Jerome Konecsni - Saskatoon, SK, Canada President and CEO of Innovation Saskatchewan
Chair – ABIC Foundation
Dr. Konecsni joined Innovation Saskatchewan in October of 2011. The organization was created to coordinate and facilitate the strategic development of an innovation agenda for the province. His appointment was based on extensive experience in Saskatchewan’s research and innovation community. Before joining Innovation Saskatchewan, he served as Director General of the National Research Council’s Plant Biotechnology Institute in Saskatoon -- recognized as Canada’s technology leader in plant science.

Dr. Konecsni also brings an entrepreneurial background from prior positions as the President and CEO of both Genome Prairie and BioSmart Technologies, and as Vice President Corporate Development for Bioriginal Food & Science Corporation. He also served as Vice President - Agricultural Biotechnology, Small Industry Services, Marketing and Commercialization and Corporate Services at the Saskatchewan Research Council. He has extensive international experience and has managed and facilitated many international research collaborations and consortia. His leadership profile also includes service on a number of Boards and Committees such as: Chair of Ag-West Bio and the Saskatchewan Nutraceutical Network, Vice Chair of STEP and Member of the Knowledge Translation Committee of SHRF.

Dr. Konecsni was born in Saskatchewan and received his education from University of Saskatchewan and a doctorate from Karunya University in India.

Wilf Keller – Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Vice Chair - ABIC Foundation
As President and CEO, Dr. Wilf Keller oversees
Ag-West Bio’s mandate to support the growth and development of a vibrant agriculture-based bioeconomy in Saskatchewan.

Wilf was born in Melville, Saskatchewan. He attended the University of Saskatchewan, receiving a doctoral degree with specialization in Crop Science in 1972. He studied as a postdoctoral scientist in the Max-Planck Institut für Biologie, in Tubingen, Germany. Wilf was employed as a Research Scientist with the Research Branch of Agriculture Canada in Ottawa from 1973-89. During this period he pursued research on cell genetics of selected Canadian crops and he contributed to the establishment of a plant biotechnology research program which he chaired from 1980-89. In 1990, he accepted a position with the Plant Biotechnology Institute (PBI) of the National Research Council of Canada in Saskatoon and served as Group Leader for canola biotechnology research and Head of the Transgenic Plant Centre until 1999 when he assumed the position of Research Director. In July 2007, Wilf assumed the role of Acting Director General, NRC-PBI for a period of one year.

Wilf has been actively involved in the development and application of biotechnologies for the genetic modification of crops, particularly canola. He has collaborated with numerous government, university and industry groups and has provided training for researchers in plant biotechnology. He has led major research initiatives on the application of genomics in canola improvement, the development of industrial bioproducts from vegetable oils, and production of bioactive natural products in plants for enhanced human health and quality of life. He has given many presentations and lectures on aspects of biotechnology including public awareness and public education aspects of this emerging field.
 

Muriel Adams - Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Managing Director – ABIC Foundation
The ABIC Foundation was created by Ag-West Bio in 1998. Muriel joined the Ag-West Bio team in the fall of 1996, and assumed day to day operations of the Foundation along with her regular duties at Ag-West.  In 2007, Muriel left her position as General Manager at Ag-West Bio and continued managing the Foundation’s affairs on a contract basis. She became Managing Director of the Foundation in August of 2009.
 

Art Froehlich – Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Mr. Froehlich is a Partner in AdFarm, one of North Americas largest Agriculture Communications Companies. AdFarm, with offices in Calgary AB, Winnipeg MB, Guelph ON, Fargo ND, and Kansas City, MO works with many world leading agricultural organizations providing marketing, communications, business planning and consulting services. In addition to his role at AdFarm, Mr. Froehlich is the Chair of Genome Alberta and the Alberta Agricultural Research Institute. Mr. Froehlich also sits on the Boards of many Private and Public sector organizations including Prince Rupert Grain, Canterra Seeds, ATB Financial, Alberta Science and Research Authority, Science Alberta Foundation, Alberta Life Science Institute and the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. Mr. Froehlich was also Co-Chair of the ABIC 2007 Conference held in Calgary.

