Horticulture faces mounting pressure from extreme weather due to climate change. This session explores how to adapt greenhouse design, production methods, and crop strategies to build resilience. Topics include growing in arid regions, preparing for climate extremes, and the potential role of genetic innovation in securing sustainable yields. Discover how the sector can adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing environment.

Climate change, how to mitigate extreme weather events

Roel Janssen is the head of Business Development  at Planet Farms, a technology company that builds and operates fully autonomous vertical farms at scale. Before devoting his work full-time to Planet Farms Roel spent 13 years at Signify (previously known as Philips Lighting), where he was the Global Director for City Farming. In his years at Signify Roel became an industry expert in the field of vertical farming and has been invited to speak and share his views all around the globe. He was also a guest lecturer at the HAS University of Applied Science in the Netherlands. Roel graduated Business Administration in Eindhoven, where he still lives with his wife and 2 kids. Next to growing plants in a sustainable way Roel has a great passion for wine, which resulted in a WSET 3 certification.

Head of Business Development

Business Manager

Rien Kamman is the CEO and co-founder of Source.ag, the leading provider of AI solutions for fruit and vegetable growers. Rien and his co-founder Ernst van Bruggen (CPO) started the company in November 2020 after meeting during their studies. Source.ag's technology offers real-time, customized advice to growers on how to optimize their crop growth and helps them to start, run, and expand a successful farming business. Before founding Source.ag, Rien worked for over 8 years at Boston Consulting Group, where he led data science teams that developed custom AI software for some of the world's largest corporations. Rien studied Mechanical Engineering at TU Delft and earned an MBA from Columbia University in New York.

CEO and co-founder

Lija Groenewoud van Vliet is the co-founder and creative director of In4Art. As an independent institute for art-driven responsible technological innovations, In4Art is interested in making connections between science, technology and the arts. The organisation’s work focuses on creating space for experiments that enable responsible innovations to be envisioned and brought into being.

Creative Director

Research Coordinator Horticuture Edible Mushrooms Strawberries

Edwin Kroon has a background in biology and dreams of copying nature’s nanostructures on everyday items. From bacteria-killing butterfly wings on a doorknob, to Namibian Desert Beetle to promote the foaming of beer, a laser can recreate functional 3D-nanostructures on any material. 
With EKYW Edwin Kroon wants to fully utilize the laser’s potential and demonstrate it as a viable alternative to chemicals such as: ink, glue (stickers), pesticides, herbicides and cleaning-products. Backed by academia, recyclers and producers alike it is safe to say that lasers are the future.

Laser Expert

Senior Plant Scientist

Learn to grow! 
Beanstalk stimulates the growth and development of people and organizations within the horticulture sector. We create an inspiring learning environment for all who work in our beautiful sector. A place to explore and develop talents, where your company is supported to evolve towards a future-proof (self-learning) organization.

Trainer

Artist

The workplace is the best learning environment. Beanstalk assumes that all knowledge is already available.
As coach and trainer I am concerned with the individual people in the organization and I facilitate coaching processes to realize human growth.
Beanstalk helps to build future-proof companies in the agricultural sector by developing the people in the organization.
We approach learning and development of people as a growth process. We are continuously learning and developing! You can accelerate this process by working consciously and purposefully on development.  Together with Peter Klapwijk and Sjoerd Nieboer (family business 😊), we also organize away days for directors, management and entrepreneurs to reflect on leadership, trends, day to day activity and the future. 
I am also involved with Peter Klapwijk in the content and development of this Power day. Nice to meet you there.

Trainer/coach

Senoir Architect

Onderzoeker energie en circulaire economie

Business Developer

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.

