SPEAKERS
Aalt Dijkhuizen
Former President of Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands
Aalt Dijkhuizen was born and raised on a dairy farm. He graduated in Agricultural Economics at Wageningen University and holds a PhD from the Veterinary School at Utrecht University. He was a professor of Animal Health Economics at Wageningen University and left for private industry to become managing director with Nutreco, the then stock-based company active in animal feed, animal breeding and food processing. From 2002 to 2014 he was president and ceo of Wageningen University & Research and afterwards president of the Dutch Topsector Agri & Food. He serves on several supervisory boards of agribusiness companies and is highly involved in working with China. He was awarded Honorary Citizen of Fujian Province in China and appointed as Commander of the Royal Order of Orange-Nassau in the Netherlands.
Cynthia Zhu
CEO Agri-AI, The Netherlands
Cynthia Zhu is active at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture. Born and educated in China, Cynthia earned her degree in Business Economics. She has lived and worked in the Netherlands for almost 15 years and recently did her MBA in Strategy and Innovation at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Her thesis research focused on the potential and acceptance of AI in Dutch agribusiness.
With a solid foundation in both the telecom and agriculture sectors, Cynthia started her own business called ‘Agri AI’. Her company stands at the cutting edge of leveraging AI to revolutionize agricultural practices. Her work focuses on addressing the unique challenges within the agricultural sector, utilizing AI to enhance sustainability and operational efficiency. She is keen on exploring innovative ideas to implement into daily practice.
Suzanne Verboon
FME & NXTGEN Hightech Agrifood, The Netherlands
Suzanne has extensive experience with innovative projects and programs, both nationally and internationally. As Program Manager for Agriculture, Water, and Food at FME, she utilizes her passion for these sectors to accelerate solutions.
Dr. Johannes Sonnen
Managing Director / CEO | DKE-Data, Germany
Dr. Johannes Sonnen is the Managing Director and CEO of DKE-Data GmbH & Co. KG, a leader in agricultural technology solutions based in Osnabrück. Raised on a family farm dedicated to arable farming and pig growing, Johannes brings a deep-rooted understanding of the agricultural sector to his leadership. Johannes holds a degree from the University of Applied Sciences Cologne, where he specialized in agricultural machinery and developed expertise in simulation technologies using MATLAB-Simulink. He further honed his skills through doctoral studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, focusing on the simulation of harvest process chains.
His career at Grimme in Damme spanned nearly a decade, where he led the department of Simulation and Measurement and later oversaw Product Management for Potato technologies. In 2015, Johannes transitioned to DKE-Data, where he initially served as the Head of Product Management and Business Development before stepping into his current role as CEO in April 2023.
Christoph Apke
Business & Product Management | DKE-Data, Germany
Tom Zoellner
Co-Founder and Secretary-General FarmTech Society, Belgium
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.
Dr. Martin Kremmer
Director Hay & Forage Engineering John Deere, Germany
Martin Kremmer was born in 1972 in Saulgau (now Bad Saulgau) and grew up in the South of Germany. From 1994 to 1998 he studied mechanical/agricultural engineering at Cologne University of Applied Sciences (TH Köln). In 2001, he received his PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (UK).
During his time in England, Martin Kremmer already had contacts with John Deere in the USA and completed his doctoral thesis in close cooperation with the company. In 2002 he began his industrial career at John Deere Mannheim Works where he held a number of positions in product engineering with increasing responsibilities.
In 2013 he became Manager Automation Strategy at the John Deere European Technology Innovation Center (ETIC) in Kaiserslautern and 2019 Manager Integrated Solutions Technology Strategy at the Moline Technology Innovation Center in Moline, IL USA. In June 2019 he returned to Kaiserslautern as Managing Director ETIC. Between 2020 and 2023 he led the Small Ag & Turf Production Systems Solutions Engineering. He is currently working in the position of Director Hay & Forage Engineering and is overall responsible for the global development of all John Deere solutions for Hay and Forage production systems.
