At his official retirement from Plantum, on Wednesday 30 October 2024, Niels Louwaars was appointed Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau. He received the recognition from the deputy mayor of Gouda, Anna van Popering, for his extraordinary commitment to seed quality, plant breeding, biodiversity, seed legislation, and thus food security worldwide.
For the past 14 years, as director of Plantum, Louwaars has been the face of the seeds and plant breeding sector both in the Netherlands and internationally. Trained as a plant breeder at Wageningen University, he worked for about 10 years on seed projects in Asia and Africa before returning to Wageningen. There he worked for 20 years in various positions in international cooperation, research, and education. Before joining Plantum in 2011, he was also an expert member of the Plant Breeders' Rights Chamber of the District Court in The Hague.
The importance of his achievements for the international seed sector was underlined by the large turnout at his farewell reception. Among the more than 200 guests at the Gouda city hall, in addition to relations and colleagues from the agriculture and horticulture sector, were representatives of various ministries, (inter)national industry organizations, cooperation bodies, and universities.
Erik Gipmans, chairman of Plantum's general board, looks back on the cooperation with pride. 'Niels represents thought leadership in its purest form. He has not only opened doors but also broken down walls that stood in the way of innovation and cooperation. Through his vision and ability to see opportunities where others saw obstacles, he has repeatedly taken the industry to the next level and firmly positioned us as a leading player, both nationally and internationally. The royal award is a fine crown for his work and all he means to the sector.'
Succession
Louwaars will be succeeded on 1 December by Michiel Klompenhouwer (47). Klompenhouwer studied Environmental Management and Agricultural Economics at WUR and has now worked at Rabobank for more than 20 years. His current position there is Vakdirecteur Food & Agri Grootzakelijk Regio Midden Nederland.
For more information:
Plantum
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www.plantum.nl