judges

MIRANDA HUBBS
Corporate Director,
Board of Directors
Nutrien

“I believe that commitment to equity, diversion and inclusion is complementary to innovation and value creation. It is an honour to be a part of this Challenge.“

Ms. Hubbs is a corporate director and has served on a number of public company and not-for-profit boards. She is currently an independent director of Nutrien, Imperial Oil and PSP Investments (Public Sector Pension Investment Board). Ms. Hubbs serves as vice-chair of the board of the Canadian Red Cross and is a member of the Toronto Biennial of Art Council. Prior to retirement in 2011, Ms. Hubbs was executive vice president and managing director of McLean Budden, one of Canada’s leading investment managers. Ms. Hubbs holds a BSc from Western University and an MBA from Schulich School of Business at York University and is a CFA charterholder. Ms. Hubbs serves on the Institute of Corporate Directors’ Climate Strategy Advisory Board and the Global Risk Institute Sustainable Finance Advisory Committee, holds the Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting credential from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, and has received her CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight issued by the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to her retirement, she was recognized by Brendan Wood International as one of Canada’s TopGun Investment Minds in Oil and Gas and one of the Top 50 Portfolio Managers in Canada.

MARK THOMPSON
Executive Vice President,
Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer
Nutrien

Mark Thompson is Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer at Nutrien, the world’s largest provider of agricultural inputs, services and solutions. In this role, he has executive leadership over Nutrien’s global sustainability/ESG & stakeholder relations, corporate development & strategy, mergers & acquisitions and economics functions.

Prior to his current role, Mark was EVP, Chief Corporate Development & Strategy Officer, and has also held key senior leadership positions including Vice President of Business Development for Nutrien Ag Solutions, as well as Vice President of Strategy and Special Assistant to the CEO at Agrium.

Mark attended the University of Saskatchewan, where he earned Bachelor’s degrees in Commerce (Finance) and Arts (Sociology). He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations, as well as the SASB Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) credential. Mark has been recognized as a recipient of Canada’s Clean16 and Clean50 sustainability awards and Canada’s Top 40 Under 40® award. He is also a North American Ambassador for the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) and a member of the Strategic Advisory Team for IFA’s Sustainability Committee.

KATHLEEN SHELTON
Executive Vice President,
Chief Technology Officer
FMC Corporation

Dr. Kathleen Shelton, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for FMC Corporation, joined FMC in November 2017. As the global leader of the Company’s robust discovery and development pipelines, Dr. Shelton leads an organization of nearly 800 scientists located around the world, with laboratories in India, Brazil, France, Denmark and the United States. The largest site, located in Newark, Delaware, United States, has over 350 employees working in chemistry, biology, regulatory sciences, engineering and analytical science. Under her leadership, the FMC Crop Protection Research and Development organization won the prestigious Crop Science Award for the “Most Innovative Pipeline” in the agricultural industry in 2018 and 2021.

Prior to her current role, Dr. Shelton held several leadership roles in businesses across DuPont, both in Wilmington, Delaware, United States as well as Geneva, Switzerland. Dr. Shelton earned a doctorate in microbiology at Drexel University, and continued her research in a postdoctoral position at the University of Pennsylvania.

Outside of work, Kathy, is married and has a family of three children. She is a strategic advisor to Big Idea Ventures, Generation Food Rural Partners fund, and is a member of the United Way of Delaware Board of Directors, the Delaware State University Foundation Board of Directors, as well as the Board of Directors for Health and Environmental Sciences Institute, Washington, D.C.

KIRK HANEY
CEO / Managing Partner
Radicle Growth

Kirk Haney is the CEO & Managing Partner at Radicle Growth.

Under Kirk’s leadership, Radicle Growth has become a market leader in early-stage ag and food tech investing and company building and has secured top-tier financial and corporate investors. As a serial entrepreneur, Kirk has raised over $200M in venture capital, private equity and corporate capital and has had three successful exits. He’s worked in technology, venture capital and ag & food his entire career and has a clear understanding of what early-stage companies need to be successful.

Speaking & Associations:

Kirk regularly speaks at industry events, including: The World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit and Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).

Kirk is the Co-Chair of the YPO Global Ag & Food Group, a member of the OurCrowd Advisory Forum and serves on the board of advisors for several ag and food conferences.

“I have been an entrepreneur and an investor for over 20-years.  I know what to look for in great entrepreneurs and they know that I understand what it is like to be in their shoes. The result is a candid dialogue between the entrepreneur and investor that helps to build companies with a greater probability of success.”