Hutton Seminar Series: Innovation, making things happen

Innovation is at the heart of economic development. It is essential if an enterprise is to maintain a competitive edge and remain at the forefront of its sector. The agricultural sector is no exception and, in the last decade, it has experienced an unprecedented evolution and uptake of new technologies and approaches across the supply and value chains. In this Hutton Seminar Series talk, Archie Gibson will highlight examples of innovations such as; exploitation of ozone in post-harvest storage, biofuels from waste, potato sensory evaluation and bacteriophages. New opportunities in research and innovation will also be discussed.

Archie Gibson is the executive director of Agrico UK Ltd, a company dedicated to the introduction and multiplication of potato varieties for all industry segments. Until recently he was the chairman of the Food and Drink Federation of Scotland and a member of the FDF Executive Committee. Between 2013 and 2016 he was Director of the Scottish Food & Drink Skills Academy, as well as Group New Development Controller for Baxters Food Group from 2002 to 2008. He was an advisor on Rural Development Forum for Perth and Kinross Council, and has recently been appointed as one of four Agriculture Champions by the Scottish Government. The Agriculture Champions will help develop an Agriculture Strategy to guide the long-term sustainable future for Scottish agriculture, by increasing profitability and boosting innovation, production and sustainability.