The Plant ETP Board of Directors consists of 8-12 natural persons representing the Plant ETP members. To ensure a balanced representation, the seats on the Board are divided between the three stakeholder groups: academia, industry and the farming community.
The position of Chair of the Board of Directors of Plant ETP is currently held by José Luis Riechmann from the academia group.
José Luis Riechmann
Chair of the Board of Directors
ICREA Research Professor at CRAG
(Academic group)
José Luis Riechmann has a 35-year track record in plant biology research, both in the public and the private sectors. He studied Biology in Madrid and holds a PhD in plant molecular virology. This was followed by postdoctoral studies at the California Institute of Technology. José Luis then became one of the senior scientists of a start-up company specializing in plant functional genomics and, later, directed a genomics laboratory at Caltech, where he played a pivotal role in exploring cutting-edge genomics technologies. In 2008, he embraced the position of ICREA Research Professor at the Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG; Barcelona). He also took on the directing role at the research centre between 2013 and 2022. His research interests lie at the intersection of developmental biology, transcriptional regulation, and genomics and proteomics in plants.
It is an honor to serve on the Board of Plant ETP, and to help the Platform advance the shared interests of the academic, industry and farming sectors in agriculture and plant biology research. This is more needed than ever in the EU framework, if we are to successfully transition to a more sustainable agriculture and to maintain the prominence of the agri-food sector in Europe.
Patrick Pagani
Deputy Secretary General Copa-Cogeca
(Farming community group)
Patrick Pagani, an Italian with a background in European Law from the University of Rome, has a rich career path. After initial roles in the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and DG Agriculture of the European Commission, he dedicated several years to the European sugar beet sector. Specializing in sustainability, agriculture, and innovation, Patrick worked closely with the farming community. Currently serving at Copa-Cogeca, he spearheads policy coordination in the office of the Secretary General. Patrick leads the organization’s stance on crucial issues like Farm to Fork, Fit for 55, and food security. Additionally, he oversees the Agriculture Technology portfolio, aiming to position the farming sector as a leader in the data-driven economy and in adopting new technologies for enhanced resource efficiency and modernization.
Being elected to the Plant ETP Board to represent the farmers’ community is a true honor. EU farmers and agri-cooperatives prioritize innovation, research, and technology to modernize agriculture. Amid global challenges like Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, energy crises, and climate change, ensuring food security and sustainability is a top priority. Achieving these goals requires collaboration, innovation, and strategic investments, emphasizing the importance of working with academia and industry stakeholders.
Korneel Vandenbroucke
Head of Trait Design for Seeds and Traits R&D for Field Crops at BASF
(Industry group)
Korneel is a scientist with a PhD in Plant Biotechnology, received at the university of Ghent in 2008. He did many years of research to develop plant varieties that can cope with climate change, including drought, heat, salinity. Korneel joined industry in 2009 and was responsible for the implementation of sensor-based plant phenotyping technologies. Since 2019, he is leading the Trait Design group at the BASF Innovation Center in Ghent, responsible for the early research activities for the development of plant varieties with improved traits.
I am a plant biology scientist with a strong passion for agriculture and a true believer that innovative solutions will help to overcome the global challenges we are facing today. As a multi-stakeholder group Plant ETP brings together the different views that are needed to develop the best possible proposals to shape the future of agriculture in Europe. I joined Plant ETP because I want to co-create the framework to enable the realization of this future.
Conchi Novillo
Scientific Affairs Manager of Seeds & Traits at Bayer Crop Science (Industry group)
Over more than two transformative decades in agriculture, Conchi has become a distinguished figure at the crossroads of regulatory & scientific affairs in ag innovation. She is an agronomist and holds a PhD in Plant-Insect interactions from Universidad Politécnica of Madrid. She is passionate about farming and plant science but likes to explain that the regulatory aspects, despite they remain largely unknown to the general public, will determine whether innovative ag products can reach society or not. With a stellar 25-year tenure at Monsanto, and later at Bayer, she has achieved broad experience in regulatory topics related to plant protection products and biostimulants, new plant varieties and biotech crops. She has experience in development (field testing), registration and stewardship of biotech crops, including post-market environmental monitoring for cultivation of GM maize in Europe. Currently focused on developing and shaping science-based regulatory frameworks that enable plant breeding innovation and genome-edited plants in European and Middle East countries.
