Speakers
Adolfo Minero, Greenhouse and Crop Specialist, Harnois
Proven experience in the GH research and production sector. Competent in statistics, sustainability, agribusiness. Strong professional with postgraduate studies focused on Plant Physiology from McGill University. Greenhouse and Crop Specialist at Harnois, duties include technical support for greenhouse growers, developing, establishing, coordinating and planning greenhouse projects in North America.
Alejandro Ávila, Operations Manager, Bonanza Greenhouses
Studies in computer systems and pure mathematics. Director and consultant in medium and high technology greenhouses for 23 years. During this time, he has managed leading greenhouse projects in the industry, developing from conception to operation more than 120 hectares of greenhouses in various parts of the country. Specialist consultant in production processes, packaging, logistics, administration, quality and certifications.
Alexei Rico, Propagation Grower, Plantanova
Collaborator in the application of the Plant Empowerment concept in Mexican conditions at the agricultural Finca Ahuehuetes. With experience working in propagation greenhouses in Holland and Mexican production. Currently General Manager in the Plantanova propagation centre applying state-of-the-art technology for the optimisation of production processes. I believe that the future of protected agriculture in Mexico is closer than we think. It is the responsibility of those of us who have access to technology to find the balance between the integration of the human and the productive. Nothing is separate.
Bas Duijvestijn, CCO, Van der Hoeven Horticultural Projects
With background in horticulture, he transitioned from being a lawyer to focus on global food safety back in 2017. Over eight years, he's held various commercial roles within Van der Hoeven. In 2024, he returned from New York where he was in charge of their American branch. His expertise spans technology, customer relations, and horticultural challenges worldwide, driving Van der Hoeven's success.
Betina Batista von Knoop, Sales Manager Mexico, Dümmen Orange
She studied agronomy at the University of Guadalajara and initially focused on agroforestry ecosystems such as coffee, where she had the opportunity in 2012 to work in the technified production of Phalaenopsis and anthurium plants. After that, he spent a few years advising, importing and distributing these crops to Mexican producers, as well as specialized inputs for their production. A couple of years ago, when the company Dümmen Orange decided that it was important to establish its own entity in Mexico, he accepted the invitation to become part of the team, serving the growers of the different crops that make up its orange catalogue, both cut flowers and potted flowers.
Patrik Borenius, CEO, Green Automation Americas LLC
He joined Green Automation in 2016 and leads its operations in the Americas, where he brings extensive experience in marketing European technologies and products in the North American market, as well as transcontinental project management. After spending 10 years in product management and technology planning positions at Mercedes-Benz in both Germany and the US, he led the ALMACO Group's entry into the field of modular construction, leveraging existing shipbuilding knowledge and techniques for large hospitality construction projects. He has in-depth knowledge of hydroponic lettuce growing systems and their full yield potential and has been involved in the development of facilities that today achieve the highest yields, especially for baby cut lettuce. He is a true citizen of the world, born in Germany to Finnish parents and living in the USA since 2004.
Carlos H Umana, Technical Sales Manager, Nunhems/BASF Vegetable Seeds
He has dedicated his career to the international agri-seed industry. For nearly twenty years, he specialized in vegetable seeds across the Americas while working with Nunhems-BASF Vegetable Seeds. For the past five years, his primary focus has been on leafy crops in North America, particularly lettuce, within high-tech Controlled Environment systems. In addition to his roles in sales, product development, and market development, he is responsible for identifying and assessing new emerging segments of North America's leafy Controlled Environment Agriculture market.
Carlos Visconti, CEO, Red Sun Farms Group
He holds a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering and an MBA from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. He also holds certifications in Senior Management and Quality Control from the University of Michigan. CEO (Canada, USA and Mexico operations) of Red Sun Farms, a leading international greenhouse company. Carlos brings vision and passion, along with over 20 years of executive management experience in both start-up and Fortune 500 companies to every aspect of his work. He joined Red Sun Farms in 2010 from Hella Group (Automotive), where he held the position of Vice President of Product Development in the North America region. Prior to that, he was General Manager at Hella Mexico, where he was responsible for manufacturing operations and oversaw new product development. In 2023, he assumed responsibility for Red Sun Farms Mexico operations, driving significant improvements in efficiency and customer satisfaction. Under his leadership, Mexican operations have been optimized through strategic initiatives that streamline processes, improve productivity and ensure high quality products, meeting the needs of our valued customers and partners.
Claudia Lee, CEO, Ball Akiko.
She holds a degree in Business Administration, with 34 years of experience in the agricultural sector. Founder of companies such as Koppert Mexico (from 97 to 01), Flores y Plantas de Calidad, Semplants, Interbulbos and Grupo Akiko. Commercial Representative of leading companies in the Ornamental Sector, such as: Panamerican Seed, Hilverda Florist, Jan de Wit en Zonen, Kapiteyn, Royal Van Zanten, Bianchieri, Morel, Zaboplant, Philips / Signify for the agricultural sector. She is currently the CEO of Ball Akiko.
Eric Viramontes
Ernestina Serrano, General Director, Cerro Fresh
Fausto Serrano
Felipe Palomares, Head Grower, Jd Agro-Kapital - Ludvig Svensson
Company located in Aguascalientes, Mexico, with 10 hectares of medium-high technology greenhouses, dedicated to the production of tomatoes for export to the United States and Canada. JD Agrokapital is a company in expansion, with three consecutive cycles in the market. It has 8 years of experience in the production of tomatoes under greenhouse of high and medium-high technology, specializing in varieties such as TOV, Cherry, Grape and Campari. Proudly from the municipality of Villa de Reyes, in the state of San Luis Potosi.