Secretary-General

Senior Principal Engineer

Lead data science for robotics

Annie van de Riet is the President of AVAG, the association for the Dutch greenhouse technology sector. With a background in economic geography and extensive experience in both horticulture and advocacy, she is committed to driving the industry forward. AVAG represents 80 companies with a combined turnover of €3 billion, 80% of which comes from exports. These companies collaborate to develop quality standards, conduct research, and drive innovation in a pre-competitive environment. This collective effort has made the sector a global leader. A Dutch supplier is synonymous with state-of-the-art technology and top-quality solutions.

President

Egon Janssen is Manager Greenhouse horticulture at TNO. In this function he is a broker between innovation needs of growers, suppliers and TNO’s experts. The main drivers of Egon Janssen are a broad interest in technology, the ability of making connections between people and a lot of enthusiasm. After finishing his Msc Structural engineering in 1998 he started his career at TNO. Remarkable projects are Greenhouse of the future, presented on the Floriade 2002, the development of a Food production unit for use on MARS (2004) and the development of energy indicators to reduce energy use of greenhouses. In 2004 he formed the greenhouse horticulture team within TNO, combining all relevant technologies (greenhouse structure, water technology, energy, light, CO2, ICT, Robotics and logistics). To make an easy entry to the knowledge of TNO he founded the Fieldlab greenhouse horticulture in 2007. This facility, nowadays known as World Horti Centre is a marketplace for innovation where growers, suppliers and TNO meet and discuss innovations. In greenhouse units new technologies are demonstrated on small scale, where after research and development projects are started. In 2017 he started a strategic partnership with Hortivation. TNO is developing new knowledge and transfers this to the companies associated with Hortivation.

cluster manager High Tech Greenhouses

I am Niels van der Geest, graduated in Biosystems Engineering from the University of Wageningen and currently working as a cultivation engineer at Delphy, the Netherlands, with the focus on tomatoes and cucumbers. As cultivation engineer, I develop data-driven cultivation management tools that support growers in making data driven decisions!

Specialist data-driven growing

Director

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rikclymans/

Research coordinator greenhouse vegetables

R&D Manager

Exhibition Manager Domain Horticulture

Chief Product Officer

Kjell holds a MSc in Plant sciences with a specialization in Greenhouse Horticulture from Wageningen University. Kjell’s research focused on the effects of light intensity and spectrum on the growth and development of medical cannabis.
As a cannabis cultivation consultant, Kjell is involved in multiple growing and research projects. Kjell oversees the daily operations at the “Cultivation for Compounds” consortium on behalf of Cultivators. Kjell is also one of the main teachers of the “Operational Excellence Training” project, hosting both lectures and practical sessions on the cultivation of medical cannabis. He can also be found advising growers around Europe.

Cultivation consultant - Project Manager

The team Rootzone Dynamics from Wageningen University & Research BU Greenhouse Horticulture focuses on investigating processes around the plant roots and in the irrigation system. Research topics: alternative growing media, microbiology, belowground phytopathology, water quality, fertigation and virology. My personal focus has been on the application of water technology to achieve a zero-emission cultivation system with optimal recirculation water quality: prevent distribution of diseases via water, removal of plant protection products from discharge water, optimization of filtration and selective ion removal. Focus is on finding technologies that have specific effects on water quality, without inhibiting plant productivity, for example for prevention of biofilm formation in irrigation lines. The role of water composition and treatment on the rootzone microbiology is another topic that still requires a lot of attention.

Team lead Rootzone Dynamics

Paolo de Heer is working as data science consultant at the Digital Built Environment department of TNO. His research interests are artificial intelligence and optimisation, and he is currently the lead of the ‘computational models & tooling’ technology line of the department. In the High-Tech Greenhouses team of TNO, he advises on algorithms and modelling. Further more, he is also leading the AI team of the unit Mobility & Built Environment. He has a strong operational & long-term view, connecting people and knowledge through his extensive network and knack for effective and inspiring communication.

Data Science Consultant

Laura van de Kreeke is a passionate advocate for sustainable food systems and one of the original farmers at Growy, a vertical farming company changing the way food is grown. Committed to making tasty, healthy, and affordable food accessible to all, Laura plays a key role in Growy’s mission to help create a more sustainable and resilient food ecosystem.

