Novel Pesticides

Alison Blackwell (PhD) is currently CEO of APS Biocontrol Ltd., based in Scotland.  Within her role, she has overall responsibility for directing the company's R&D into bacteriophages for crop protection, in addition to commercialising the company's product pipeline.   She has contributed to the new knowledge required for regulatory frameworks to understand and keep pace with this new innovation and has direct experience of preparing information to support the registration of bacteriophages as active substances in plant protection products in the EU and UK.  

Marisé Borja is the Vice Chair of the Natural Substances Professional group at the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA) and Acting President of IBMA Spain. She is Director of Global Regulatory Affairs at SynTech Research Group and Head of Biopesticides at GAB Consulting. She has previously held a position as Advisor to Spain’s Ministry of Science and technology, while also being an Expert for the EU Commission, advising on Research Projects and Policy Development and Monitoring in Agriculture, Environment, and Life Science, Bioethics.

Gunter Brader is a Senior Scientist at the Austrian Institute of Technology, specializing in plant–microbe interactions and the role of beneficial bacteria in agriculture. He earned his PhD in plant biology from the University of Vienna and held research and docent positions at the University of Helsinki. With over 60 peer-reviewed publications, his work focuses on plant disease mechanisms, secondary metabolites, and the genomic characterization and safe application of biocontrol and biostimulant bacteria in agricultural and horticultural systems.

Nina Cedergreen is a Professor in Environmental Toxicology at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. Nina has worked with the environmental effect and risk of pesticides, antropogenic and natural bioactive compounds for the past 25 years with special focus on mixture toxicity, combined stressors and dynamic modelling of toxic effects. Her present research focusses on assessing the potential environmental impact of new iotechnological Plant Protection Products as leader of the consortium ENSAFE.

Domenico Deserio is a Policy Officer in the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission (DG SANTE). He is responsible for policies related to micro-organisms used as active substances in plant protection products. Within the EU Biopesticide Working Group which he co-chairs, he has produced four amending Regulations concerning placing on the market of microbiological active substances and plant protection products, and other related policies such as Commission Communications listing relevant test methods and guidance documents, and “Explanatory Notes” to the data requirements on micro-organisms. He holds a Master of Biotechnology from the University of Bari (Italy) and completed his thesis on food microbiology. Moreover, he achieved an advanced postgraduate Master by Research of Agricultural Science at the University of Adelaide (Australia), carrying out his research on plant genomics and plant pathology.

Inge Huygens holds a Master’s degree in Chemistry and a PhD in Sciences from Ghent University (Belgium). Following her academic training, she has built nearly 20 years of experience in the crop protection sector, working across industry and consultancy with a focus on regulatory science for plant protection products and biocides. At ARCHE Consulting, she serves as a Regulatory Affairs Manager, specializing in the scientific and regulatory evaluation of plant protection products. Her work centers on dossier preparations, risk assessments and the interpretation of evolving regulatory frameworks for both biocontrol and chemical plant protection products.

Patrick Kabouw is Head of Regulatory at Aphea Bio, where he leads regulatory strategy for innovative biological solutions in agriculture. His mission is to foster innovation and collaboration within the biocontrol community. In agriculture, Patrick's career centers on biocontrol, specializing in crafting optimal registration strategies for biocontrol solutions such as beneficial microorganisms, naturally derived enzymes, seed treatments, and environmentally friendly proteins. He actively contributes to several industry associations such as CropLife Europe's Biopesticide group, Euroseeds, and the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association as a moderator for the natural substances group.

Nina Ortiz is responsible for product characterization and human health reviews at the Emerging Technologies Branch in the Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division of the US Environmental Protection Agency. A Biologist by training, Nina holds a PhD from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Joachim Rumbolz is a regulatory consultant with over 20 years’ experience in the agrochemical and biocides sector. He specialises in the registration of crop protection products—particularly biopesticides such as micro-organisms, pheromones and plant-based substances—across Europe and internationally. He provides strategic advice on registration pathways for sustainable active substances and supports clients throughout the regulatory process, from data generation to dossier preparation, submission and approval. A trained biologist and winegrower, he has worked in Germany, Switzerland and the USA, and holds a Dr rer. nat. in plant pathology from the University of Konstanz.

Anne Steenbergh is a Policy Advisor in the area of sustainable plant protection at the Dutch Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb). A Microbial Ecologist by training Anne is also part of the Ctgb ‘GreenTEAM'.

Kara Welch is a Regulatory Affairs Manager at Novonesis working on developing biosolutions for agricultural pest management. In her role, she provides regulatory guidance across the product lifecycle from dossier generation for new technologies through post-launch maintenance activities. Prior to joining Novonesis in 2025, Kara spent nine years at the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a risk manager for novel biopesticides. She holds a Masters of Science in Entomology, with her research focused on resistance management in GM crops.

Michael Werner brings together a diverse educational background in chemical and biological sciences, complemented by substantial expertise as a Regulatory Affairs Manager in the crop protection industry. Michael joined Syngenta's Regulatory Affairs department in 2014 and has since held various global and regional positions. For over seven years, Michael has been actively engaged in the registration of biocontrols and biostimulants and currently leads Syngenta’s Europe Regulatory Biologicals Team.

Jacobijn van Etten is project manager and coordinator of the GreenTEAM at Ctgb (the Dutch Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides). She has extensive experience with biocontrol dossiers for both substances and products. Jacobijn likes the challenges of innovative dossiers and seeks to be supportive to the green ambitions of notifiers.