Felix Tarrats Zirin
Fernanda Suarez, Sustainability and Social Impact Director, NatureSweet
She leads the sustainability and social impact strategy at NatureSweet. She is committed to creating positive changes within the agricultural industry and has helped implement successful ESG practices at NatureSweet that are revolutionizing the industry. She oversees the company’s B Corp, EFI, and Fair-Trade certifications. She is dedicated to enhancing safety for workers and fulfilling the company’s purpose which is to transform the lives of agricultural workers in North America. She began her career in Human Resources, working for electrical and electronic manufacturing companies such Plexus and USI. She began her career at NatureSweet in Human Captial more six years ago, and her success has led to various positions, managing the company’s sustainability and social impact initiatives. Fernanda has a bachelor´s degree in Education, two master's degrees, one in organizational and human development, and the other in business. She has successfully completed the University of Oxford’s program “Leading a Sustainable Corporation” by the Saïd Business School.
Gabriela Rubio, Auditor, SCS
Auditor with a degree in agronomy and advanced training in food safety. Proven experience in the execution of audits and as a course instructor. From December 2021 to date she is subcontracted auditor at SCS Global Services Mexico.
Gerardo Lopez
Gilberto Rendón, Director, Iguana Growers
Agricultural Engineer from the University of Chapingo, with studies at IPADE in Senior Business Management. He was involved in the negotiation of the EU-Mexico FTA. He was CEO of Grupo Visaflor from 1998 to 2000. He is currently the Director of Iguana Growers.
Hans Peters, CEO, Priva
Priva is the global leader in horticultural technology. He brings extensive experience from his previous roles at Unilever, NS, and Eneco. With a focus on customer orientation, digitization, and sustainability, Hans is dedicated to advancing Priva’s mission to support growers with innovative solutions for climate control, water management, and resource efficiency. Under his leadership, Priva continues to drive growth and contribute to a cleaner, smarter, and more sustainable agricultural future.
Hugo Escoto
Hugo Rubili GreenHow
Ivan G Mendez
Jesus Arevalo
Joost Somford, President, JASA Packaging Solutions - North America
Greenhouse expert with over 10 years of experience in the packaging industry. With a proven track record in providing innovative and efficient solutions, from the evolution of greenhouse technologies to the challenges of maintaining sustainable growth in a rapidly changing marketplace. As a passionate advocate of sustainability, he is committed to integrating green practices into all facets of greenhouse and packaging processes. His expertise extends to optimizing resource use, reducing waste and advancing sustainability goals throughout the supply chain. With a hands-on approach and extensive industry knowledge, he continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in greenhouse innovation and sustainable packaging.
Jorge A. González, Technical Consultant, Ridder Group
Specialist in automation for the greenhouse horticulture industry with more than five years of experience in the sector in the Netherlands. His focus is on the development and implementation of advanced technological solutions to optimize production in controlled environments. In addition, he has a strong knowledge of plant physiology, which enables him to gain a deep understanding of crop needs and to apply technologies that support crop development. Throughout his career, he has worked on the integration of technologies such as climate control systems, automated irrigation, crop monitoring using sensors and the use of artificial intelligence to optimize resources. His experience has allowed him to develop a deep knowledge in automation, increasing productivity and reducing the environmental impact in the industry. With a deep knowledge of the horticultural sector in the Netherlands, Jorge has specialized in adapting technological innovations to different types of crops and climatic conditions. His commitment to technological innovation has led him to specialize in the sector, thus contributing to the evolution of greenhouse horticulture.
Juan Manuel Daz
Kaz Vermeer
Kenneth Tran, CEO, KOIDRA
Founding CEO of Koidra, an AI-enabled autonomous greenhouse control company based in Seattle with a mission of making greenhouse growing more productive and resources efficient. Koidra has received numerous awards for the application of its technology. Before starting Koidra, Kenneth was a Principal Applied Scientist in the Machine Learning Group, Microsoft Research. His expertise includes Physics-informed Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Reinforcement Learning. At Microsoft, he led the research and development for strategic AI projects such as Deep Reinforcement Learning for real-world control problems, Data Center Energy Optimization, and Autonomous Greenhouses. He received his Ph.D. in Computational & Applied Mathematics from The University of Texas at Austin in 2012.
Luis Carlos Díaz, Sales Director, Comercializadora Greenhow
Agricultural engineer in phytotechnology, graduated from the Faculty of Biological and Agricultural Sciences of the University of Colima. He has been a producer of corn, watermelon, melon and tomato in the state of Colima; he has worked as technical and marketing manager in private crop protection companies; active participant during the last 22 years in several diploma courses, congresses and symposiums related to plant nutrition of multiple crops. He has more than 20 years of experience in the commercialization of plant nutrients for agriculture in Mexico. Currently sales director at Comercializadora Greenhow, a leading company in Mexico in nutrition for high productivity crops.
Maximiliano Dorantes, Technical Director, MicroPrime
Food Industry Engineer from Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM), with a major in Food Biochemistry from the University of Kansas (USA) and a Masters in Senior Management from the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. With more than 23 years of experience in the chemical and agri-food industry, he has led key projects in advanced formulations, organic synthesis, coatings and technological solutions applied to agribusiness. His track record includes the development of viricidal systems and the implementation of innovative biocide-based microbiological control systems designed to optimize agricultural production. Since 2015, he has been Technical Director at MicroPrime, a company specializing in microbiological control and surface treatment applied to agriculture, where he has worked on the integration of advanced technologies to improve hygiene and productivity in crops both nationally and internationally.
Miriam Castillo
Orlando Lopez Alvaplast
Oscar Lara
