72nd Western Society of Weed Science Annual Meeting

Akshat Medakker

Chief Innovation Officer

Kan Biosys Pvt. Ltd

Akshat Medakker is a distinguished leader in agricultural biologicals, agri-biotechnology, and innovation-led enterprise development, with over 25 years of experience spanning crop inputs, life sciences, and sustainable agriculture. As Chief Innovation Officer at Kan Biosys, he leads business strategy and innovation across biofertilizers, biostimulants, and microbial crop solutions, driving science-based product development aligned with regulatory frameworks and market needs. His work integrates strategic business collaborations, research partnerships, commercialization pathways, and product deployment models to accelerate the adoption of next-generation biological inputs. Over the course of his career, Akshat has worked at the intersection of science, policy, and enterprise. He has advised governments, multinationals, start-ups, and research institutions on fertilizer and biologicals regulation, intellectual property strategy, translational research, and technology transfer. His cont...

Bill Duan

General Manager

Leili Marine BioIndustry INC.

Li Qian

Biocontrol product development manager

Syngenta Biologicals

Li Qian, Ph.D., Senior Agronomist, currently serves as the Biocontrol Product Development Manager at Syngenta (Shanghai) Crop Protection Technology Co., Ltd. She holds a Ph.D. from China Agricultural University and has long been dedicated to research on crop–microbe interaction mechanisms and green control technologies, committed to translating theoretical innovation into practical agricultural solutions. As the manager of the company's biocontrol product development, she bridges cutting-edge research with practical applications, oversees the establishment of an integrated process and platform covering functional strain screening, mechanistic analysis, product development, and field validation, and has participated in and co-created the SYNCBIO® bio-chemical synergy theory. She is also one of the founders of the RootEco® rhizosphere ecological health model. Her work deeply integrates microbiome technology with agricultural practice. The series of microbial products she has led in ...

Romy Ursúa Monreal

CEO

IKAN Consultores

Romy is a regulatory and legal expert with more than 13 years of experience in Mexico’s crop protection and biologicals industry. As CEO of IKAN Consultores, part of the LATAM Regulatory Network, she defines the firm’s strategic vision and leads the development of regulatory and compliance strategies that help national and international clients achieve market access and regulatory alignment across Latin America. She also serves as Chair of the Crop Protection Commission at the Mexican Association of Professionals in Health Regulation (AMEPRES). Her leadership has positioned IKAN as a strategic partner for national and international companies seeking to operate within complex regulatory frameworks in Mexico and Latin America. Romy holds a Law degree, postgraduate studies in Administrative and Health Law, and a diploma in Customs Administration from Tecnológico de Monterrey, strengthening her focus on trade, regulatory compliance, and customs management.