Beyond her professional achievements, she is a notable advocate in science communication, education and mentoring activities with students and young researchers in academia.
Having the privilege to contribute to the dynamic collaboration within Plant ETP is truly an honor. The profound challenges in global crop production demand a united effort across the entire value chain. From breeding to the supermarket shelf, fostering inclusion and respect is paramount in shaping sustainable solutions. Success in achieving shared objectives hinges on the power of collaboration and a collective commitment to innovation and excellence in agriculture.
Karin Metzlaff
Executive Director, European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO) (Academic group)
Karin has been the Executive Director of EPSO since its creation in 2001. She works with the EPSO members and partners to promote plant research in the European science and science policy arena by overseeing the EPSO Working Groups, providing advice and recommendations to policy makers at European, multinational and national level. Karin is member of the Board of the Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE) and represents EPSO in in the Global Plant Council (GPC). She is also a member of the Board of the European Technology Platform ‘Plants for the Future’ and one of the global coordinators of the Fascination of Plants Day. Karin has a M.Sc. in Biochemistry and a PhD in Plant Genetics.
Nathalie van Orsouw
Vice President Technology Development at KeyGene
(Industry group)
Nathalie J. van Orsouw-Dollé holds a PhD in Medical Sciences from the University of Groningen (1998). In 2002 she joined Keygene N.V., Wageningen, The Netherlands, where she is currently working as Vice President Technology Development. Here she leads groups that develop innovative technologies and strategies that boost crop improvement. Focus is on DNA Innovations, to initiate and realise highly innovative molecular breeding technology development [DNA, RNA and protein], Cell & Tissue Innovations, to initiate and realise R&I in the field of genome editing and cell & tissue technologies in plants, and Digital Phenotyping Innovations, to initiate and realise phenotyping innovations to improve either speed, cost or precision of phenotyping, thereby supporting biologicals and trait research.
Viktor Korzun
Global Lead Scientific Affairs at KWS
(Industry group)
Viktor Korzun has a degree in Agronomy & Breeding from the Belarussian Agricultural Academy and a PhD in Plant Genetics from the Institute of Genetics and Cytology, Academy of Sciences of Belarus. He was a visiting scientist at Cambridge Laboratory, John Innes Centre for Plant Science Research, Norwich, UK and a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gatersleben, Germany before he moved in 1999 to KWS as Head of Cereals Breeding Technologies. Since 2018 he has been the Global Lead of Scientific Affairs with a focus on national and international collaboration, relationships with leading universities and institutions and support of young talented scientists in plant breeding-related research.
Viktor has more than 30 years of experience in the development and application of molecular markers and novel breeding technologies in cereal crops. He has authored 170 scientific publications (h-index is 70), is an Associate Editor of the Journal Molecular Breeding and a Member of Science and Impact Advisory Board (SIAB) at John Innes Centre (JIC), UK and a Member of the Scientific Board at State Plant Breeding Institute (LSA) at University Hohenheim UHOH), Germany.
Securing a sustainable global supply of high-quality food and feed and supplying renewable biomass for the production of bio-based products and energy are key priorities for both European and global societies. In the coming decades, the European plant sector will play a central and essential role in meeting this challenge and achieving this will depend strongly on the generation and transfer of new knowledge, and greater innovation in the plant sector.
In this context, Plant ETP plays an important role in contributing to achieve the goals of global food security and sustainable food systems by connecting breeding, farmers and scientists. I’m very honored to serve as a member of Board of Directors of this unique organization.
