The Executive team
Professor Mario Caccamo - Chief Executive Officer
Professor Mario Caccamo was appointed NIAB CEO in October 2021, having joined NIAB in 2015 as Head of Crop Bioinformatics and then moving onto Managing Director of NIAB EMR in 2017.
A computer scientist by training, Mario has over 20 years’ experience in life science research and big data, including specific projects to apply the latest DNA sequencing technologies and bioinformatics methods to advance scientific understanding of crop genetics and the interaction of agricultural crops with their environment.
Mario has led the work on the assembly of the first whole-genome release of the wheat reference sequence and was also one of the founding co-chairs of the expert working group within the Wheat Initiative focused on the deployment of an international Wheat Information System. He continues with his leading role in the cereal bioinformatics communities at both national and international levels.
dr juno mckee - director of ventures
As Director of NIAB Ventures Juno provides leadership for NIAB's growth and development and engages in a broad range of innovation, commercial and commercialisation activities across crops with different teams and industry partners. Juno is responsible for developing and maintaining income streams based on NIAB's expertise and IP and supports the organisation in both internal and external facing programmes associated with market analysis, strategy development, product commercialisation as well as mergers, acquisitions and divestments. As Company Secretary Juno is involved in many facets of company wide business administration.
Juno has a first degree in plant biology and a PhD from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (ecological genetics of natural plant populations) and a Masters in Business Administration from the Open University Business School and is a 2003 Nuffield Farming Scholar (UK wheat breeding and supply chains).
PROFESSOR XIANGMING XU - DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH
Former Head of Science at NIAB’s horticultural centre at East Malling in Kent, Xiangming is responsible for developing and delivering the strategy for research activities across the whole of NIAB. This is in addition to his role in co-ordinating research activities at East Malling.
A crop agronomy graduate from YangZhou University in China, Xiangming completed his PhD in plant qualitative genetics and plant breeding at the Welsh Plant Breeding Station in Aberystwyth in 1989. He joined Horticulture Research International (now NIAB) at East Malling in Kent in 1991 as a plant pathologist, becoming Head of Science in 2020, after leading roles in genetics and crop improvement and in pest and pathogen ecology.
Xiangming focuses his research on elucidating quantitative epidemiology of important pathogens/diseases on perennial crops, including top/soft fruit and ornamental species with the aim to develop and implementing sustainable and integrated disease management strategies. More recently, Xiangming has been engaged in understanding soil/substrate microbial ecology using next generation sequencing technology, with specific interests in the use of beneficial microbes for improving crop productivity.
NICK WATSON, DIRECTOR OF COMMERCIAL SERVICES
Nick manages the service delivery from NIAB’s Field Trial, Glasshouse and Laboratory teams covering agricultural and horticultural crop species. He ensures NIAB works with industry to find solutions for the efficacy testing or evaluation of their material, technology or variety, ensures projects are run efficiently, cost effectively and successfully and acts as the channel for new customers to rapidly get connected with the correct specialist. Nick also ensures collaboration between NIAB departments in efficiencies and opportunities. Nick has also implemented career development programmes across the teams to reward skill development and ultimately a better trained and motivated workforce.
The impartiality and independence of NIAB are values he admires greatly, having appreciated other ethics in companies previously worked for and strongly believes NIAB can only do what it does with people who want to be part of the improvement of our industry directly and the wider implications agriculture and horticulture impose on the environment and sustainability.
sTUART KNIGHT - DEPUTY CEO and DIRECTOR OF AGRONOMY
Stuart is a research agronomist with more than 30 years’ experience in applied crops research, combinable crop trials and field experimentation, knowledge exchange, and providing technical advice to farmers and agronomists. He has broad expertise in combinable crop agronomy and its impacts on crop yield, quality, resource efficiency and profitability, including management of soil and fertiliser nutrients within arable crop rotations; evaluation of new plant protection products; monitoring and control of cereal fungal diseases; alternative crops and farming systems; managing within-field variation and decision support.
mark leaman, director of resource management
Mark is on the NIAB Executive and is responsible for all facilities across the Group, trials and farm operations at Cambridge and East Malling and health and safety.
