2014 Speakers

	Darren Abrahams Partner, Steptoe & Johnson LLP Darren Abrahams is an English barrister and a partner in Steptoe’s Brussels office. His practice is focused on EU regulatory requirements and the related commercial issues in the environment, chemicals, and life sciences area.Chambers Europe praises his “great knowledge and advice,” while adding that he “adapts to the client’s needs and gets to the point quickly.” Legal 500 EMEA notes his “comprehensive understanding” and “detailed and expert knowledge” of EU environmental regulation and Who’s Who Legal Environment identifies him as one of the field’s leading individuals. Additionally, the PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook consistently recommends Mr. Abrahams in EU Life Sciences.Darren works with clients in areas such as Advocacy and representation before the Court of Justice of the European Union, EU Institutions (Commission, Parliament and Council) and Agencies, and before the national authorities of EU Member States. Darren also specialises in product defence and product approvals in the chemicals (REACH, Classification, Labelling and Packaging, biocides, agrochemicals, cosmetics) and biotechnology (genetically modified food, feed and plants) areas, due diligence aspects of international transactions, regulatory compliance programs and obtaining licenses to operate and Commercial impacts of new EU regulatory initiatives, and advocacy on behalf of clients to help shape their legislative and policy environment.
	Dr. Manoj Aggarwal Toxicologist and Risk Assessor, Focal point on Dermal Absorption, Dow AgroSciences Dr. Aggarwal earned his first university degree in Veterinary Medicine in 2001. Subsequently, he received his masters and Ph.D. in Veterinary Pharmacology at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, which is India’s premier veterinary research institute established in 1889. Being a winner of prestigious German DAAD fellowship, he spent 2 years in toxicology research at IfADo in Germany before joining industry. He has more than 5 years of experience as regulatory toxicologist in the agrochemical sector. Presently, Dr. Aggarwal is toxicology expert within Human Health Assessment (HHA) team in Dow AgroSciences and based in the UK. He has published multiple articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and also contributed chapters in toxicology books. His latest publication is on dermal absorption in Regulatory Pharmacology and Toxicology (April 2014) the subject of his presentation at the BCPC Congress.
	Dr. Michael Carroll Global Registration Manager, Dow AgroSciences Mike Carroll currently works for Dow AgroSciences in the UK as a global registration manager with interests in regulatory data protection, generic products and parallel trade. He is particularly interested in the comparative assessment of how effectively different regulatory authorities conduct reviews of plant protection product registration submissions. He holds BSc and PhD degrees in biochemistry from the UK universities of Bath and London respectively and has worked in the UK, Germany, Belgium and the USA with over 30 years’ experience gained in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries in research, development and regulatory affairs. He is currently chair of the Crop Life International Protection of Regulatory Data Steering Committee.
	Lucy Croucher Regulatory Affairs & Managing Director, JSC International Limited Lucy Croucher has been working in the European agrochemical regulatory affairs since 1994. She has managed large scale projects for the preparation, submission and support of EU dossiers for existing active substances, resubmissions and new active substances under Directive 91/414/EEC. Lucy has excellent contacts in a large number of the 28 EU Member States and a good understanding of the specific Member State requirements for National product authorisations. Lucy is currently assisting clients with all aspects of their Renewal of Approvals from the preparation of Applications to lobbying the Commission following the EFSA Peer Review. She is also advising on the implications of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009, in particular hot topics such as the interim endocrine disrupter criteria and candidates for substitution list.
	Mike Coulson Environmental Safety, Syngenta Ltd Mike is an acknowledged international expert in the bee ecotoxicology field, with 25 years’ experience in the bee and non-target arthropod testing and assessment area. He is a current member of ICPPR bee field testing group. Mike is also an organising Committee member of recent SETAC Pellston workshop on the risks from Pesticides to pollinators; and was nominated to present the workshop outcome at SETAC World Congress Berlin 2012. He is Chair of the BART (Beneficial Arthropod Regulatory Testing) group – a mix of experts from industry and Contract Research Organisations. In addition he is a member of the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) soil and ECPA NTA (non-target arthropod) and bee groups. Mike was one of the Editors and a Member of the Organising committee for ESCORT3 – linking non-target arthropod testing and risk assessment with protection goals. Mike’s experience covers conducting testing in the laboratory, semi-field and field, using the data in risk assessments and communicating findings with regulatory authorities.