Mr. Froehlich holds a B.Sc. (Agriculture) from the University of Saskatchewan and an Executive MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. His professional career has included Sr. Executive positions with Hoechst Canada Inc., Alberta Wheat Pool and Westcan Malting. He has mentored young Entrepreneurs in the Business Development Bank of Canada “Young Entrepreneurs Program” and continues to mentor young Agrologists for the Alberta Institute of Agrologists. Mr. Froehlich is still active in primary agriculture raising registered Red Angus cattle, grains and oilseeds on his farm in Saskatchewan.

Peter Welters - Cologne, Germany
Dr. Welters is CEO of Phytowelt GreenTechnologies GmbH, a fusion of GreenTec and Phytowelt, located in Nettetal (head office) and Cologne (R&D). The company offers laboratory and know-how services in agbiotech, e.g. somatic hybridization, tissue culture, marker technologies, contract studies and project coordination. After studying chemistry, biochemistry and food chemistry in Germany, Peter spent four years at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, there obtaining his Diploma and PhD. He worked in Jeff Schell’s group on promoter control in legume/rhizobia nitrogen-fixing symbioses. After three years at the University of California, San Diego, in the laboratories of Maarten Chrispeels and Scott EMr., researching protein transport regulation in plants and yeasts, he was chosen as head of the Production of Pharmaceutical Proteins in Plants project in Rouen, France. Dr.Welters' innovative ideas led to the foundation of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, which became Phytowelt GmbH in 1998. Four years later, he became CEO of GreenTec GmbH, a spin-off company of the Max Planck Institute, founded by Schell, Klaus Hahlbrock, Frederico Salamini, and Heinz Saedler. Phytowelt GreenTechnologies GmbH then was founded in January 2006.

Brigitte Weston - Germany
Dr. Weston is the Global Development Manager, Herbicide Tolerant Oilseeds and Wheat, for BASF Plant Science L.L.C. Brigitte joined BASF Plant Science in this capacity in October 2005.
Dr.Weston was formerly with Bayer Crop Science, Inc. in the position of Global Development Manager, Canola and OSR. Brigitte earned her PhD from the University of Saskatchewan and her M.Sc. and B.Sc. from Carleton University in Ottawa. Prior to moving into her previous position with Bayer Crop Science in 2002, she worked as the Elite Event Coordinator, Canola/OSR for Plant Genetic SysteMs. / Aventis CropScience based in Belgium (1997 - 2002).

From 1991 until 1997, Brigitte was a research associate for AgrEvo Canada and Hoechst Canada in Saskatoon and participated in the development of Liberty Link canola, the first GM-canola crop registered in North America. At BASF, Brigitte coordinates global development activities for new herbicide tolerant traits in canola / OSR, sunflower and wheat until regulatory approval is attained and until the trait is technically released to BASF’s marketing organization.  

Clive James
In 1990, Dr. James founded ISAAA, a not-for-profit charitable organization, established to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and the acquisition and transfer of crop biotechnology applications from the industrial countries, for the benefit of resource-poor farmers in the developing world. The mission of ISAAA is to alleviate hunger and poverty in the developing countries.

An agricultural scientist, Dr. James received his formal training in the UK with a first degree in agriculture from the University of Wales, followed by a PhD from Cambridge University. Prior to his association with ISAAA he was Deputy Director General at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico, where he worked with the late Dr. Norman Borlaug, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who was the founding patron of ISAAA. The last 25 years have been spent living and/or working in the developing countries of Asia, Latin America, and Africa and devoted to agricultural research & development issues, and crop biotechnology. He has served, as Senior Agricultural Adviser to the Canadian Bilateral Aid Agency (CIDA), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and has consulted for many international development agencies including United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, and many international philanthropic foundations, including the Rockefeller and Hitachi Foundations.

Dr. James has published internationally-recognized Annual Reviews on the Global Status of GM crops, and their contribution to global food, feed, fiber, and fuel security, since 1996 when GM crops were first commercialized.