Martin Kremmer has become a John Deere Fellow for Technology & Innovation since 2019 and also represents John Deere in manufacturer associations at the national level in the Association of German Machinery and Plant Manufacturers (VDMA Board and Agricultural Engineering Steering Committee) and at the international level through his role in the CEMA Technical Board of the European Agricultural Machinery Association.
Martin Kremmer is a prominent discussion partner in the field of agricultural technology, and is regularly asked to give lectures by relevant trade associations and universities. He has been teaching tractors at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) since 2006, where he was awarded an honorary professorship in 2019. He is also the author or co-author of numerous scientific publications and has filed over 55 patents and patent applications.
Tiffany Tsui
CEO Springtide Strategy | Co-owner Vertical Farm Institute, The Netherlands
Tiffany is a global strategist at the forefront of green development and founder of successful pioneering startups. Her international career spans across the US, China and Europe. She focus on sustainability and digital transformation, and bridging East with West. She is the founder and CEO of Springtide Strategy that leverages a unique blend of cultural insight, interdisciplinary expertise, and sector-specific knowledge to deliver strategic research and advisory services that are at the forefront of digital transformation and sustainability.
From 2001 to 2005, Tiffany was the founding director of EMSI China, the first international consultancy firm to develop industry standards and digital tools for LEED certified ‘green buildings’ in the Chinese market, a market which developed to be about 6.5 billion square meters 20 years later!
After moving to the Netherlands in 2005 till 2013, she joined the internationally leading engineering & consultancy group Royal HaskoningDHV and was the project director for large scale integral projects in the area of sustainable urban developments, metropolitan food clusters and eco-city developments in China. Tiffany regularly speaks at international conferences and is also the author/co-author for publications including ‘Feeding Tomorrow’s Cities’, ‘DNA of Westland’, ‘Green Cities China’.
Ilario Ingravallo
Mission Lead | EIT Food, Belgium
Ilario Ingravallo (MSc, MSc in Food Science and Technology) is a senior food industry professional with a passion for innovation and extensive expertise and technical knowledge across R&D, Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Quality (acquired across different roles within several international organizations).
Joined EIT Food in 2018, where he was involved in running the Innovation Programme and leading the strategic portfolios related to circular food systems and digital traceability. Currently leads the EIT Food’s Mission on “Reducing Risk for a Fair & Resilient Food System” where he supports the Missions strategy execution and delivering against impact programming and plans.
Mark Frederiks
Founder | amped.nl, The Netherlands
My name is Mark Frederiks. Founder of amped.nl specialist in transition of food systems using gamification, data and IT, founder of short food chain enterprise local2local.nl active in Amsterdam, partner of Climate KIC, EU4advice consortium and co-founder of the foundation taskforce short foodchain.
Currently I’m active as Living Lab manager in the Metropoleregion of Amsterdam building a short food supply chain EU learning eco-system of experts and policymakers.
About my ambition: check out my blockchain and Local2Local presentation. 10 minutes. You really must see.
Stephan Nilsson
CEO and Co-Founder | UNISOT, Norway
Stephan Nilsson, CEO and Co-Founder of UNISOT, stands at the forefront of transforming Asset Traceability in Global Supply Chains through innovative technology. With a rich background in Supply Chain Management and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, Stephan leverages his extensive experience to pioneer the integration of Public Enterprise Blockchain, AI and IPv6 into the realm of supply chain management. Boasting over 30 years of technical experience in IT-system integrations, Stephan has spent the last two decades honing his skills as an SAP Integration Architect. His deep understanding of system integrations has been pivotal in shaping the solutions offered by UNISOT. Stephan’s vision and leadership in integrating cutting-edge technologies into supply chain solutions position him as an innovator and influencer in the industry. Through UNISOT’s partnerships in EU consortiums like EU4advice and Trace4EU, Stephan exemplifies the collaborative spirit necessary for driving positive change in the food system.