Farmer

Green architect, inspirator and strategist.

WR Onderzoeker

Researcher

For the past 20 years Jorik Bremer MSc, has been on the forefront of industry disruptions and operated in the centre of new technological advances. Having worked at large companies (e.g Microsoft) and founding several technology startups his focus has been on the agricultural industry for many years. Backed by Google R&D Jorik launched the world's first purpose-built industry cloud for agriculture in the EMEA region for India based Cropin. As a director he currently oversees international growth at Hudson River Biotechnology, a CRISPR gene editing company based out of Wageningen the Netherlands.

Director Sales

Co-founder & Chief Research & Development Officer

Manager Delphy Digital

Monika earned her Master’s in Research Architecture at the University of London Goldsmith College in 2011, having previously graduated in Social Design, Design Academy Eindhoven and the Estonian Academy of Arts. Monika is interested in reading of contemporary political issues within a constructed, real or imaginary architecture. through all stages of design and construction projects in Estonia and London.
 
Monika joined CRA in 2012. She currently acts as a COO and Partner-in-Charge, leading research and planning projects in the urban environment. She has been involved in CRA projects such as CapitaSpring, the Italian Pavilion in EXPO Dubai and masterplans in the Middle East.

Urban design, Partner-in-Charge, COO

My 15 years in Horticutlrue have been paved with enormus passion for growing plants. It's been an ongoing jurney, from managing tree nursery production in continental climate in Bosnia, to overseeing hi-tech vegetable production in the Omani desert, my experiences have been very rewarding and uplifting. 
Without neglecting my main passion, growing, I’ve developed into substrate industry consultancy, drawing inspiration from the stunning Nordic landscapes. My passion lies in helping fellow growers optimize their crop performance by analyzing their crop data set and selecting the ideal growing media solution.
Last years I've put my energy and focus into helping growers transition easily into new future and start learning about new generation of growing media.  
I’m grateful for the opportunity to share experiences and consult with various growers across the globe. Not only with the growers who use high tech facilities, but also with the ones that are just staring to enter soiless growing practices.
From North American leafy greens and ornamental growers to Chinese blueberry growers in Yunnan, I do my best to help them choose the optimal substrate solution and use their crop resources in the best way.

Director, Portfolio Management

Born and raised in the heart of the Dutch Westland, Renko Schuil has been immersed in fresh food production from an early age. His career in the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) industry spans over two decades, during which he has gained extensive expertise across various facets of the sector. From hardware and growing systems to climate control, lighting, logistics, and automation, Renko has developed a comprehensive understanding of the intricate relationships between these key components. His broad experience enables him to take a holistic approach, helping growers and industry leaders optimize their operations with innovative solutions.
Renko is now representing TTA-ISO as Sales Manager Food. At TTA-ISO, ‘Food’ refers to all edible and medicinal crops grown in controlled environments, from high-tech greenhouses to fully enclosed vertical farms. With a strong focus on plant handling and processing, TTA-ISO applies its 25+ years of expertise in robotics and automation to develop turnkey solutions that improve efficiency and consistency in indoor farming.

Sales Manager Food

Mariska Dreschler has more than 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship, business strategy, business development and event management. As Director of Horticulture, GreenTech Global at the RAI Amsterdam, she supports the global food- and flower production industry by organizing trade fairs for these communities to connect, both face-2-face and digital. The GreenTech portfolio consists of GreenTech Amsterdam as the worldwide leading trade show on horticulture technologies and GreenTech Americas as the regional trade show in Mexico.

