her focus is on how smart scheduling and predictive insight can turn uncertainty into control.
On stage, she explores a simple but provocative idea: stability is no longer given - it is designed.

Director Product & Engineering

Founder of Agri-AI BV, is a pioneering force in integrating artificial intelligence within the agricultural food sector. Born and educated in China, she has lived more than 15 years in the Netherlands, the world's leading country in agri-food innovation and the 2nd largest exporter of agri-food globally. Cynthia holds a degree in Business Economics and an MBA in Strategy and Innovation from the University of Amsterdam (UvA), where her research focused on AI acceptance and adoption in Dutch agri-food business. A thought leader in the field, Cynthia serves as a columnist for leading agri-food industry journals in the Netherlands and holds a position as Visiting Professor specializing in AI applications in agriculture. Her diverse technological background includes spearheading major infrastructure projects in 4G network deployment, Fiber to the Home (FTTH), and Amsterdam's smart city initiatives. Cynthia's mission is to seamlessly integrate cutting-edge technology throughout the agri-food value chain, transforming how we produce and distribute food for a sustainable future.

Founder

With years in industrial automation, Rick Schneiders leads Siemens' Future Food team, driving the digitalization of food processing for sustainability. Recognizing the critical need for progress in food production, he takes charge in advocating for industry-wide standardization while guiding companies in scaling up innovative business models. Rick's commitment to innovation and sustainability, combined with his extensive experience, drives his mission to revolutionize the food industry towards a more efficient and sustainable future.

Head of Future Food

Desh Ramnath is a serial entrepreneur and ecosystem architect, driven by innovation, collaboration, and systemic impact.
After founding and scaling his own ventures, Desh expanded his scope across industries and even into politics. These experiences shaped a clear conviction: meaningful innovation does not happen in silos, but through well-designed ecosystems that connect people, technology, capital, and value chains.
Curious about how younger generations and the emerging economy approached entrepreneurship, Desh entered the innovation space as a mentor at UtrechtInc. From there, he went on to design and support startup ecosystems across the globe. His journey came full circle when the Municipality of Westland invited him into the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) domain—reconnecting him with both his professional interests and his roots as a Dutch citizen of Indian origin, born in ’s-Gravenzande.
What began as an exploration quickly evolved into a mission. Inspired by the transformative potential of horticulture, Desh became deeply engaged with entrepreneurs in the food and flower industries. Together with Mart Valstar (Best Fresh Group), he initiated strategic conversations with the Municipality of Westland, ultimately leading to the creation of HortiHeroes—an innovation acceleration platform for the global Food & Flower ecosystem.
Alongside close collaborators Bas Allart and Roel Raatgever, Desh co-founded HortiHeroes and built the team that successfully scaled the platform to its next phase. During this period, he was invited by fellow Entrepreneur-in-Residence Maren Schoormans to co-develop the international strategy of Dutch Greenhouse Delta, supporting its global ambitions in CEA technology. What was intended as a short engagement evolved into several years in which Desh fulfilled multiple strategic and leadership roles within the organization.
These experiences converged into a new venture, Horizon11—a strategic advisory company focused on accelerating impact through collaboration, innovation, and purposeful ecosystem design.
While remaining active across multiple ventures and industries, Desh firmly believes that AgriFood is a key enabler of healthy living on a healthy planet. It is one of the few industries where commercial success and positive global impact truly align. This belief, combined with his experience and ambition, led him to join the HortiScience Innovation Center.
Returning to the role of a starting entrepreneur, Desh looks forward to creating value once again—building the future of AgriFood innovation from the ground up.

Initiator

With over more then 40 years of experience in the field of Horticulture, always following the latest innovations and today inspiring and motivating many young and ambitious people within the GreenV group to deliver integrated solutions with cutting-edge technology for our customers.

Global Sales Director

Regional Manager

Hans Kristian Westrum is CSO and founder of SoilSteam International, a Scandinavian company developing innovative technologies for substrate reuse and soil remediation. He has worked extensively with researchers and institutions across Europe to document the efficacy of steam-based soil disinfection as a sustainable alternative to excavation and landfill. Westrum has co-authored and supported field trials and third-party studies demonstrating how thermal treatment effectively neutralizes invasive plants, pathogens, and nematodes while preserving soil fertility. He has presented the technology at international conferences and is engaged in bridging applied research with practical deployment in agriculture, landscaping, and environmental restoration. His academic and professional focus is on scalable, science-based solutions that combine environmental impact reduction with circular economy principles in soil and substrate management.

General Manager Mexico

Ben Nikaj is a highly accomplished Senior Crop Advisor at Grodan, leading provider of root zone management solutions for professional horticulture. With an impressive career spanning over 22 years, Ben supports vegetable and medicinal crop growers worldwide in optimizing their irrigation strategies and cultivation methods. Ben’s focus is on sustainable and efficient solutions to enhance plant performance and product quality. Ben’s unparalleled expertise plays a pivotal role in advancing innovative substrates and cultivation techniques.

