Meet
CIOPORA Board
CIOPORA President & Board 2026 - 2029
Dean Rule
President
Dean resides in Ecuador, where he directed the greenhouse rose breeding, selection, and marketing program of the E.G. Hill Company and its subsidiary International Rose Breeders LLC for the local and international markets for many years. He has been heavily involved in the local IP laws and local and international enforcement and lobbying. He is also involved in projects with subsistence agriculture and breeding for food security in developing countries. Dean has an M.Sc. in Horticulture from The Ohio State University, with a specialty in plant and postharvest physiology.
Wendy Cashmore
Immmediate Past President
Wendy Cashmore is a director of several New-Zealand based businesses. Her primary interest is the breeding and development of new apple varieties through her holding in Trajectory762 Limited. This is complemented with activities fostering capability development in businesses where more effective commercialization models and strategy to deliver new outcomes for plant variety intellectual assets is essential through Plant IP Partners Limited - a New Zealand-based plant variety IP consultancy company working internationally. Wendy has been an active member of CIOPORA since the 50th Anniversary of the association in Rome, 2011. Elected to the Board in 2014, Wendy served as a Vice President since 2017 and between 2023 - 2026 as President of CIOPORA.
With a long professional history in the international fruit breeding and commercialization world, Wendy is passionate about all aspects of plant variety intellectual property, plant breeding, and the communication and relationships that make those things successful.
Mathilde Letellier
Board member
After graduating from CEIPI in Strasbourg, France, with a master’s degree in law (specialising in intellectual property), Mathilde joined the Pan-European Seal Programme and completed a one-year traineeship at the EUIPO in Alicante, Spain. Following this experience, she worked for French IP law firms.
Since March 2020, she has been working for the French companies DALIVAL, IFO, and CADAMON, which specialize in nurseries and orchards for fruit trees, as well as in the creation and development of new fruit varieties, mainly apples. She currently serves as Legal Manager, where she is responsible for all matters related to intellectual property (including PBRs and trademarks) as well as company contracts.
Akira Nagata
Board member
Akira Nagata is General Manager of the Innovation Division at the Japan Association for Techno-Innovation in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (JATAFF), Japan. He has many years of experience in plant variety protection (PVP) policy, international cooperation, and intellectual property systems related to agriculture and horticulture.
Earlier in his career, he served as Director of the Plant Variety Protection Office at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan, contributing to the development of Japan’s plant variety protection system.
At JATAFF, he is engaged in projects related to plant variety protection, including international cooperation and capacity-building activities, such as the East Asia Plant Variety Protection Forum (EAPVP Forum), a regional cooperation framework involving ASEAN countries, China, Japan and South Korea.
Emma Brown
Board member
Emma Brown is General Manager Plant Varieties at the Bioeconomy Science Institute, where she leads the development, protection, and commercialisation of plant variety intellectual property across global markets. Her role spans the full innovation lifecycle — from shaping breeding programmes and international collaborations through to securing robust IP protection and delivering commercial outcomes.
Since joining the Institute 15 years ago, following completion of a Master of Science in Horticultural Science at Massey University, Emma has held roles spanning intellectual property coordination, business development, and executive leadership. This breadth of experience provides her with a strong understanding of how breeding strategy, IP frameworks, and commercialisation pathways align to create sustainable value.
Based in Hawke’s Bay, Emma works across Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally, engaging with partners, industry leaders, and policymakers. She is a strong advocate for robust and balanced plant variety rights frameworks, recognising their critical role in enabling innovation, investment, and collaboration across the global breeding community.
Ingrid Slangen
Board member
Chair Crop Section Cut Flowers
Ingrid Slangen is the Director of IP & Legal Affairs at Selecta one, Germany. Originally an English/Spanish translator by trade, during her career at Selecta, Ingrid has gathered extensive expertise in legal and plant IP matters. For over 18 years she has been working for Selecta, a world-leading breeder, producer, and marketer of asexually propagated ornamental plants with headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. As a Director of IP & Legal Affairs at Selecta, Ingrid is responsible for managing the company’s global IP portfolio as well as all licensing, contractual, and legal affairs. Right from the beginning, Ingrid represented Selecta in CIOPORA and became the Chair of the CIOPORA Crop Section Gypsophila (now, Cut Flowers) in 2013. In this position, Ingrid participated as an observer in many Board meetings before becoming an official Board member in 2020, and supports CIOPORA pro bono, including the representation of CIOPORA at the EU/CPVO.
Juana de la Torre
Board member
Juana comes from a family with a long-standing background in the floriculture industry in South America, which gave her a deep connection to plants and nature from an early age. Today, she works at Ball Horticultural Company, a global breeding and distribution company with a broad portfolio of floral products—including cut flowers, potted plants, and garden varieties—as well as a smaller vegetable segment.
