Josue Samano Monroy

High-Tech Crops Sales Specialist for the UK & Ireland, BASF Nunhems

I’ve spent over 10 years in the food production industry, working across different countries – from growing crops in California, Mexico and the UK to R&D in California. My strong academic foundation in agriculture, crop nutrition, and production helps me connect science with what’s happening in the field. At Nunhems, I lead the high-tech crop segment in the UK & Ireland, helping drive innovation and performance in protected horticulture.

Geert Janssen. Crop Lead – Solanums, Leafies and Others, BASF Nunhems

With over 25 years of experience in breeding and research across various field and vegetable crops, Geert has spent the last decade leading tomato R&D efforts, particularly focused on tackling ToBRFV. Although no longer formally heading the tomato R&D team, Geert remains deeply involved as a mentor and strategic contributor, supporting the next generation of researchers. His continued engagement is driven by the appreciation and collaboration within the BASF tomato team.

At the British Tomato Conference, Geert will share insights into the genetic solutions BASF Nunhems is developing to combat ToBRFV. BASF Nunhems is a trusted partner in delivering durable resistance without compromising the needs of growers or consumers.

Robbie Moore MP is the Shadow Farming and Rural Affairs Minister as well as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Keighley and Ilkley.

He grew up on his family's arable farm in Lincolnshire, where they still farm today. Robbie spent 12 years working as a land agent and rural practice surveyor, which included starting his own consultancy business, before being elected as Keighley and Ilkley's MP in 2019. In 2016, Robbie completed a Nuffield Farming Scholarship which  focused on the implications of short-term land tenure and agriculture. 

Robbie served as a DEFRA minister under the last Conservative Government from November 2023 up to the last general election.

Gail Soutar

Head of Trade and Business Strategy at the NFU

She leads policy development across the business-critical areas shaping UK agriculture. From international trade and taxation to planning, infrastructure, skills, and innovation, Gail drives strategic efforts to help farmers become more competitive, profitable, and productive. With more than 23 years’ experience working on UK, EU, and international trade and agriculture policy Gail has a wealth of experience and contacts across government, regulators, and the supply chain to ensure NFU members’ interests are championed at every level. Born and brought up on the family croft on the North Coast of Scotland, Gail brings a passion for practical policy development and implementation. Outside of work, she’s a keen golfer, married to Alan, and proud mum to Cameron—balancing strategic thinking with family life and fairways.

Clara Tucker

Consumer Insight Director at Worldpanel by Numerator

Clara works with a varied portfolio of Produce suppliers, showing them where they can unlock opportunities through a deep understanding of their categories and shoppers. She’s passionate about helping clients grow through data-driven decision making. Previously at Worldpanel she worked on our biggest FMCG manufacturer account across multiple brands and categories, so she also knows the value of bringing wider industry trends to our clients to contextualise changes in their market. Coupled with previous experience in Customer Experience strategy, she is enthusiastic about bringing shopper insight to the forefront of supplier strategy.

Nyree Ambarchian

Co-Founder of Jack & Grace Communications, a purpose-driven communications agency on a mission to use comms as a force for good. She provides strategic support for the British Toms team, ensuring our message lands in front of the right people.

Rob James is Technical Director for Thanet Earth, supplying most of the UK’s major multiple retailers. He is also a member of the NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board.

He has worked at Thanet Earth since the earliest days of the project in 2008 as part of the leadership team on site. He has helped develop a cutting edge, fully functioning greenhouse complex.

Rob is responsible for all aspects of product quality, sustainability, research projects, innovation, varietal development, environment and food safety.

Now Then Energy

Tim Pratt - Managing Director

Tim is an engineer at heart and has worked as an energy consultant for 32 years with most of that focussed on commercial horticulture. His horticultural knowledge grew from hands on delivery of energy related R&D Projects for the Horticultural Development Council . These led to his first BTGA Conference presentation in 2003.

Tim formed Now Then Energy Ltd in late 2020. He continues to advise growers on almost any energy topic ranging from new grid connections & energy contracts to feasibility studies (renewable & fossil fuel), energy compliance and management of energy assets (most notably CHP). If he doesn’t know the answer to your energy questions he usually knows somebody who does!

Ben Ablewhite - Director and consultant

Ben has worked in energy consultancy since 2016, with 15 years in banking, tech and media production before that. He jumped (or was he pushed?) straight into the deep end on his first day buying £250k of electricity for a well-known leafy salad producer and has never looked back.

Ben previously ran an energy account management team at a larger consultancy before joining Now Then Energy in 2022.

He is a familiar face / name to many growers be that for negotiating energy contracts, compiling energy consumption & cost data and optimising CHP operating hours / income. He also manages electricity sales for the ‘full-house’ of renewable electricity generators; wind, solar and AD.

Dr Sven Batke

Chair of the Greenhouse Innovation Consortium (GIC), Reader in Plant Science, and Associate Head of Research and Knowledge Exchange at Edge Hill University

He is an expert in sustainable horticulture and protected cropping, with extensive experience in plant physiology, climate and crop data analysis. He has led multiple commercial greenhouse trials, including collaborative greenhouse glass testing with Pilkington. As facilitator of the InnovateUK ADOPT programme, he works closely with key industry partners to deliver applied innovation.

Together with the BTGA, he recently completed the first national mapping of UK greenhouses and developed a spatial model to identify optimal locations for future infrastructure and estimate the investment required for national food self-sufficiency. He recently published a white paper on the state of UK protected edibles and has contributed to over £18 million in research funding applications, with his work informing grower practices and national food policy.

Lauren Chappell

Assistant Professor at Warwick Crop Centre, University of Warwick.

She works on the Vegetable Genetic Improvement Network (VeGIN) project, a Defra funded research programme that brings together research focussed on key vegetable crops including brassicas, leafy salads, root vegetables, and herbs. The project encourages collaboration between industry and researchers to address how genetic improvement of crop varieties can contribute to a sustainable increase in food production, meeting the challenges of food security and climate change. Her main interest is in identifying and deploying new sources of resistance to key pests and diseases in a range of horticultural crops utilising novel pre-breeding and GE techniques.

Dr Adrian Fox BSc (Hons) PhD CBiol SPHP MRSB

Lead Plant Virologist, Fera Science Ltd

Adrian leads the Plant Virology team at Fera Science Ltd, the National Reference Laboratory for Plant Health in England and Wales, UK. He has over 25 years’ experience in regulatory plant virus diagnostics. In addition to delivering regulatory and commercial virus diagnostics, the research of the group includes applying novel diagnostic techniques to improve the detection and diagnosis of plant viruses, and investigating the epidemiology and management of novel and emerging viruses of field vegetables and protected edibles.  He is a member of the International Committee on Plant Virus Epidemiology and the EPPO panel on diagnostics in virology.

Adrian has been involved in the response to tomato brown rugose fruit virus since 2018.  His research group have provided grower focused research to help manage the virus and to inform plant health action in response to outbreaks of the disease.  

Find the full details of the event here!