Dr Gert H. J. Kema is Professor of Phytopathology and chair at the Laboratory for Phytopathology of Wageningen University, The Netherlands. He initiated and coordinated several international banana research programs focusing on Fusarium wilt of banana and black Sigatoka as well as interdisciplinary research projects and public-private-partnerships on other perennial crops. He is a cofounder of several spin-off companies focusing on banana improvement, disease management and bioprocessing. Dr André Drenth is Professor in Tropical Plant Pathology and Program Leader for crop protection in the Centre for Horticultural Science at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), at the University of Queensland. He leads several projects on tropical plant diseases and he initiated and led a national Banana Plant Protection Programme set up to protect Australia’s banana industry from the impact of a range of pests and diseases. Dr Víctor Galán Saúco is Research Professor (Emeritus) at the Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias (ICIA), Spain where he was Head of Research from 1980 to 2006. Prof. Galán Saúco is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on mangoes. Frans Wielemaker is an independent consultant and Director of TRANSASTRA - a materials input company for organic banana farmers. Frans previously worked for Dole Fresh Fruit International for 33 years, of which the latter he spent as their Director of Research. He is internationally-recognised throughout the Latin American banana industry due to his pioneering role in the development of Dole's Organic Program in 1995. Frans has contributed significantly to the research community and has published work in journals and books.