b'2 0 1 920 MOST innovative breedersin the European seed sectorVASILIS GEGASEUROPEAN PORTFOLIO MANAGER FOR OILSEED RAPE, AT LIMAGRAIN EUROPE Vasilis previously working as the senior oilseed rape breeder at Limagrain UK. As a result of his many achievements, he was recently promoted to European portfolio manager for oilseed rape. His varieties now account for 8 out of 13 winter oilseed rape varieties on the UK Recommended List. He is the first oil seed rape breeder in the UK to successfully bring together high yield with turnip yellows virus (TuYV) resistance. This virus can affect up to 100% of oilseed rape crops, reducing yield by as much as 30%. 2019 has seen the launch of the first oilseed rape variety, LG AMBASSADOR, which com-bines very high yield potential coupled with several genetic traits, as it combines resist-ance to TuYV and pod shattering, together with another recent innovation concerning the optimization of nitrogen nutrition. SIMON (SIEM) GROENSENIOR BREEDER CAULIFLOWER AT SYNGENTA VEGETABLE SEEDS Siem is a renowned cauliflower breeder for the temperate segments, with a spectacularAMIT HOTZEV PIM LINDHOUTtrack record of successful variety introduc- HEAD OF EAST EMEA TOMATOHEAD OF R&D AT SOLYNTA, IN THE tions over the past decades. The varietiesBREEDING AT BAYER NETHERLANDS Lecanu, Korlanu, Clarina and Guideline areAmit is leading one of the tomato breedingAfter his academic studies in Leiden, Pim just a few of the many excellent hybrids thatprograms for Bayer, which is developing became Assoc. Prof in plant breeding at have had a significant impact on cauliflowerproducts for markets in different countriesWageningen University. He has published markets in Europe and worldwide. A break- across Asia, Europe, Middle East and theover 100 scientific publications and through from 2019 is Andromeda, a varietyAmericas. Tomato hybrids that Amit hasgenerated three patents. In 2010 he started that stays white even when exposed to thedeveloped are currently sold in 55 countriesworking for his own company Solynta, sun, thereby saving labour normally requiredaround the world with some of his recentwhich is dedicated to the development and for leaf covering. Cauliflower is relativelyhybrids leading and having a significantimplementation of F1 hybrid breeding in slow for breeding, but Siem has increasedmarket share in China, Mexico, Italy andpotato. After generating the first self-fertile the speed of introductions, respondingTurkey. He also contributed significantly inpotato inbreds in 2009, it was followed by to major changes in market needs. He isdeveloping talent in one of the most importantmany generations of hybrid breeding. He, always open for the challenge and veryregions of the vegetable business where ittogether with his colleague Menno ter Maat, quickly delivers the solution in the field. Siemis hard to find good breeders. He was oneand the rest of their team, were able to retires in October 2020, after more than 40of the early adopters among the vegetabledevelop hybrid potato varieties using diploid years of dedication to Brassicas. This nomi- breeders to use molecular markers in hisseed, culminating in the public release of the nation brings well-deserved recognition forbreeding programs, where he routinelyuniform potato line Solyntus in the 2019. It is his long career of contributions to the globalstacks more than 10 different resistanceno surprise that Pim often is considered as seed industry. genes, using molecular markers withoutthe father of the hybrid potato. having any significant drag on yield. Amit is currently working on material in view of the development of the Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus.16IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'