	Aurélie Dhaussy Regulatory Affairs Manager, European Crop Protection Association, aisbl Aurélie Dhaussy is Regulatory Affairs Manager at the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA), since 2006. Aurélie is French and obtained a degree in Political Science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Aix-en-Provence, and a Masters degree in European Studies from the University of Louvain. Her previous work experience as Marketing and European Affairs Officer in European associations activities covered communication and institutional affairs. At ECPA Aurélie is in charge of the coordination and communication of industry views on regulatory affairs and advises members on regulatory requirements applicable to the crop protection industry.
	Christopher Dobe Global Lead Regulatory Chemistry, Syngenta Ltd Christopher Dobe studied chemistry at the University of Queensland, before undertaking a PhD and post-doctoral research in inorganic chemistry at the University of Bern. Chris joined Ciba Specialty Chemicals in 2006 as a regulatory compliance specialist, focusing on the implementation of REACH. Chris has been with Syngenta Crop Protection since 2010 and currently leads the Global Regulatory Chemistry group, responsible for global chemical registrations. He is a member of the CEFIC Global GHS Implementation Task Force, and is currently leading the development of the ECPA REACH-IN tools for co-formulants exposure assessment under REACH.
	Steve Dobson Senior Consultant, TSGE Consulting Steve is a project manager with extensive experience of plant protection regulatory affairs. Steve joined TSGE from the Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD) where he was involved, from the inception of the European harmonised system, in developing and implementing regulatory processes and procedures covering all stages of the process from risk assessment to risk management. Steve has worked closely with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Commission. He was the UK representative to EFSA’s Pesticide Steering Committee and has been involved in the work of several Commission expert groups. Steve has experience of global regulatory issues having also been involved in the OECD’s Working Group on Pesticides as well as the associated Risk Reduction and Registration Steering Groups. Steve has a degree in Botany.
	William Dunham Managing Partner, DunhamTrimmer LLC Bill has more than 35 years international agribusiness experience in the seed, biotechnology, crop protection, and biopesticide businesses. Bill has successfully developed and launched crop protection products in more than 50 countries while leading international marketing projects at BASF, American Cyanamid, DeKalb Seeds, ICI, and Stauffer Chemical Company. In 2003 Bill joined AgraQuest VP of International Business and was responsible for designing and implementing international business plans which led to thriving growth for their biopesticide products in international markets. In 2007, Bill launched his own consulting company, International Bio Consultants LLC, which is focused on providing world class global project management for its clients in the biopesticide market. Subsequently in 2011 Bill and Dr Mark Trimmer co-founded DunhamTrimmer LLC, the premier market research company for the biopesticide and biostimulant industries. In April of 2013 DunhamTrimmer and New Ag International jointly launched the 2BMonthly Newsletter providing the latest news on the biopesticide/biostimulant industries. With three businesses focused on biopesticides and biostimulants, Bill is a renowned expert on those industries. He has contributed to numerous articles and conferences on those industries.
	Dr. Roma Gwynn Director, Rationale Limited Roma Gwynn is a biopesticide specialist working as an independent consultant, with 30 years’ experience in crop protection and biological control. She has an MSc in Technology for Crop Protection and a PhD in Insect Pathology both from Reading University, UK and she has worked for research organisations and biopesticide manufacturers. Her expertise is in facilitating the process of getting biopesticide products onto the market by streamlining biodiscovery, product development, registration and marketing. Her recent work with Biorationale Limited in Europe, US and East Africa has been in developing and registering new biopesticide products and working to bridge the technical and commercial gaps between the diverse players (academia, policy makers, manufacturers, regulators and growers) involved in biopesticides.