Yasmine Ambrogio
Manager Research Policy and Project Coordination
(Industry group)
Yasmine Ambrogio holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management from the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano and a Master of Science in Food Quality and Safety from the University of Bayreuth. She worked as a Junior Researcher at the Chair of Food Law at the University of Bayreuth. In this role, she contributed to various research projects and gained valuable experience in the field of food law, policy and project coordination. In May 2025, Yasmine joined Euroseeds as Manager Research Policy and Project Coordination. In this role, she is responsible for developing Euroseeds’ strategic research agenda and coordinating the organization’s involvement in EU-funded projects.
Teresa Babuscio
Head of Government and Industry Affairs
(Industry group)
Biography pending – as we recently elected the new Members of the Board of Directors this information to be provided shortly.
Alexandre Poncet
Director of International Public and Government Affairs
(Farming community group)
Alexandre Poncet is Director of Group International Public Policy and Governmental Affairs at Limagrain, a French agricultural cooperative and one of the world’s leading seed companies. He is responsible for public affairs, government relations, strategic communication, and stakeholder engagement at European, International, and French Level . With over 20 years of experience, he brings extensive expertise in agricultural & Food Industry policy, innovation, regulatory affairs, and corporate communications, while promoting the interests and values of a farmer-owned cooperative operating globally. He holds a master’s degree in Public Affairs from Sciences Po Paris and a master’s degree in Law from Paris Panthéon-Assas University (Paris II).
Limagrain is a farmer-owned cooperative, and I am proud to share the voices and perspectives of farmers in strategic decisions, helping to keep innovation rooted in practical agricultural needs. Joining the Plant ETP Board is a great opportunity for me to further advance advocacy at the European level by bringing together public and private stakeholders around a common goal: driving innovation to build a more resilient, sustainable, and productive agriculture.
Saskia A. Hogenhout
Group Leader at the John Innes Centre
(Academic group)
Saskia Hogenhout earned her BSc/MSc from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 1994 and her PhD from Wageningen University in 1999. She joined The Ohio State University as Assistant Professor in 1999 and was tenured to Associate Professor in 2005. In 2007, she moved her laboratory to the John Innes Centre, UK, and in 2013 became Honorary Professor at the University of East Anglia. She was elected EMBO Member in 2023 and Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2024. She is President of the British Society for Plant Pathology (BSPP) and a Trustee of GetGenome, a non-profit organisation that widens access to genomics technologies, training and education for early-career scientists.
She leads a fundamental research programme at the interface of plant immunity, developmental biology and genomics, revealing how microbial pathogens and sap-feeding insects modulate plant processes to promote colonisation, and opening new avenues to obtain genetic resistance to these insects and the pathogens they transmit.
Europe has long led in plant science, seed innovation and crop production technologies, helping to provide healthy, high-quality diets. We must safeguard this knowledge while embracing innovation to strengthen sustainable crop production and food security globally.
The Executive Manager is responsible for the daily management of Plant ETP, including the implementation of Plant ETP’s strategic research and innovation agenda.
Natascha Weinberger
Executive Manager
Originally from Austria, Natascha Weinberger holds a PhD from Western Sydney University, where she studied plant–microbe interactions, followed by postdoctoral research on beneficial soil fungi. Her work has focused on molecular biology and plant health, underpinned by a strong commitment to sustainable agriculture. Her scientific background provides a strong foundation for her work at the interface of research, innovation and policy. Before becoming Executive Manager of Plants for the Future, Natascha served as Research and Communication Officer at the platform, gaining valuable experience in the European research and innovation landscape and stakeholder engagement across academia, industry, farming and policymaking.
As Executive Manager, Natascha leads the platform’s activities to strengthen collaboration across the European plant science and innovation community. She promotes strategic dialogue, supports science-based policymaking, and champions plant breeding and innovation as key drivers of sustainable, resilient and competitive agriculture in Europe.
I have always been fascinated by the complexity of plants and the vital role they play in our society. After years of research, I am excited to contribute to the sector from a broader perspective, helping to connect science, industry, farming and policy. I am passionate about building collaborations, translating knowledge into impact, and promoting the transformative role that plant science and innovation can play in addressing Europe’s sustainability and food security challenges.