Abdulatif Al-Ayoub is operations director at Bioconservación, the world's largest producer of air purification systems for the preservation of fruit and vegetables in storage and transit. Through partnerships with major produce suppliers Abdulatif has been pivotal in helping Bioconservación produce filters that became the industry standard for a highly effective low-cost method of extending shelf-life. Prior to Bioconservación, Abdulatif was operations director at Sensitech UK for 12 years. His major accomplishment has been the publication of best cold-chain practices that are used throughout Europe today.

Andreas De Rosi is managing director of Griba India, a venture of a 14-member nurseryman cooperative from Italy, which has decades of experience in raising apple, pear and cherry trees. Andreas managed the start-up of Griba's nursery business in Punjab and initiated its first orchard projects along India's Himalayan belt. He has also organised various incoming and outgoing trade delegation trips between India and Italy in the agriculture sector. He is an Italian national, living and working in India since 2004.

Benedict Horsbrugh is Univeg's group director of quality management. He has been in the European fruit and vegetable business for almost 20 years. After studying at York University (UK) and Vassar College (USA) Benedict started out working for environmental organisations in London. He moved to Germany in 1992 and spent 12 years in the organic industry, focusing on the marketing of organic fruit and vegetables. He joined Univeg Deutschland (at that time the Atlanta Group) as organic product manager in 2005 and was made director of quality management in 2007, later taking on responsibility for coordinating quality management within the Univeg group.

Bill Gerlach is research and development director at Melissa's World Variety Produce. Los Angeles-based Melissa's is the largest speciality produce wholesaler in the US. It services all major retail chains coast to coast with over 1,200 items of speciality produce. To diversify the American diet, Bill searches the world for new plant germplasm, edible species and finished varieties. Much of his work in Central and South America, Asia, Africa and Australia involves interacting with local growers, national agricultural authorities and USDA-APHIS to identify and develop plant species for quarantine clearance and importation.

David Williams has been the head of the agriculture office at the US consulate in Mumbai since 2010. This is his second tour in India, having previously been assigned to the US embassy in New Delhi from 1993 to 1997. His other foreign assignments include Mexico City and Dubai. In conjunction with colleagues at the embassy in New Delhi, David represents the US department of agriculture in India.

Dr Arjun Singh Saini is additional director of Haryana's state department of horticulture. He has been in the sector ever since completing a PhD in horticulture in 1993. Arjun joined the state department in 2004 and is associated with a number of horticultural projects in Haryana. He is spearheading two Indo-Israel fruit and vegetable projects involving the latest production and post-harvest technology, as well as marketing.

Dr Parag Haldankar is professor and head of the horticulture department at the Dr BS Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth College of Agriculture in Dapoli. He joined the university in 1985, becoming professor and head in 2006. Located within the Konkan region of Maharashtra, the institution is within a fresh fruit hub with around 200,000ha of cashews, jackfruit, karonda, kokum, mangoes and other native fruit. Parag researches varietal improvement, management practices with respect to the mitigation of adverse climate, and the rejuvenation induction of flowering in jackfruit, jamun, karonda and mangoes.

Dr Sukhpal Singh has been with the Centre for Management in Agriculture at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad since 2004. With more than 100 research papers to his name, he has been a visiting fellow at IDS, Sussex (UK), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok (Thailand) and the University of Manchester (UK). Sukhpal has been a member of various committees and working groups of the Planning Commissions for the 11th and 12th Plans, as well as the National Development Council. He is president of Satvik, an NGO promoting ecological farming in Gujarat. His research interests are in the vertical coordination of agribusiness chains and their governance.

Elena Borodina is import and export officer at Fresh Direct Produce, an importer, wholesaler and distributor of a wide assortment of fresh produce in western Canada. The company also sources products from Asia, Australia, Latin America, New Zealand, South Africa and the US for partners in South East Asia and Russia. Elena has 16 years of export market development experience, including ten years working in Russia as a representative of the Washington Apple Commission, the USA Pear Bureau and as a commercial specialist with the US embassy there. She holds an MBA in international business from the UK's Open University.

Flavio Alzueta is the global marketing and communication manager of GlobalGAP, which annually certifies more than 110,000 producers around the world. Flavio manages relationships with producers, retailers and foodservice buyers to share the benefits of the certification programme and enhance communication among the organisation's growing membership base. Based in Germany, he is an Argentinean citizen who has held sales and marketing positions in the fresh produce industry for seven years, most recently at a Spanish co-operative based in Almeria.

Jan Doldersum is currently operating at Rijk Zwaan's Chinese subsidiary, based in Qingdao, developing the company's relationships with major retail chains, trading companies and foodservice players across Asia and initiating new business development across the fresh supply chain. Mr Doldersum has occupied a number of different roles at the group, including marketing project manager at the group's De Lier headquarters and chairman of the Marketing Innovation Group, where he was responsible for Rijk Zwaan's innovation strategy. Prior to this, Mr Doldersum studied plant breeding at Wageningen University, before moving to Berlin to initiate projects with German traders and retailers.