Sebastian Bosse
Head of Interactive & Cognitive Systems Group | Fraunhhofer HHI, Berlin; Chair of the FAO/ITU Focus Group on AI and IoT for Digital Agriculture, Germany
Sebastian Bosse is head of the Interactive & Cognitive Systems group at Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI), Berlin, Germany. He studied electrical engineering and information technology at RWTH Aachen University, Germany, and Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain. Sebastian received the Dr.-Ing. degree in computer science (with highest distinction) from the Technical University Berlin in 2018.
During his studies he was a visiting researcher at Siemens Corporate Research, Princeton, USA. In 2014, Sebastian was a guest scientist at Stanford University, USA.
After 10 years as a research engineer working in the Image & Video Compression group and later in the Machine Learning group, he founded the research group on Interactive & Cognitive Systems at Fraunhofer HHI in 2020 that he has headed since.
Sebastian is a lecturer at the German University in Cairo. He is on the board of the Video Quality Expert Group (VQEG) and on the advisory board of the Interational AIQT Foundation. Sebastian is an affiliate member of VISTA, York University, Toronto, and serves as an associate editor for the IEEE Transactions on Image Processing. Since 2021 he has been appointed a chair for the ITU focus group on Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture.
His current research interests include the modelling of perception and cognition, machine learning, computer vision, and human-machine interaction over a wide field of applications ranging from multimedia and augmented reality, through medicine to industrial production with a special focus on agriculture.
Samreen Nurmohamed
CEO | TecGrw, Rwanda
Samreen Nurmohamed has over 15 years expertise and experience in building AI solutions for industry leaders in the multiple industries.
TecGrw understands the process of building an AI solution from the start to rollout with special focus on indoor agriculture and Agri digitilisation. Some of the current projects are building a one stop platform with resources, tutorials and GPT based chatbot to educate farmers on Short Lived Carbon Pollutants and an alternative scoring model that will be implementing in the farmer loan process.
Michiel Muller
Co-founder | Picnic, The Netherlands
Michiel Muller is co-founder of Picnic, a Dutch Online Supermarket. Serial entrepreneur Michiel Muller (1964) founded several companies that were highly disruptive in their markets. The first was an unmanned petrolstation chain, Tango, which he set up together with his business partner Marc Schröder. After that they set up other disruptive companies, such as Routemobiel, a roadside assistance company, and Bieden & Wonen, an online auction site for houses. Michiel is also active as an investor in the startup community. He invested in companies such as Fashiolista.com, a fast-growing social fashion community and Vault79.com, another online auction site. He’s also a member of the Board of Directors of La Dress . Muller wrote the business book ‘Ervaringen van een serial entrepreneur’ (‘Experiences of a serial entrepreneur’) which was voted best business book 2010/11. Muller is a member of the advisory board of the Holland Program on Entrepreneurship HOPE (Erasmus University Rotterdam / TU Delft / Leiden University) and the Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship (ACE University of Amsterdam / Free University / University of Amsterdam ). Michiel Muller is a specialist in entrepreneurship, innovation, decisiveness and disruptive business models. He offers companies insight into their own way of working and provides inspiration for innovation and change by using his experience as a serial entrepreneur.
Martijn Boelens
CTO at Lely, The Netherlands
Martijn has a master in Mechanical engineering and started his professional career at Philips. After 10 years he switched to Lely where he is now CTO.
Martijn Boelens has been working at Lely for more than 25 years now. He started out as deputy director for production and then moved up to general manager of Lely Industries, among various other positions. Now, he has been Chief Technology Officer at Lely for more than 4 years.
Barry ter Voert
CXO KLM, The Netherlands
B.A.M. ter Voert (1971) holds an MSc in Business Administration and is an Economics graduate of the University of Tilburg. After a traineeship with Arthur Andersen in London, he joined KLM in 1996 as a Management Trainee. He has worked in Amsterdam, Budapest and Paris and held various positions such as Senior Vice President Pricing & Revenue Management and Senior Vice President Europe in the Air France KLM commercial organization. Effective March 2023, Barry joined the KLM Board of Managing Directors in the position of Chief Experience Officer (CXO) & EVP Business Development. In this role he is responsible for the KLM brand, customer experience and developing KLM’s business model, heading the departments of Mainport Strategy, Fleet Development, Network Planning, Alliances, Customer Experience and Information Services. Barry believes in a future in which KLM will lead the way in making the airline industry even more sustainable.