Director Horticulture - GreenTech Global

Researcher Greenhouse Technology

Product manager

Tom Webster is the Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder at award-winning vertical farming business, GrowUp Farms. 
Since 2013, Tom has worked with Co-Founder Kate Hofman to take the concept of vertical farming from a small unit in London to a huge vertical farm in Kent, UK. GrowUp is a certified B Corp, using 100% renewable energy to produce their salads, which are distributed through major UK retailers such as Tesco, Iceland, and SPAR.
As Chief Technology Officer, Tom leads on plant science, data, and optimisation of our state-of-the-art controlled environment production systems that grow tasty, ready-to-eat leafy greens with minimal environmental impact.
In 2017, Tom was featured in the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work addressing some of the fundamental flaws in the agricultural systems in a way that contributes to a more sustainable society.

Jouke Campen became an engineer in Applied Physics at the Technical University of Delft, specialized in heat and mass transfer. He started working at Wageningen UR in 1997. His main field of research is energy and climate control in protected horticulture. He finished his PhD on dehumidification of greenhouses October 2009. Currently he is the coordinator of the energy program of the ministry of Agriculture in The Netherlands involving annually 7 million EURO of projects on reducing energy use in the Dutch protected horticultural sector. Aside of this task he is international project manager for the last 20 years working on numerous projects all around the world.

International Project Manager

Knowledge Graph Developer

Researcher in Circular Greenhouse Horticulture

Henry Gordon-Smith is the Founder and CEO of Agritecture, a global consulting firm specializing in climate-smart agriculture and urban farming. Since founding Agritecture in 2014, Henry has led over 300 projects in 50+ countries, helping developers, entrepreneurs, and governments design resilient, profitable agricultural systems. His expertise spans controlled environment agriculture (CEA), regenerative farming, ag-tech integration, and food systems strategy.
A recognized thought leader, Henry frequently speaks at global events, including the UN Food Systems Summit and World Green Economy Summit. He also teaches at Columbia University on climate-smart agriculture and consults on food policy and sustainable land use planning. His work has been featured in The New York Times, AgFunder, and more. 
Henry holds a Master’s in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia. A digital nomad and global citizen, he brings a multicultural, forward-thinking lens to agriculture.
Through Agritecture, Henry is building the world’s most accessible and data-driven platform for farm planning, with a vision to help global agriculture adapt to climate change. His mission is to make agriculture more resilient, transparent, and equitable through smart design, innovative policy, and responsible technology.

Starting at Logiqs in 1989 in the field of software and controls I moved to designing growing systems in 2009. Combining innovative logistic, climate and irrigation systems to best grow plants is my passion. In the past years this led to various innovations, such as Bench precise irrigation, climate and light, 2D shuttles that drive through the greenhouse , or vertical farm, to take care of logistics. Lately most focus goes to creating a very homogeneous climate near the leaves of the plants. This allows for higher humidity that can speed up growth a lot and at the same time reduce the energy use.

Tisha Livingston is the CEO of Infinite Acres, a wholly owned subsidiary of 80 Acres farms.  The company was originally founded as a global joint venture between the Dutch company Priva, a greenhouse technology company, an American indoor farming company, 80 Acres Farms and the British Ocado Group, U.K.’s largest online grocer.
Prior to forming Infinite Acres, Tisha was the co-founder and President of 80 Acres Farms, a pioneer in the field of vertical farming in the United States, where they grow, operate, sell and distribute the freshest vegetables and herbs delivered to supermarkets and restaurants year round. In her prior role, Tisha was Chief Operating Officer of Sager Creek Vegetable Company, a Division of Del Monte Foods. She connected with many American farmers and valued the role of local food in enabling stronger and healthier communities. She brings to 80 Acres Farms her strong track record of growing revenues, reducing costs and enhancing capital efficiencies.
Tisha began her career in the food industry over 25 years ago, encompassing Finance, Manufacturing, Procurement, Warehousing, Logistics, Demand Managing, Planning, S & OP, Quality, R & D, Business Intelligence, IT, and Engineering.

