Qualification: 

PDE - Management Development Programme at AESE Business School
GAIN - Management of Agribusiness at AESE Business School
Market Driving Strategies at the London Business School
Bachelor of Agriculture at ESACB

Goncalo Santos Andrade has been representing the F&V Portuguese sector in more than 50 countries, in four different continents, during the last seven years. Four years ago, he joined the board of the Portuguese Farmers' Union where he was responsible  for all climate change and environmental issues. He also has 30 years of experience in the soft fruit industry and concerning other fruit and vegetables products. In 2005 he founded Lusomorango, S.A. - the 1^st Berries Producer Organization in Portugal. From 2006 to 2008 he was the vice president of FNOP - Portuguese Federation of Producers Organization. He is the fourth generation to run the family agricultural business Casa Prudencio.

Philippe Appeltans graduated in 1995 as an agricultural engineer at the Catholic University of Leuven. He started his professional career as a consultant for young farmers. In 1997 he was appointed as president of the Belgian young Farmers and became member of the Executive Board of Boerenbond, the Belgian Farmers' Union. In 2003 he became senior adviser for the horticultural sector in the research department of the Belgian Farmers' Union, and in 2007 Secretary general of VBT - The Association of Belgian Horticultural Cooperatives. From October 2016 until June 2019 he was strongly involved in the European fresh produce sector and policy as the Chairman of the Copa-Cogeca Fruit and Vegetable Working Party. Since September 2018 he is the CEO of BelOrta, Belgian largest cooperative in the fruit and vegetable sector with 1200 active growers, 500 employees and a turnover of more than 600 million Euros.

Starting with her education in food engineering, she has always been working with issues related to agriculture and rural development whether it was at the public administration, milk laboratory or working on a farm with her parents. With a background like that starting at the Latvian Ministry of Agriculture, she joined the Commission in 2004 and held various positiions in the area of rural development (young farmers, farm business development). In 2019, she moved on within DG AGRI to become responsible for management of fruit and vegetables support. Since 2022, she is in charge of support provided to the fruit and vegetables sector within the framework of the CAP Strategic plans. 

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My heart beats for personnel

I have been working with people and teams for over 25 years and have been responsible for 3,000 employees at the top. My many years of (management) expertise enable me to provide holistic advice on the entire HR process, from advertising, recruitment and planning to personnel development and the offboarding process (outplacement).

Get to know trends in human resources, optimise your company in just a few steps and save a lot of time and money in the process.

Jeanette has been part of SydGrönt's management team and an employee since the company was founded in 1992.

SydGrönt applied to become a producer organization (PO) in 1996 and was approved in 1997. Today, SydGrönt is the largest PO in Sweden, with over 100 members and a wide variety of crops. In 2023, SydGrönt had a turnover of 188 million Euro, with 93 million Euro from member-grown, approved fruit and vegetables.

Olle Olofsson, MSc Business Administration, MSc Agriculture Economics, Business Partner and CCO for Food Tech company Saveggy AB in Lund, Sweden.

Saveggy has since 2020 been developing a coating solution for reducing foodwaste and plastic packaging on fruits and vegetables. In 2024 the first test launch in Sweden has started with focus on reducing waste and reducing plastic on cucumbers.

Olle is the former MD of PO Svenska Odlarlaget, Sweden for more than 20 years and has been supporting and joining the ICOP events since the start in early years 2006/2007.

Olle is working part time with Saveggy in his own consultant company and is more generally focusing on assignments within sustainability, business development, recruiting (IMD International Search Group and Lisberg Executive Search) and organizational restructuring that is needed for sustainable business practices. With a background in Agri-/Horti-Transaction Cost Economics and Fresh Produce he is committed to green production and dedicated to promoting sustainable business and enterprises on the global stage.

Daniel Ribeiro, currently is Managing Partner of Hidrosoph, a company he co-founded in 2008. He has been working in agronomic and environmental projects in several countries since he graduated in Plant Applied Biology, Plant Physiology at the University of Lisbon. He contributes to the project with his large experience in his main areas of expertise: Water Management, Agronomy, Environmental Impact Assessment and Monitoring and Project Management. Hidrosoph focusses on designing, developing and implementing water management projects to optimize farming operations and organizations, starting from the water management perspective while also integrating other key factors.

Cindy van Rijswick is Global Strategist for Fresh Produce within Rabobank's worldwide Food & Agribusiness Research team. Cindy is responsible for setting and executing the research agenda. During her over two decades long career span, Cindy has published reports on a range of topics, from sustainability in fresh produce to the greenhouse sector to the global berry sector. Moreover, she regularly acts as a keynote speaker at (international) conferences. Her analyses and visions are instrumental for Rabobank's activities and clients in the food & agribusiness.

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