Transforming our broken food system: how to make food supplies secure, healthy and sustainable?

Natalie was the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2012-2016, having previously spent two decades as a journalist, including as editor of the Guardian Weekly. She has continued since 2016 to do full-time Green Party campaigning from her base in Sheffield. She graduated from the University of Sydney with a degree in agricultural science, and has a keen interest in food security, farming and land use.

Stephen is the founder and technical director of Ecolibrium Biologicals, one of New Zealand’s leading Agri-biotech companies.

Stephen is a plant pathologist specialising in Mycology and Metabolomics. 

Sarah works with members of Farm 491, the leading AgriTech incubator based at the Royal Agriculture University, the UK.

She supports AgriTech companies as they commercialise, pitch to investors and achieve scalability. 

Marcus is CEO of BioConsortia, a leading AgriTech company developing microbial consortia.

Marcus has previously been Head of Biologics at Bayer CropScience, following Bayer’s acquisition of AgraQuest, where he was also CEO.

Prof. Rolf Udo Ehlers, a member of the International Organisation of Biological and Integrated Control (IOBC), is a renowned scientist who is deeply engaged in European research projects concerning bio-control methods.

He is the founder of the business E-nema GmbH, producing large quantities of nematode worms to be used in pest control. From an agricultural perspective they are categorized as (1) predatory ones, killing garden pests or as (2) pest nematodes, attacking plants or spreading plant viruses acting like a vector.

Ehlers and his research group at the University of Kiel have founded E-nema GmbH after developing a liquid-cultivation technique to culture insect-pathogenic nematodes in a bioreactor. Currently the company is the leading international producer of insect pathogenic nematodes.

Dr Diana Leemon was recently appointed to the position of Principal Scientist for bee health and arthropod pest management within Agri-Science Queensland, the Research and Development (R&D) section of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Professor Shashi Sharma was Director at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Government of Western Australia, Plant Biosecurity and member of the Senior Leadership Team. Dr Sharma has been internationally active in the area of plant health management for the last 35 years. He has served as Head and Professor of the Division of Nematology, the largest nematology centre in the world, located in New Delhi, India, Scientist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Visiting Professor at the Delta Centre of the University of Missouri in the United States of America, and International Fellow at the Rothamsted International, in the United Kingdom.

Professor Zhibing Zhang is Leader of Micromanipulation and Microencapsulation Research Group in School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, UK, and Director of Microforce Measurement Ltd, UK. He has developed an international reputation in micromanipulation and microencapsulation research, collaborated with 42 international and national companies, and provided consultancy services to 27 companies.

Dr David Calvert is co-founder and director of iFormulate Ltd. David has over 20 years experience of developing new products and services for the chemical-using industries including pharmaceuticals, inks, coatings, agrochemicals and FMCG to name but a few. More recently he has worked for companies offering innovation, consultancy and training services to companies active in formulation.

Richard’s broad business history awarded him Cranfield's Entrepreneur of the Year 2012. He founded Shield Medicare in 1989 and the company quickly became the market leader in the sterile manufacture of single-use surgical supplies and sterile biocides. In 2006, he sold the company to US company Ecolab, and began his new venture with the Medsa Group and Maxstim. Maxstim biostimulants contain the plant hormones, essential proteins and trace elements key to maximising the plant's ability to survive and thrive. Maxstim designs, develops and markets plant biostimulants globally for sport surfaces and agriculture. His extensive business knowledge and skills as a biomedical engineer will be an exciting addition to the summit.

Dr Andrew Brown specialises in Horticultural pest control, Biological control, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Pesticide and Biopesticide application technology, Entomopathogenic nematodes. With a PhD in applied pest control and a BASIS Certificate in Crop Protection, Dr Brown now works as managing director for Andermatt UK, a leader in biological technologies. His career history also includes the chair of Microbials Professional Group at IBMA and a team leader in technical development at BASF Agricultural Specialities. 

Dr Dave Chandler is a microbiologist and entomologist. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Nottingham, followed by a PhD in mycology from Kings College London. His main areas of interest are: insect pathogens and microbial pest control; bee health; ecology and physiology of entomopathogenic fungi; biopesticide regulation and governance; and Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

Paul’s areas of expertise fall under molecular microbiology, gene expression analysis, cell biology, bacterial symbionts of insects and tumour-targeting bacteria. As a professor at Swansea University, Paul covers modules such as Microbial Molecular Genetics, Biotechnology & Protein Engineering and Genetic Analysis. He was honoured in the 'UK’s Best Breakthroughs' list for his pioneering work which has shown that Salmonella could be used to create better cancer treatments. And has previously used technology to develop a pesticide-free weapon against insects that cause sleeping sickness and damage crops, research which was funded by the Gates Foundation.

Roma has an MSc in Technology for Crop Protection and a PhD in Insect Pathology from Reading University. She has been working as a biopesticide specialist in technology for 30 years. Roma has taken a lead role in the EU and internationally in the development and registration of new biopesticide technologies including semi-chemical, botanical and microbial substances.