Juana began her career at Ball in sales and marketing, where she spent five years leading the South American market. Later, she moved into product development before pursuing her MBA at UCLA Anderson School of Management. After returning to the company, she took on a role focused on finance and digital transformation.
Today, she is based in Miami and oversees finance, digital transformation, and legal matters for Latin America, including plant variety protection. Her role sits at the intersection of business, operations, and innovation—working closely with breeders, suppliers, and commercial teams to bring new varieties to market while ensuring strong operational and legal foundations.
Matthias Meilland
Board member
Born in roses on July 11th, 1977, Matthias started to learn breeding at age 4 with his grandmother Louisette Meilland in the field of Antibes, in the south of France. At age 7, he was proposed to have a rose named after him and Meifolio became his first selection. As a teenager, he followed his father, Alain Meilland, in Central and South America while he was developing the cut flower industry. He studied general arts in California and developed his video production company. He edited the explanatory video for the 50th Anniversary of CIOPORA, which was held in Rome in 2011. Matthias was proposed by the family to become the public relations of the House of Meilland in 2013. Today, he is leading the development in Asia and Oceania with a focus on Chinese PBR enforcement and managing marketing & sales of the house of Meilland.
Waheed Mohamed
Board member
Waheed Mahomed is a South African-qualified patent attorney and well-versed in plant breeders’ rights (PBR) and agricultural innovation. His work sits at the intersection of law, science, and food systems, with a focus on how effective IP frameworks can drive innovation, protect breeders, and strengthen agricultural value chains. He has a practical, commercially grounded perspective on complex legal and policy questions shaping the future of agriculture.
His experience spans pome, stone, grapevine and berry crops and has experience in PBR prosecution, enforcement, plant material phytosanitary and translocation requirements, as well as various licensing and royalty models to create value for growers and breeders alike.
Dr. Viresh Ramburan
Board member
Viresh has been involved in intellectual property, business development and commercial management in agriculture for more than 15 years, specifically interested in and wanting to learn about models for innovation in agriculture, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship. He completed undergraduate training in agriculture with specialisation in genetics and plant breeding followed by a PhD Agric in Molecular Genetics. Curiosity for innovation and technology commercialization, led to further education and working experience in the fields of business management and the legal and intellectual property aspects of plant innovation.
Viresh worked in South Africa as a research scientist, as well as in technology transfer and research commercialization, and globally as an executive at the Biogold International and Citrogold businesses in the area of the management and commercialization of plant varieties. He also spent time managing an integrated farming, packing and marketing entity in South Africa that developed and managed the ClemenGold® mandarin and LemonGold® seedless lemon citrus brands internationally. Viresh was very involved in the process of the acquisition of Biogold International by Sun World as part of the Sun World strategy to expand their product range.
Viresh is presently a Director at CIOPORA and Vice President of Product Management at Sun World. He has an interest to bring new varieties to the market, a process that takes time and commitment, hard work, team work, persistence, and dedication. He is grateful to have been part of some successes through working with great teams over the years and growing from many learnings in the plant innovation sector.
Brian Suh
Board member
Brian Suh is the Senior Executive Director of Technology Partnerships at University of California, Riverside (UCR), where he leads the development, protection, marketing, and licensing of the university’s research and intellectual property. With over 17 years of experience in bringing innovations from lab to market, he has played a key role in strengthening UCR’s research impact and fostering a culture of entrepreneurship. His work includes managing plant-related IP from UCR’s breeding programs—such as citrus, avocado, and pomegranate—and supporting the commercialization of varieties like the ‘Tango’ mandarin and the Luna UCR™ avocado. He also serves on the USDA Plant Variety Protection Board, contributing to policy and implementation of plant variety protection standards in the United States.
In addition to his leadership role, he supports innovation, entrepreneurship, and business development efforts that connect UCR with industry, government, and other partners. He is known for building strong collaborations that enable technology transfer, licensing, and commercialization, helping translate research into real-world impact. Brian holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University and an MBA from UC San Diego Rady School of Management, and brings deep expertise in IP management, corporate engagement, and innovation strategy.
Jelle Posthumus
Board member
Chair of IRBA/Crop Section Cut Rose
Jelle Posthumus is CEO and shareholder of United Selections, an international rose breeding company with activities across Africa, Europe, and Latin America. In addition, he is co-owner and board member of Konst Alstroemeria, a breeder of Alstroemeria and Zantedeschia varieties. With a strong focus on innovation, variety development, and global market positioning, he is actively involved in advancing the role of breeding within the floriculture industry.
Jelle serves as Chairman of the International Rose Breeders Association (IRBA), the Cut Flower Crop Section of CIOPORA, where he represents the interests of rose breeders worldwide and contributes to initiatives promoting respect for Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR).
As a member of the CIOPORA Board, Jelle brings practical industry experience and a strong belief in collaboration across the value chain. He is committed to supporting the development of effective intellectual property protection systems and contributing, together with fellow board members, to further strengthening innovation and cooperation within the global breeding community.