Hamburg, June 17 - CIOPORA is pleased to announced new appointments to the key pro bono positions within the association:
From June 2020 on, Jan Wouter van Eck will replace An van den Putte as a new Chair of the CIOPORA Crop Section (CS) Fruit.
Jan Wouter has been active in horticulture since he graduated from the Wageningen RHAS University of Applied Sciences in 1988. As a Licence and IP manager at Fresh Forward B.V., the Netherlands, he specializes in PBR audit and enforcement - the area where he has gained extensive expertise. Jan Wouter thanked An van den Putte for her dedicated work on the CS development and the members for their trust. He is looking forward to this exciting new challenge.
Erin Wallich, Summerland Varieties, Canada, will serve as a Vice-Chair of the Crop Section Fruit.
At her company, Erin manages the Agri-Innovation Program (AIP) funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and is responsible for implementing the nation-wide testing of new varieties, supported by the program. She also oversees the Ambrosia apple strategy for the US, and coordinate Summareland's "Born in BC, Raised in the Okanagan" marketing initiative. Erin holds BS in Biology and MSc in Plant Eco-Physiology from the University of Victoria.
Marco Bertolazzi, CIV, Italy, was appointed Vice-Head Technical Expert Fruit by the CIOPORA Board.
At CIV, Marco works as an International Business Development Manager. Before CIV, Marco worked at the technology transfer office of the University of Bologna (UNIBO), also a CIOPORA member. Marco specializes in IP licensing, business development for new fruit varieties and supply chain management. Marco holds a BA degree in Agriculture and an international Master in horticultural sciences from UNIBO.
Garth Swinburn, Sun World International, Australia, is CIOPORA's new Crop Leader Table Grapes.
Garth has 38 years' experience working in different roles in agriculture. As a Vice President Licensing for Sun World, he oversees the global commercialisation of new varieties of Sun World. He holds a BA of Horticulture from Lincoln University, a post-graduate diploma in Agricultural Economics from the University of New England, and a Master of Agribusiness from the University of Queensland. Garth resides in Australia.
CIOPORA heartily thanks all its members active in the pro bono positions on behalf of the breeder community!