Today, the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) General Assembly voted unanimously to appoint Eric Dereudre as its new President, to succeed outgoing President Martin Dawkins. Dereudre brings 20 years of experience in the Agro industry to the role. He has been Regional Director for Europe for DowAgroSciences Crop Protection division since January 2015, and a member of the board of directors of the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA), where he has held the office of Treasurer since December 2015. As well as the appointment of a new President, the General Assembly voted to formally appoint Jean-Philippe Azoulay as Director-General. Azoulay has been in post since September 2016. There was also the appointment a new Vice-President – Alexandra Brand, Regional Director EAME, of Syngenta. Brand will replace Andrew Guthrie, also of Syngenta. And finally, a new Treasurer was appointed – Joerg Ellmanns, Senior Vice President North-West Europe for Bayer’s Crop Science Division, to fill the position left vacant by Dereudre. Speaking after his election Dereudre said: “It is an honour to have been appointed President at such a crucial time for our sector. As well as ensuring that we are fully equipped to address the regulatory challenges ahead, I want to make sure that we hold the European Commission to account for its commitments on Better Regulation, innovation and evidence-based decision making. Our industry makes a significant contribution to answering some of the biggest challenges society faces, and I want to see this recognised.” Commenting on the appointments Director General, Jean-Philippe Azoulay, said: “I would like to take the opportunity to thank Martin and Andrew for the strong leadership they have provided for the organisation. With a new team in place ECPA is fully equipped to go from strength to strength and answer the many challenges and opportunities we face.” In addition to the appointments above the General Assembly also accepted the addition of two new members, Helm and Mitsui, bringing the total number of member companies ECPA represents to 22. The General Assembly is also the opportunity for the Association to present its work from the previous year to all of its members. A video highlighting the achievements of 2016 can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeNwipfclEg&feature=youtu.be .