Speakers

João is responsible for the Geographical Indications unit of DG AGRI since 1 February 2022. Previously, João was Head of the Wines, spirits and horticultural crops unit between 2016 and 2022, Head of the Organics unit between 2012 and 2016, and Head of the International unit responsible for agricultural trade relations with Asia and Latin America, between 2010 and 2012. A Portuguese citizen, João holds a Msc in Agricultural Economics from the Technical University of Lisbon and he has worked in the European Commission since 1994. He has a wide experience in all the areas of the Common Agricultural Policy. He has held several posts in the areas of agricultural markets, international issues, quality policy, rural development and state aids.

Bruno de Oliveira Alves is the Head of Sector responsible for promotion policy and CAP information measures at the European Commission, Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI). Before joining DG AGRI, he was Policy Advisor at the European Commission Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), working on digital health policy and R&I initiatives promoting ICT innovation for health and well-being. Bruno has 25 years’ experience in international public policy having worked in Lisbon, London, Strasbourg and. Brussels and he holds a Diploma in European Community Law from King’s College University, London.

Catherine Combette is currently Head of Unit responsible for relations with Asia and Australasia, at the European Commission, Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI).

Catherine has a broad experience of EU agricultural and rural policy, and has been working in DG AGRI for the last 25 years, after starting her career in the French Ministry of Agriculture.

Initially she dealt with rural development policy, notably the LEADER initiative. Later, she participated in the EU enlargement process with the countries wishing to join the European Union. Subsequently she has been involved in bilateral relations with different regions of the world, including the African, Caribbean and Pacific group, the Neighbourhood countries and the European Free Trade Association.

Flavio Coturni is Head of the Unit "Agriculture, Food and Sanitary and Phytosanitary matters” in the Directorate General for Trade (DG TRADE) in the European Commission. His Unit’s major tasks are to support the negotiations and implementation of multilateral and bilateral trade agreements in these fields and to promote EU market access interests in third countries where SPS and other regulatory measures stand in the way. Mr Coturni started his career in the European Commission in the cereals and rice market units in DG AGRI. From 2000 until 2007, he worked as analyst and trade negotiator in the WTO agriculture negotiations of the Doha Development Round (DDA). In 2007, he was appointed Head of the Unit "Agricultural Trade Policy Analysis" in DG AGRI. After leading the bilateral trade negotiations on agriculture with Canada (CETA), he worked on the last two reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), first leading the unit "Direct support" (2012-2013), then the unit “Policy perspectives” with the task of coordinating the analysis and development of the post-2020 CAP (2014-2018).

Frédérique Sipos Amrouni is Deputy Marketing Director at the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (Bordeaux Wine Council), the interbranch organisation established in 1948 to represent and promote wines with a designation of origin produced in the Bordeaux vineyard, the largest DOO vineyard in France. She is the coordinator for the multi project BORDEUS-2, which is a continuation of the BORDEUS-1 project launched in 2019, with the Deutsches Weininstitut for the promotion of wines from Bordeaux and Germany in the USA.

Ms Aleksandra Mecilošek has a scientific background in physical chemistry and holds an MBA. After having worked in the chemical and food industry in Slovenia, in 2007 she joined the European Commission’s Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development. Since 2015, she is leading the unit responsible for implementing the EU policy for promotion of agricultural products currently at the European Research Executive Agency (REA).

Agronomist, Ministry of Interior, Directorate of Agricultural and Veterinary Economy of Veria, Greece.

Christos Vakoufaris is an agronomist with an MSc in environmental policy and management and a PhD in PDO/PGI policy. He has published a number of academic articles that deal with rural development and agri-food quality policy. Nowadays he works in the Greek Public Sector.

Project Manager, ARGE Heumilch, AT.

With ARGE Heumilch since 2019, responsible for support and marketing food retail Germany;

Responsible project manager for the project "Sustainable milk enjoyment from Europe".

Anton Järild works as a Communication Strategist at Organic Sweden – an umbrella organization for the Swedish organic food industry. Over the course of his four-year-long tenure at the organization, Anton and colleagues have successfully planned and implemented several campaigns and communication projects focused on increasing the consumption and consumers’ knowledge of organic foods. Organic Sweden’s most recent project – Nudging Organic – is an outcome of productive dialogue and collaboration between organic associations in Finland, Flanders and The Netherlands.

Laure Verdeau worked to promote French agri-food SMEs for ten years before she took over the management of Agence BIO.

Agence BIO is a general interest group created by the Ministries of Ecological Transition and Agriculture 20 years ago. It aims at supporting the growing demand for a more sustainable diet. Citizens/consumers need objective information to make good food choices. This is why Agence BIO explains organic farming and food, their benefits, and how to eat a little more organic every day - on a budget. It compiles, analyzes and shares data via its National Observatory for Organic Agriculture and funds the collective projects of entrepreneurs so as to structure the French organic sectors. The Fonds Avenir BIO (ꞓ13 million) purports to build a pantry of organic food "Made in France" within 15 years.

She is currently a project manager involved with budget management and control, market data analysis, control and coordination of marketing department and PR chief with product companies, Public Institutions and legal and financial offices.

Peter Baader is a lawyer by training and was a judge in Germany before joining the European Commission in early 1998. Mr. Baader worked in different Directorates General of the Commission: Research, Information Society, Anti-fraud and, from mid-2011, Agriculture, almost always in contract and financial management and compliance. Now retired from the European Commission, Peter continues to be active in the area of communication.