	Dr. Udo Heimbach Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI) Udo Heimbach was awarded a Dipl. Ing. agr. Degree then a Dr. degree at the University Hannover. From 1985 to 1986 he worked on the field development of pesticides for a Company in Germany. From 1986 he worked at the JKI as an entomologist with research on integrated control of pest insects and slugs in field crops. His main research areas since 1986 have included control and biology of aphids responsible for virus transmission, effect of soil cultivation on beneficial arthropods and pest insects, side effects of pesticides on Carabidae, Staphylinidae and Araneae including test method development in semi-field and field, evaluation of the efficacy of insecticides, molluscicides and nematicides, harmonisation of efficacy regulation of pesticides within Europe, insecticide resistance of pest insects especially pyrethroid resistance of pests in oilseed rape, integrated control of Diabrotica, drift reduction of pesticides during sowing and improving seed treatment quality regarding dust. Udo has been active in several EPPO Panels and the EPPO Working Party on Plant Protection Products.
	Paul Leonard Chairman, Innovation Principle Task Force, European Risk Forum, BASF Group Paul Leonard joined Dow in 1984 as an entomologist where his research contributed to discovery and product development activities, under laboratory, greenhouse and field conditions. In 1994 he moved to American Cyanamid as a Technical Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa and in 1999 was appointed Director of Regulatory Affairs for the region. Following American Cyanamid´s acquisition by BASF in 2000, he set up an Alliance Management function to outsource regulatory dossiers to contract research and consultancy companies around the world. In 2008 he moved to BASF´s corporate Government Relations organisation, based in Brussels. During the same year he was elected to the board of directors of Rothamsted Research, the longest established agricultural research institute in the world. The following year he was elected to the Board of the British Chamber of Commerce in Brussels and established the chamber´s Food Security Safety and Sustainability Task Force. Since 2011 he has been responsible for BASF´s corporate innovation and technology policy. In 2013 he was elected to the European Risk Forum´s board of directors, a Brussels based think tank specialising in risk perception and regulation. Paul Leonard has a BSc in zoology from the University of Bristol, an MSc in applied entomology from Imperial College and an MBA from the Open University Business School.
	Dr. Peter Maienfisch Research Portfolio Manager Insecticides & Seedcare, Syngenta Crop Protection Peter Maienfisch studied chemistry at the ETH in Zürich, Switzerland, where he received his PhD in 1983. After a post-doctoral stay at Caltech (Pasadena, CA, USA) Peter joined Animal Health Research of Ciba-Geigy in Basel in 1984 and became group leader in Insecticide Research in 1988. Following the creation of Novartis in 1996, he was appointed Head of Chemistry 2 in Crop Protection Research and with the creation of Syngenta in 2000 he became Group Leader Insecticide Chemistry, Analytics & Automation. In 2007 he took over the responsibility for portfolio management of the insecticide research projects. Since 2011 he leads the Insecticides & Seedcare Research Portfolio teams, responsible for research strategies and projects. His track record of innovation and successful introduction of new technologies includes authorship of more than 150 scientific papers and patents. Furthermore he is the inventor of thiamethoxam (Actara®, Cruiser®), and a co-organizer of many international congresses, including IUPAC Crop Protection congresses and the International Symposium on Fluorine in the Life Sciences on Bürgenstock. He is a member of the Swiss & American Chemical Societies and the CHIMIA Editorial Board.
	Rob Mason Senior Regulatory Strategy Advisor, Exponent International Limited Rob Mason joined Exponent International in May after over 25 years with the UK pesticides regulator (now Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD) of the Health and Safety Executive). During that time he had a variety of roles including management of product and active substance applications and heading the enforcement team. His last job prior to leaving was Head of Regulatory Policy. For a number of years he was part of the UK delegation to the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health and was part of the UK delegation to the Council for the negotiation of Regulation 1107/2009. He also spent 6 months working for the European Commission in Brussels.