In his role as CXO, Barry ter Voert is a member of the Executive Board of SkyTeam, an alliance of airlines in which AirfranceKLM and Delta Airlines participate, among others.
Ed Sander
Co-founder China Talk, The Netherlands
Ed Sander is known as the expert in the field of digital technology in China. He is co-founder of ChinaTalk, a service provider specializing in knowledge transfer about China. As a digital China tech analyst, independent writer, study tour guide and speaker, he comments on developments in China.
Ed is known as an experienced and pragmatic keynote speaker. Based on facts, he points out the latest digital and innovative developments in China and likes to discuss them with his audience. In doing so, he not only paints an intriguing picture of trends in China, but also of our changing times.
He also likes to share his personal experiences with China, where he lived for a number of years. He worked there as a marketing consultant for Chinese NGOs in the central city of Xi’an and is married to a Chinese woman. He also worked as an online marketing manager for the Xi’an International Business Forum and guest lectured at Shaanxi Normal University. He still spends several months in China every year.
Ed has published hundreds of articles on digital technology in China and on cultural differences between the West and China. He developed a series of highly acclaimed study and inspiration trips for entrepreneurs and professionals. As an expert in the field of digital technology in China, he is regularly invited to radio and TV programmes by BNR, NPO and RTL-Z, among others.
Prior to focusing on China, Ed worked for more than 20 years in database and online marketing for various multinationals in various industries. He is also a former lecturer at the Beeckestijn Business School. He co-wrote the award-winning book Event Driven Marketing and the international sequel Follow That Customer! This knowledge, combined with his knowledge of China, helps him to translate Chinese developments to Western markets.
Zhang Ligang (Leon)
General Manager of Huawei Benelux and Ireland Enterprise Business, The Netherlands
Henk W. Volberda
Professor of Strategic Management & Innovation at Amsterdam Business School of the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Dr. Hüseyin Güngör
Professor at Faculty of Economy and Business Administration, Section Marketing, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Hüseyin Güngör, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Amsterdam Business School, specializes in exploring the impact of Artificial Intelligence on Business Strategy and Customer Experience.
With a rich background spanning three decades, Hüseyin has gained international managerial and consulting experience at companies like Philips, HSBC, EY VODW, and McKinsey. He has played instrumental roles as a senior advisor and speaker in various business projects and conferences worldwide.
As an Adjunct Professor, Hüseyin Güngör has taken on the responsibility of supervising numerous AI strategy theses and projects for prominent organizations across Europe. Additionally, Hüseyin employs his expertise to support social impact organizations in utilizing artificial intelligence for positive change.
Dr. Hüseyin Güngör earned his PhD in Business Studies from the University of Amsterdam.
Prof. dr. ir. Jeroen de Ridder
Principal investigator and full professor at the Center for Molecular Medicine of the University Medical Center Utrecht and a senior PI at Oncode Institute, The Netherlands
Jeroen de Ridder is a principal investigator and full professor at the Center for Molecular Medicine of the University Medical Center Utrecht and a senior PI at Oncode Institute. Jeroen has a solid background in bioinformatics and machine learning and a strong desire to improve molecular cancer diagnostics using genomics technologies. His research focuses on creating cutting-edge machine-learning-inspired methods to integrate and make sense of cancer omics data. To this end, the de Ridder lab has recently proposed a deep learning method to enable brain tumor type classification based on nanopore methylation profiling while the surgery is still ongoing. Jeroen is the recipient of several career grants, including a NWO Veni and NWO Vidi. In 2024 Jeroen was awarded an ERC consolidator to study the use of AI technologies to further molecular diagnostics. Jeroen is also the co-founder of Cyclomics, a high-tech startup company that aims at improving cancer diagnosis by detecting tumor circulating DNA in the blood of patients using state-of-the-art nanopore sequencing.