Stephen Yarrow – Ottawa, ON, Canada
Dr. Yarrow joined CropLife Canada - the trade association representing the developers, manufacturers, and distributors of plant science innovations – in June 2011, as the organization’s Vice-President, Plant Biotechnology. In this role at the association, Stephen applies his 28 years of experience in biotechnology to contribute to enable the plant biotechnology industry to bring the benefits of its technologies to growers, producers, processers and the public, at the same time as being the trustworthy, authoritative and unified voice for Canadian plant biotechnology product developers. 

Prior to his appointment with CropLife Canada, Stephen spent 19 years as a Canadian Government public servant in Ottawa in various roles relating to the regulation of agricultural products, including plants derived from biotechnology. He played a key role in establishing Canada’s internationally recognized regulatory systems for the confined and unconfined release of biotech plants, including creating the Canadian policy concerning regulating the product and not the process, i.e. plants with novel traits.

During his time with the Government, Stephen had extensive international experiences, including the negotiation of the UN Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, an active player with the OECD’s Working Group on Biotechnology Harmonization, and leading regulatory cooperation initiatives with the US and Mexico, China and India. Prior to government, Dr. Yarrow spent nine years in Toronto working for Allelix Inc., in the field of tissue culture and plant genetic manipulation research.

Stephen received a PhD from the University of Nottingham and a BSc from the University of Birmingham.

Michael completed an MBA in 1998 and established Adelaide Consulting, with clients including The University of Adelaide. After managing the establishment of the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics at the Waite Precinct in 2002, Michael joined it as General Manager. ACPFG employs 130 staff, mainly scientists, in three states of Australia. ACPFG has raised over $150m in research funding since it commenced.

Between 2004 and 2010, Michael was a Director of AusBiotech and chaired its Risk and Audit Committee.
He is a member of the Advisory Council on Intellectual Property, the organization that advises IP Australia and the Federal Government on IP matters. Michael is also the Company Secretary of ACPFG.
 

Dr. Bertrand’s background is a unique mix of science and managerial roles in government, academia and the private sector, with a long interest and hands-on experience in international development. Her expertise has been in managing stakeholder and client relationships, and building the engagement strategies for various projects.

With a PhD in plant molecular biology earned at Laval University, she began her career as a scientist with Agri-Food Canada, working on forage plants. Her focus shifted rapidly from laboratory-based research to application of modern agri-technology in the developing world. Her first overseas assignment was as a consulting plant physiologist for the Gansu Forest Nursery Project in the People’s Republic of China, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency, and was appointed Project Director for the last 3 years of the project. Dr. Bertrand then went to North Africa, again as Project Director, to manage the installation and start-up of five tree nurseries in Tunisia, a project funded by the Nordic Development Bank and World Bank. 

Dr. Bertrand spent six years in the USA, first as research assistant professor at North Carolina State University, and then as a founding principal for a biotechnology start-up company. She was then recruited as Group Manager, Innovation with Livestock Improvement (LIC), a large dairy breeding enterprise in New Zealand, where she managed LIC’s Research and Development Group, delivering science-based solutions in the areas of genomics, reproductive health, animal evaluation and commercialisation to the dairy sector. 

In 2008, Dr. Bertrand became Director, International Linkages for the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology in New Zealand. In this role, she established an overarching framework for external engagement by the Ministry and developed the International Linkages Strategy for New Zealand science.  She was recently Chief Executive Officer for NZBIO, an NGO representing the interests and supporting growth of the bioscience sector in New Zealand. Membership in NZBIO spans the spectrum of agbiotech, human health, industrial, environmental and food bioscience, from start-up companies, to Crown research institutes and universities, to large corporates and multinationals.

Dr. Bertrand has a lifelong interest in fine cuisine, art history, all things gardening, and travel.

Rick Smith – Calgary, AB, Canada
Co-Chair ABIC 2013, Calgary, AB, Canada
September 15 – 18
Rick Smith is Chairman of the Board of SemBioSys Genetics Inc. (TSX:SBS); Director of Commercial Solutions Inc. (TSX:CSA), Co-Chair of BioAlberta and Director of AVAC Ltd. He has significant senior management experience in the life sciences area, including human pharmaceuticals, animal health and plant sciences with Eli Lilly and Company, as well as several commercialization initiatives in plant biotechnology. He retired at the end of 2005 as President and CEO of Dow AgroSciences Canada Inc.,
a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company.