	Sue Mattock Senior Insecticide Specialist, Efficacy Branch, Chemicals Regulation Directorate, Health and Safety Executive Having graduated with a degree in applied biology, Sue started her career with an agrochemicals company working for over 10 years in the insecticides section managing screening programmes to detect potential candidate insecticide compounds. During this time Sue also studied for a second degree (Masters) in Insect Physiology. Sue joined the UK regulatory authority for plant protection products, Chemicals Regulation Directorate (previously Pesticides Safety Directorate) in 1995. After a few years as a project manager, in 2000 she became the Senior Insecticide Specialist within the Efficacy Branch. Her role involves evaluating a range of pesticide new active substances and products, with particular responsibility for overseeing insecticide evaluations. Sue is a member of the UK-Insecticide Resistance Action Group, and also the UK representative on the EPPO panels for General Standards, and Insecticides/Fungicides. Sue has drafted a range of UK and EPPO guidelines on efficacy requirements, including insecticide mixtures, pheromone products, and a revision of the UK insecticide resistance guideline to include resistance management for neonicotinoids. In recent years Sue has been involved in reviewing and developing guidance in response to the new regulation (1107/2009), particularly relating to zonal assessments. This includes various EPPO standards, drafting EU SANCO/10055/2013 guidance document on the efficacy core and national addenda requirements, and on a working group reviewing the efficacy section of the draft Registration Report.
	Dr. Stephanie Melching-Kollmuß Regulatory Toxicologist – Product Safety, BASF SE Dr. Melching-Kollmuß is a certified toxicologist (ERT, DGPT) and working as a European and Global regulatory toxicologist for plant protection products at BASF SE since November 2006. She has a PhD in analytical chemistry, working in the field of allergy, and occupational diseases and then worked as a regulatory toxicologist for industrial chemical and biocides. As a regulatory toxicologist for agrochemicals she is responsible for the toxicological testing and assessment strategy of registered and new active ingredients. She is specifically engaged in the assessment of combination effects, effects at low doses and the applicability of the TTC concept to metabolites and impurities of agrochemicals. Since 2010 she is actively involved in evaluating combined toxicities of compounds with similar or dissimilar modes of actions and their relevance to humans. A further interest is in the assessment and regulation of substances causing adverse effects with and endocrine mode of action. In these contexts she has published in scientific journals and is participating as speaker/poster presenter in scientific conferences and panels like Eurotox, Copenhagen Workshop on Endocrine Disrupters, SOT, ECETOC; she was member of the ECETOC task group on low dose interaction. She is involved in the CEFIC – LRI project (EMSG56) on combined exposures to endocrine active substances. She is closely following the EFSA developments on cumulative dietary assessments and is member of an ECPA (European Crop Protection Association) sub group to work on hazard-based refinement options to apply to the cumulative assessment groups.
	Claudio Mereu Partner, fieldfisher Claudio Mereu is a partner at the law firm fieldfisher where he focuses on EU law with an emphasis on pesticides, biocides and chemicals.Claudio advises companies on product registration and regulatory compliance issues at both EU and national levels, Task Force and consortia formation, product defense strategies, data sharing, compensation and related arbitration proceedings across the EU, as well as related antitrust issues.He has also extensive experience in litigation before European and national courts regarding product approvals and counsels companies on a wide range of business law matters regarding their commercial agreements in Europe. He is a regular speaker on these topics at major conferences and is recommended as a leading practitioner in his areas of expertise by “Global Counsel – Life Science Industry Report”, “Chambers Europe”, “Legal 500” and “Who’s Who Legal”.
	Dr. Inge Mestdagh Technical Agronomist, Dow AgroSciences Inge completed her studies in Biology at the University of Ghent in 2000. She immediately started working at ILVO (Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research) until September 2005. In that period she received her PhD in Applied Biological Sciences at the faculty of Bio-engineer sciences of Ghent University. From October 2005 until August 2011, Inge worked at inagro (Institute for Research and Advice in Agri- and Horticulture) as a researcher and advisor on different agricultural crops and specialised herself in the Sustainable use of plant protection products. From the end of 2008 on, she was head of the Department ‘Chicory, Strawberries and leaf vegetables’ and coordinator of the Knowledge Centre ‘Crop Protection’ within the province of West-Flanders. TOPPS Prowadis was one of the many projects in which she was involved. Since September 2011 she has been working as a Technical Agronomist at Dow Agrosciences in the Benelux. In this function she provides technical support to customers, farmers and officials on the use of Dow AgroSciences products. She is also a member of the working group ‘Sustainable Use’ in Phytofar (Belgian Crop Protection Association) and is the DOW representative in the Steering Committee of the TOPPS Prowadis project within ECPA.
