20 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM DiegoAngelo Jan-WillemBreukink PaoloBarbieri Diego Angelo, EMEA Region Head Seeds at Bayer SAS. Diego was able to grow the seed business in EMEA in a challenging context, focussing on three main crops: OSR, of which the business is growing very well in Eastern Europe compared to 2016; cotton, where the com- pany is now a leader in Greece & Turkey; and hybrid rice for Africa. Diego is a very dedicated and focused leader and has been an example to his colleagues in effi- ciency and flexibility. He lives the Values of Bayer – LIFE (Leadership, Integrity, Flexibility and Efficiency). Safety in the seed business is vital, and under his guid- ance, the company created a new safety award across the region specially for seeds, which resulted in a certification ISO 18001 for Bayer European Oilseeds Processing Centre. Paolo Barbieri, Managing Director Dupont Pioneer in Europe. In his role, Paolo has been working on providing European farmers with the highest value through innovative products, services and solutions, which result in increased farmer productiv- ity and profitability. Paolo has significantly contributed to the fast market access and success of Pioneer® brand Optimum® AQUAmax® hybrids, Pioneer Protector® products and m³™ products. While always looking for opportunities to better serve customers, Paolo has advocated plant breeding innovation like gene editing, through strengthening the relationship with external stakeholders and integrating the perspective of the consumer. SuzanneBarratt, Seeds Communication Manager, EMEA & APAC at Bayer & Chair of the ESA Working Group Communications. Effective communication is vital for any seed company and espe- cially so for an organisation such as the ESA. Engaging and emotional communica- tion can make all the difference to explain- ing policies to decision makers, creating support and improving societal acceptance of the European seed sector. Suzanne has excelled in her role as chair of the ESA WG Coms, giving a more prominent place for communications alongside public govern- ment affairs; leading to streamlining and aligning members so together everyone can contribute towards the enhancement of the image of the seed sector. Jan-Willem Breukink, former CEO and President of Incotec Group BV. Jan- Willem is known for his enormous com- mitment to the seed industry. He has been at the helm of Incotec for over 25 years and in that position he was instru- mental in introducing innovative prod- ucts in the field of seed enhancements into the market. Under his leadership, Incotec won several innovation and business awards, including in 2009 the Erasmus Award for most innovative com- pany in The Netherlands, and in 2014 the European Business Award. He served in several executive roles on committees within major seed organizations, such as ESA and ISF. At present he is chairman of the board of Seed Valley and contin- ues to share his expert guidance in the boards of various other organizations SuzanneBarratt 20 HIGHLYINFLUENTIAL SEEDS-PEOPLEIN EUROPEIN2017