Before an audience of more than 800 delegates, the World Potato Congress Board, led by president Dr. Peter VanderZaag, celebrated those who have played a key role in the success and progress of the organization.

Dr. Nigel Crump, WPC director and board secretary, was presented the Ross Trimboli Award for Industry Leadership and Advocacy. 

He is a potato pathologist with more than 20 years’ experience working in the Australian potato industry. He is general manager of the Australian Seed Potato Industry Certification Authority (AuSPICA), an industry-based organization that operates the seed potato certification program in South Australia, Victoria and northern New South Wales

John Griffin, the president of W.P. Griffin Inc., has been a steadfast supporter of the potato industry, not just locally in his home province of Prince Edward Island, Canada, but on a global scale through his involvement with the WPC. His dedication to the potato farming and packaging business has been exemplary, with W.P. Griffin Inc. becoming a renowned name in the industry, spanning across the Maritimes, eastern Canada, and the northeastern United States.

From 2017-2022, the World Potato Congress was operated under the outstanding leadership of Brian Douglas, general manager and Jocelyne Douglas, office administrator.
 

Brian's extensive public service career spanning more than 41 years, coupled with his profound understanding of the agricultural landscape, has been invaluable to the WPC. A graduate of the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, Brian's roles in various senior-level positions within the Prince Edward Island government have provided him with a deep appreciation of the challenges and opportunities facing Canadian producers.

Xiaoping Lu

Congratulations to Xiaoping Lu upon his retirement from the World Potato Congress Inc. as an International Advisor.

In 2011, Xiaoping was chosen to be the founding Director of CCCAP, an international center of CIP with objectives to improve potato and sweet potato value chains in China and Asia. 

Source:  World Potato Congress August 1, 2024 news release