	Don Pendergrast Plant Health Adviser, National Farmers Union Don Pendergrast is the National Farmers Union lead on all policy issues relating to Crop protection, Biocides and Plant Health. His work involves representing the needs and view of English and Welsh farmers and growers to regulators and politicians. Don has been heavily involved in regulatory issues such as the restriction of Neonicotinoids, the review of Endocrine Disruption and the revision of the plant health law. He is also heavily involved with various voluntary stewardship groups such as the Voluntary Initiative on pesticides and the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use. Don comes from a dairy / mixed farm background, he qualified from Cranfield as a graduate and post graduate. He has previously worked as an estate manager in East Africa and held two roles as a national crops specialist at NIABTAG before taking up the post at NFU.
	Gordon Rennick Pesticide Registration & Control Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Ireland Gordon comes from an arable farming and crop consultancy background. After studying agricultural engineering in the UK for one year, he took his primary degree in Agricultural Science in University College Dublin and then his postgraduate M.Sc. degree in crop protection and plant pathology.Gordon spent a number of years working as an independent agronomist. He joined the Ministry of Agriculture in 1998 and since then has worked in areas such as crop variety trials, plant breeders’ rights and plant genetic resources. He has worked in pesticide regulation since 2002 and is involved in all aspects of the regulation of plant protection products.He continues to strive for sensible, useful and rational regulation, which is science based and consumer focussed.
	Tracy Roberts Plant Protection Product Regulator, Chemicals Regulation Directorate, Health and Safety Executive Tracy has worked in the UK regulatory authority for 24 years, as an application project manager, staff and process manager, and has worked through the development of procedures under Directive 91/414 and Regulation 1107/2009. During her time at CRD, Tracy has participated in many EU initiatives; as a trainer for Commission-run courses for MS, as a participant in Post Approvals Issues meetings, and as a resident twinning adviser in Croatia prior to their accession to the EU. Her work has mostly centred around plant protection products, focussing in particular on the zonal process and improving harmonisation between MS, re-registration, renewal, and data protection.
	Dr. Colin Ruscoe, MA, Chairman, BCPC Chairman, BCPC (British Crop Production Council); Communications Director, SynTech Research Inc.; IVCC (Innovative Vector Control Consortium) Scientific Committee; Business Development Consultant to bioscience, media and charitable organisations. Previously manager of Research Stations, Business Planning, Global Product Development, European Product Development, Bioscience Research, and Insecticide Discovery, in Syngenta/Zeneca/ICI Agrochemicals.
	Dr. Annette E. Smits-van Prooije Account Manager, Ctgb Annette Smits-van Prooije studied biology at the State University of Leiden, the Netherlands. She graduated at the Faculty of Medicine in 1986 and worked for 3 years at Leiden University as an assistant professor, and then subsequently 9 years for TNO Nutrition. In 1997 she started working for Ctgb (Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides), initially as a toxicologist in the authorisation of both plant protection products and biocides, and thereafter as the EU co-ordinator biocides. After a re-organisation in 2011 she became the account manager for plant protection products and from 2013 she holds the position of account manager for international affairs. Presently she is, inter alia, involved in the Central zone Steering Committee as this years’ Chair.