John Baker is the chief executive of Produce Marketing Australia, which he established in 1998 to provide marketing, promotion and consultancy services to the international fresh produce industry. He has more than 30 years of experience in fresh produce production and marketing. For Washington apples and potatoes, and Northwest US pears and cherries, John has delivered over 100 retail training workshops to almost 200 retail groups in 14 countries. From 1989 to 1998 he was managing director (and marketing manager) of the Australian Horticultural Corporation. Before that he was secretary (general manager) of Sydney wholesale markets, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

Kaushal Khakhar is CEO of Kay Bee Exports, an Indian fresh fruit and vegetable exporter. He joined the family firm in 2004 and has spearheaded Kay Bee's foray into new businesses and markets. Under his leadership, Kay Bee has become a leader in the export of exotic fruit and vegetables to the EU. Before joining the business, Kaushal worked with PwC and Unilever, specialising in internal auditing across various departments. Kaushal is a chartered accountant and has an MBA from ISB, Hyderabad.

Peter Beaven has been chief executive of Pipfruit NZ, the industry organisation for apples and pears, since 2005. He is also a member of the executive of the International Pink Lady Alliance and deputy chair of the World Apples and Pears Association. His main task for NZ growers and exporters has been to improve market access and production systems, and to represent them in a range of domestic and international forums.

Raman Ahuja is vice-president and business head of fresh foods at FieldFresh Foods, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and Del Monte Pacific. Before joining FieldFresh Foods, Raman worked for 14 years with Hindustan Unilever, a US$3.5bn subsidiary of Unilever. His experience at Hindustan Unilever spanned the three core business verticals in India - foods, exports, and home and personal care. He has been in various roles such as general management, product management, sales, business development and operations/supply chain. Raman is an alumnus of the INSEAD Business School's Leadership Program. He received an MBA degree from University of South Carolina Moore School of Business and an undergraduate degree in liberal arts from Wabash College, Indiana (US).

Rebecca Lewis is a senior consultant with Promar International, a leading agribusiness and food consulting firm, and part of Genus. She has carried out work for clients involved in the export of agricultural, food and drink products from South Africa, New Zealand, Chile, Canada, Australia and the US, as well as within the EU too. She has worked on a number of assignments in India and carried out other market research and sector analysis in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and southern EU markets, Taiwan, China, Korea and the US.

Retna Malar is the owner of All About Fresh Produce, a marketing consultancy for the fresh fruit and vegetable business. She has been in the industry since 2001, at first working for a couple of years as a buyer at store level, before moving up to become a head-office buyer. She spent seven years buying imported produce for a Malaysian retailer, sourcing from all around the world, and started her own business in 2010. All About Fresh Produce focuses on marketing, training and providing market intelligence to industry players. Based in Malaysia, it has worked with New Zealand apples, New Zealand kiwifruit, Northwest cherries, South African avocados and more.

Rizwan Soomar has been managing director of Maersk Line (India & Sri Lanka) since December 2008. He joined the AP Moller Maersk group in 1995 as a management trainee in the Maersk International Shipping Education programme and was deputed to Hong Kong in 1998. Upon his return to India, he was appointed executive assistant to the managing director of Maersk India and has since held various senior positions. In May 2007 Rizwan became managing director of Maersk Egypt and was later given additional responsibility for Maersk's Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Libya cluster. Rizwan has vast overseas experience and was closely involved in the strategy formulation for Maersk Line at its Copenhagen headquarters. He has also represented the logistics sector for a strategy paper initiated by the Egyptian government. A management graduate from the Chicago Booth School of Business, he has a diploma from the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers in London.

Uri Rubinstein is science and agriculture counsellor for Mashav, the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs' agency for international development and cooperation. A member of the Israeli bar, he was previously managing director of Agrica CTS, a plant protection, fertiliser and seed company, technical manager of citrus contractor Yachin Hakal and ministery of agriculture extension officer for IPM Specialist Citrus.

Vivek Dhume is director of Future Group, India's largest organised retail company. With master's degrees in personal management, and retail management and international marketing, and over 25 years of experience in retail and the fresh produce industry, Vivek is an expert in developing and bridging the gap between growers and international retail chains. He has pioneered many successful models to help growers meet retail chains' expectations around food safety, pre- and post-harvest technical knowledge, packaging and logistics.

William Savage is chief merchandising officer of Bharti Walmart, overseeing and creating its merchandising strategy. His responsibilities include directing and controlling the selection and pricing of merchandise, vendor selection and support, and providing a strategic direction on purchase decisions. As a senior executive with extensive experience in the establishment and development of profitable business units for food retailers, William plays an important role in driving Bharti Walmart's Direct Farm Programme. Before joining Bharti Walmart, William was the offer management director of the Metro Cash & Carry business in Vietnam. He holds an MBA from Middlesex University in the UK.