Senior Crop Advisor Medicinal Plants

Christopher Leavitt is a cannabis breeder and tissue culture scientist who founded Voyager Genetics, a clone-only B2B genetics business specializing in servicing commercial medical cultivations. He is based out of Portugal, but works internationally with clients in Thailand, Portugal, South Africa, and the UK. He is the former CSO/COO of Compound Genetics and co-founder at Node Labs in San Francisco, California. His approach to cannabis clone development is unique- combining the use of plant tissue culture techniques and traditional clone selection techniques within the compliant medical framework, while balancing the art and science of breeding exceptional flavors into plants that perform agronomically.

VP of Asset Development

Marcel Zethoven is a safety and political expert with extensive experience in various roles with the Dutch National Police and was involved in the enforcement aspects of cannabis policy in the Netherlands.
Nowadays Marcel Zethoven is a senior management- and policy advisor for Dutch municipalities. He advises mayors on cannabis policy. He has extensive experience in municipalities operating under the typical Dutch tolerance structure, as well as administrative experience within the national experiment with closed coffee shop chains.

Advisor for Dutch municipalities

Managing director

www.cresultant.nl  www,plantscout.eu

Minister for Food Security, Fisheries and Horticulture

Nicola Donato is Business Development Manager at Green Gas & Liquids (GGL), a company specialising in proprietary CO₂ capture and utilisation (CCU), biogas upgrading, and emission control solutions green fuel production processes. Operating globally, GGL builds on a solid technological foundation following a spin-off from an established player in the process technology industry.
Nicola works with a focus on European and North American markets on a full commercial cycle helping greenhouses to recover their CO2 and reutilize it for crop fertilization.

Business Development manager

The team Rootzone Dynamics from Wageningen University & Research BU Greenhouse Horticulture focuses on investigating processes around the plant roots and in the irrigation system. Research topics: alternative growing media, microbiology, belowground phytopathology, water quality, fertigation and virology. My personal focus has been on the application of water technology to achieve a zero-emission cultivation system with optimal recirculation water quality: prevent distribution of diseases via water, removal of plant protection products from discharge water, optimization of filtration and selective ion removal. Focus is on finding technologies that have specific effects on water quality, without inhibiting plant productivity, for example for prevention of biofilm formation in irrigation lines. The role of water composition and treatment on the rootzone microbiology is another topic that still requires a lot of attention.

Team lead Rootzone Dynamics

Dr. Jan-Gerd Frerichs leads technology development at OrbiFarm GmbH in Germany, where he drives innovation in fully automated controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) systems.
Prior to joining OrbiFarm®, he headed the Future Farming division at Körber Technologies GmbH where he and his teamdeveloped various concepts for the next level of growing indoors. Before joining Körber, he served as Senior Vice President for Software, Automation, and IT at Kalera (International) GmbH. There he played a pivotal role in developing automation and software solutions for large‑scale indoor farming operations. He further strengthened his industry impact as Chief Digital Officer and Head of Software & Automation at &ever GmbH, contributing significantly to pioneering innovations in indoor farming technology, from prototypes and local retail solutions up to highly automated farms in Kuwait and Singapore.
With extensive experience managing global, interdisciplinary teams across both start‑ups and established enterprises, Dr. Frerichs has consistently demonstrated strong strategic and organizational leadership.
He holds a PhD in Technical Chemistry from Leibniz University Hannover and a diploma in Electrical Engineering, underscoring his solid scientific foundation and technical expertise.
Dr. Frerichs’ career reflects a broad spectrum of experience across Total Controlled Environment Agriculture (TCEA), biotechnology, digitalization, automation, and adjacent technology domains—positioning him as a key driver in shaping the future of sustainable, technology‑enabled food production.

Professor of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) specializing in vertical farming, indoor agriculture, and climate-smart food systems. His work advances food security by integrating plant physiology, environmental sustainability, and agri-tech innovation. With over 15 years of experience across academia and industry, Prof Gauthier advises corporations, investors, universities, and growers on vertical farming strategies, indoor production systems, and AgTech development, translating plant science into scalable, real-world solutions. He serves on boards of Asia-Pacific agribusiness and AgTech organizations and have held leadership roles across academia, startups, and large research initiatives, collaborating with industry and public partners to design high-efficiency, resilient agricultural systems. A Professor, keynote speaker, consultant, and published researcher, Prof Gauthier holds a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology and Horticulture, with additional training in Business Management and Marketing, and have served as faculty at Princeton University, UC Davis, and Penn State. His mission is to accelerate innovation in climate-smart agriculture and global food security by connecting science, education, and industry.

Associate Professor

Adrian is the Co founder and President of Roelands Plant Farms a vegetable plant propagation greenhouse located in Lambton Shores, Ontario, Canada.

President

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