	Dr. Alison Stewart Senior Vice President R&D and Chief Technology Officer, Marrone Bio Innovations Distinguished Professor Emeritus Alison Stewart is Senior Vice President of Research & Development and Chief Technology Officer at Marrone Bio Innovations. In this capacity, she oversees the scientific rigor of the R&D activities and is responsible for new technology and business development opportunities related to the discovery pipeline. Prior to joining MBI, Alison was the Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology in the Bio-Protection Research Centre at Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand. Here she led the Plant Disease Biocontrol Research Group that focused on developing microbe-based management systems, in particular, the use of beneficial Trichoderma strains for control of plant diseases and plant yield enhancement. Her work has resulted in four commercial products for the control of onion white rot, Sclerotinia lettuce drop and Botrytis diseases of grapes and tomatoes. In addition, Prof. Stewart served as the University’s Director of the Bio-Protection Research Centre, one of only seven NZ government-funded centres of research excellence that focuses on the transfer of new technology out into commercial enterprises to enhance New Zealand agriculture and farmers’ livelihoods. She retains the title of Professor Emeritus at Lincoln University. Prof. Stewart has published more than 300 refereed journal articles, books, and conference papers and has contributed to many professional societies, committees, and advisory panels in the areas of plant biosecurity, biodiversity, and bioprotection. Alison was elected a Fellow of the NZ Institute for Agricultural and Horticultural Science in 2006 and a Fellow of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society in 2010. In 2009, she was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in recognition of her services to biology, in particular plant pathology. In 2012, she was named the ‘Most Inspiring Individual’ at the NZ Innovators Awards sponsored by Bayer Crop Science. Prof. Stewart earned her Ph.D. in plant-microbe interactions at the University of Stirling and her B.Sc. at the University of Glasgow.
	Professor. Joyce Tait (CBE, FRSE, D. Univ. (Open), PhD, BSc) Director, ESRC Innogen Institute, The University of Edinburgh Joyce has an interdisciplinary background covering both natural and social sciences and has worked on the agrochemical, pharmaceutical and life science industries, specifically strategic planning for innovation, governance and regulation, and stakeholder attitudes and influences. Relevant life science areas include synthetic biology, genetic databases, GM crops, biofuels, pharmaceuticals, stem cell therapies and translational medicine. Current and recent appointments: Technology Strategy Board (TSB) Synthetic Biology Leadership Council; UK Department of Health Emerging Science and Bioethics Advisory Committee (ESBAC); Board of Directors, Scottish Stem Cell Network Ltd; Board of Directors, Roslin Foundation; Scottish Science Advisory Council; Scientific and Technical Council of the International Risk Governance Council (IRGC), Geneva. She also chaired the Working Party of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics on ‘Biofuels: Ethical Issues’, was a member of the committee advising the UK Food Standards Agency on its public dialogue on GM foods, and is now a member of the committee advising the TSB on its public consultation on stratified medicine.
	Hanneke Westland-Kaijser Project Manager, Ctgb Hanneke Westland-Kaijser studied Food Science at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and graduated in 1990 on food chemistry (major) and food toxicology (minor). After graduation she worked for 10 years for Beaphar B.V., a company manufacturing and marketing pharmaceuticals and health care products for all types of pets. She started her career in the R&D department and moved forward to registration manager. In 2000 she started working for the Ctgb (Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides), initially as project manager for applications for authorisation of plant protection products then as a project manager for applications for approval of active substances. Since 2010 she has been a member of the Pesticide Steering Committee, an EFSA network for coordination of pesticide risk assessment.
	Dr. James Wheeler Regulatory Ecotoxicologist, Dow AgroSciences James Wheeler works as a regulatory ecotoxicologist for Dow AgroSciences, based at Milton Park, Abingdon, UK. James’ work focuses on environmental testing and risk assessment for Plant Protection Products. James is a member of the OECD’s Validation Management Group for ecotoxicity testing and fish drafting group. He is also a member of a number of industry groups working in the area of endocrine disruption. Before working for industry, he completed his PhD on endocrine disruption in fish (University of London).
	Janet Williams Regulatory Affairs Manager, Bayer CropScience Ltd Janet is a Regulatory Affairs Manager for Bayer CropScience Ltd in the UK and Ireland. Janet has a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Warwick and a Masters degree in Toxicology from the University of Kentucky, USA. She has more than 20 years of experience working in agrochemical registration in the EU, working for Fisons, Rhone-Poulenc and Aventis, prior to the formation of Bayer CropScience. She is manager of a team of six Regulatory Affairs Specialists at Bayer CropScience and is involved in all aspects of legislation with any relation to agrochemicals, including involvement with EFSA and the EU Commission. She is in regular dialogue with both UK CRD and Ireland PRCD on legislative matters.