b'2 0 1 820 MOST INFLUENTIALin the European seed sectorEMMANUEL LESPRITHEAD OF PLANT BREEDING UNIT AT THE FRENCH SEED UNION (UNION FRANAISE DES SEMENCIERSUFS) Within UFS, Emmanuel is also the head of the Vegetables and Ornamentals Department. Emmanuel has dedicated all his career to the seed sector, from breed-ing to quality and safety risk management. Besides his role in UFS, he has been rep-resenting the seed sector at both national and European levels and is the coordinator and facilitator for several member working groups. Emmanuel also chaired the ESA Plant Health working group until end of 2018. Emmanuel has realized that commu-nicating about innovation is crucial in the seed sector and he is known for his excel-lent way to get technical information across in an engaging manner.VICENTE NAVARROSENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF BASF VEGETABLE SEEDSBesides his role in BASF since 2013, Vicente is also chairman of the vegetable & ornamental crops section (SVO) of the International Seed Federation (ISF). In this role, he spearheaded the launch ofBEAT SPTH ANTONIO VILLAROELa project which explores the potential ofDIRECTOR FOR AGRICULTURALSECRETARY GENERAL OF THE SPANISH a Systems Approach, based on ISPM-38BIOTECHNOLOGY AT EUROPABIO PLANT BREEDERS ASSOCIATION ANOVE to be multilaterally adopted by NPPOsAs Director for Agricultural Biotechnology atFor over 20 years, Antonio has been work-as an alternative to existing PRM (pestEuropaBio, Beat has helped the associa- ing for the plant breeding and seed indus-risk management) options. As chairmantion progress as the leading advocate fortry. He is a strong believer in the power of he has brought a lot of passion to theagricultural biotechnology and GMOs inintellectual property (IP), and has assumed discussions and is well known to fosterEurope. In a year that has been packedseveral important roles on IP, including dialogue in the SVO. In addition, he haswith EU initiatives and decisions that couldin the IP Committee of the International been raising awareness on illegal vege- profoundly impact the seed sector, BeatSeed Federation, where he chairs the tative propagation and IP infringement inhas led efforts to highlight the need forWorking Group on Illegal Seed Practices. the WG Vegetable Seed Production andscience-based and ethical risk assessmentBesides his work for ANOVE, he is also the co-authored the APSA-ISF Paper on bestprocedures for GMOs and for decisionManaging Director of GESLIVE, the organ-practices. Since the beginning he raisedmakers to vote with the science rather thanization created by breeders operating in awareness among the seed industry on theagainst it. He has also been a vocal propo- Spain to provide licensing, royalty collec-need to preserve its license to operate andnent for eliminating unnecessary, manda- tion and enforcement services, defending proactively explain its contribution to soci- tory animal feeding studies from EU GMOthe rights of more than 1,500 plant varieties ety and the UN Sustainable Developmentassessment requirements. Cornerstone ofand 100 registered brands. In addition to Goals. Vicente has a profound knowledgehis efforts is the emphasis on the impor- these roles, he was recently appointed as of the seed industry and played a key roletance of science-based decision-making bytreasurer of the ESA Executive Committee. in the Monsanto acquisition and later on inall institutions and Member States, as wellAntonio is a great team player, has a the Bayer-BASF transfer operation.as the need for efficient risk assessment. positive attitude that fosters brainstorming, likes thinking out of the box and is a great motivator for communications.14IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'