CO- Founder

Marketing Manager

Senior Research Scientist

Henry Gordon-Smith is a sustainability strategist focused on urban agriculture, water issues, and emerging technologies. Henry was born in Hong Kong and has lived in Japan, Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, Canada, Spain, Austria, and the United States. Henry earned his BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, coursework in Food Security and Urban Agriculture from Ryerson University in Toronto, and an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University. In 2011, Henry started exploring urban agriculture and launched the blog “Agritecture” to share case studies and analysis from around the world. In 2013, Henry Co-Founded the Association for Vertical Farming (AVF) and served on the board until July 2017. In 2014, Henry responded to a global need for technology-agnostic guidance on urban agriculture by launching the advisory firm Agritecture Consulting which has now consulted on over 250 urban agriculture projects in over 40 countries. Agritecture Consulting primarily helps entrepreneurs with vertical farming feasibility studies, recruiting, and systems design. In 2018, Henry was voted top 10 in Produce (USA) and 40 under 40 food policy influencers (NYC). In 2019, Henry was accepted as a Guelph University Food Policy Fellow and an advisor to the Ryerson University urban agriculture and food security curriculum development committee. Henry was named as a top 20 influencer in food and agriculture by Rabobank in December 2019. In 2023 Henry was voted global changemaker of the year by Thought For Food. Henry serves on the advisory board of numerous AgTech startups including Smallhold and Foodshed.io. Henry previously served on the board of directors for the not-for-profit food access organization Teens for Food Justice in NYC. Henry has spoken on the topic of urban agriculture on 6 continents and has been interviewed about urban and vertical farming for the WSJ, NYT, Futurism, Men’s Health, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, Arabian Business, CNBC, and more. Henry is currently based in NYC while he is teaching a new course at Columbia University on Climate Smart Agriculture.

Senior researcher

Head of Plant Science

Luuk Graamans is a researcher from Wageningen Research, where he researches high-tech greenhouses and vertical farms in the business unit Greenhouse Horticulture. Our recent research focuses on the effects of the Energy Transition on the technical design of greenhouses. We will present the KasEnergieWijzer, an intuitive tool to design and calculate the performance of the greenhouses of the future.

Connecting people and organisations, address sustainability challenges, facilitate cross-disciplinary collaborations and find innovative solutions is my passion.  Connect business partners with the well-known knowledge institute Wageningen Plant Research in order to enforece collaboration and making it possible that knowledge and innovative ideas finds its way to the market and vice versa

Business Development Manager

Founder & Key connector

Executive Director

Manager Improvement Centre

Technical Consultant

Manager Smart Growing

Vakredacteur vakblad voor de bloemisterij

Sonny has been consulting growers for years on cannabis cultivation in countries where medicinal cannabis is legalized. His cultivation experience and expertise is strengthened as result of his involvement in trials at Wageningen University.
Not surprisingly, Sonny holds a master’s degree in plant science from Wageningen University with greenhouse horticulture as his specialization. He understands the importance of working together with the pharmaceutical, horticultural & hobby industry in the cannabis sector. Through his experience in his extensive network he learnt that cultivation expertise is a crucial factor to make growing facilities a success.

Managing Partner

Chairman Caring Doctors

Sjaak is a driven and forward-thinking innovator with a deep passion for technology and sustainability. With years of executive experience at leading suppliers in horticultural automation and robotics, he plays an active role in the digital transformation of the industry. Sjaak has a unique talent for translating strategy into tangible results. His mission: to successfully leverage technology as a catalyst for a more sustainable world.
As founder of DigiVation, Sjaak firmly believes in the power of simplicity: complex knowledge, simply understood. On stage, he shares not only his expertise but also his personal journey and vision for the digital future of horticulture. With a sharp eye for scalability and human-centered solutions, he demonstrates how AI and XR technologies can drive the success of innovation in horticulture – accessible, applicable, and truly inspiring.

Founder, owner

Tenair

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Athanasios Sapounas

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Athanasios Sapounas