Leadership Team
Andrew Diprose
Andrew is CEO and leads the RootWave team. He joins from Alpha Financial Markets Consulting which he helped grow from a start-up to the world’s largest dedicated investment management consultancy.
Robert Diprose
Formed Ubiqutek in 2012 and leads research and development. He spent 10 years at QinetiQ as a systems engineer. He is former Chairman of the Institute of Engineering and Technology in Birmingham. He has two engineering degrees and an MBA.
James Holdgate
Joins from Vax where he held the role of Head of New Product Development. He brings over 20 years of experience in consumer products and medical devices and expertise in product development, project management, team leadership and lean systems.
Tom Archer
Tom is Head of Marketing for RootWave. He joins from UPL where he was European portfolio marketing manager. Expertise in crop protection markets with over 20 years’ experience in portfolio marketing and new product development.
Stephen Jelley
Joins having held the position of UK & Ireland Sales Manager for Dunlop Protective Footwear where he worked closely with customers in the Agriculture and Retail sectors. During his career, he gained a wealth of experience in both Sales & Marketing roles, helping to transform businesses for market leading companies such as General Electric, Philips Electronics & Honeywell.
Laura Wrench
Laura brings a wealth of HR experience from a variety of sectors including facilities services, construction and engineering, manufacturing and education. As a Chartered MCIPD professional, Laura has a passion for attracting and retaining talented individuals by providing an engaging and diverse working environment where everyone can contribute to the success of the business.
Board of Directors
Andrew Diprose
Andrew is CEO and leads the RootWave team. He joins from Alpha Financial Markets Consulting which he helped grow from a start-up to the world’s largest dedicated investment management consultancy.
Andy Jones
Dr Andy Jones has over 35 years’ experience gained within the agritech and pharmaceutical industries, leading regions and business units at Arysta Lifescience (now UPL), Zeneca (now Syngenta) and Phoqus Pharmaceuticals. He is currently Chair of the Board at Eco Animal Health Group plc and Downland Marketing Ltd.
Willem Broekaert
Willem Broekaert is currently Managing Partner of V-BIO VENTURES, a life sciences venture fund which he co-founded in 2015. V-BIO VENTURES supports innovative companies in the sectors of therapeutics, diagnostics and agricultural improvements.
Albena Todorova
Albena is a Venture Partner for Europe and Israel with Rabobank’s Food & Agri Innovation Fund. She has extensive experience in ag and foodtech venture capital and early-stage start-ups. Previously, Albena built an ag and foodtech startup portfolio for Sumitomo Corporation Europe and managed the business development for Sumitomo’s Life Science Department.
Thomas Gatacre
Thomas is currently the active chairman of Jellycat, a soft toy company which he started 32 years ago. Jellycat now has sales of £70m, 80% of which is sold outside the UK. Previously Thomas worked in insurance and farming. He is a board member of the body that looks after the family estate, property, monuments and garden of de Wiersse in the Netherlands.
Lars McBride
Lars has over 40 years’ experience in business, including as an Executive Director for a diversified global industrial group and Finance Director of FTSE 250 company when it sold for £630m. Lars is an experienced Chairman and Non-Executive Director and currently holes numerous board roles at small businesses.
Pieter Vis
Pieter is investment manager at Pymwymic, an impact investment cooperative based in the Netherlands. Pieter has more than 15 years experience in private equity transactions, finance, and project management. Pieter holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering & Geoscience from Delft University of Technology and a Master in European Business from ESCP Europe.
Technical Advisory Board
Johan Driesen
Johan Driesen received the MSc degree in 1996 as Electrical Engineer. He received the PhD degree in Electrical Engineering at KU Leuven in 2000. In 2000-2001 he was a visiting researcher in the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London. Currently, he is a full professor at the KU Leuven and teaches power electronics, renewables, drives and electromobility.
Paul Mitcheson
Paul Mitcheson received the MEng degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 2001 and the PhD degree in 2005, both from Imperial College London. He is currently Professor of Electrical Energy Conversion in the Control and Power Research Group in the Electrical Engineering Department at Imperial and has research interests wireless power transfer and power electronics.
Farmer Advisory Board
Stephen Briggs
Consultant for 20 years & Soil and Water manager at Innovation for Agriculture, part of the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE). Farms 270 acres of land in Cambridgeshire & in Rutland growing cereals, root crops, vegetable and fruit crops and is pioneering agroforestry.
Stephen has an MSc in Soil Science.
Henry Chinn
A partner in Cobrey Farms who are the largest asparagus grower and packer in the UK, with production in Herefordshire and East Anglia. Has over 20 years experience as a farmer, producing a range a hand-harvested vegetables and soft fruit as well as potatoes, beetroot, cereals and poultry. Has a BSc in Agriculture from the University of Nottingham and worked as a farm business consultant.
Hugh Forsyth
Farm Director of Tubbs End Farms which is a family run farm and contracting business based near Kineton, Warwickshire. Company provides a range of agricultural services to farmers and landowners, from whole farm contracting to individual operations and agronomy. Hugh is BASIS and FACTS qualified and has 25 years experience in arable farming and contracting operations.
Charlie Hart
Graduate of the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester with a degree in Rural Land Management. With 20 years in farming, he has a broad knowledge of agricultural systems with particular expertise in UK government agri-environment policy and schemes. An arable, beef and pig farmer from his home in Cornwall.
Neil Walker
Neil Walker farms about 4,500 acres (2,500 owned) in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, with more than 40 years’ experience in the industry and a degree in Agriculture from the University of Reading.