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The Team Behind Glaia

Glaia was founded by Dr David Benito-Alifonso and Dr Imke Sittel to improve how crops unlock more potential and yield from sunlight.


Glaia is built and led by a team with deep experience across science, agriculture, operations, and commercial delivery.

david-benito-alifonso
imke-sittel
robert-bird
lynda-connon

The Team Behind Glaia

Glaia is built and led by a team with deep experience across science, agriculture, operations, and commercial delivery.

Together, the leadership team combines rigorous scientific thinking with practical, real-world execution, ensuring that innovation moves from research into the field, and from trials into scalable application.

IsandDB
How We Work

Practical. Rigorous. Curious.

  • We focus on what works in the field, not just in theory.

  • We test rigorously, across real conditions, not ideal ones.

  • We question assumptions and follow the data.

  • We design for simplicity, so adoption is easy.

  • We measure success by repeatable results, not one-off gains.

PRC
PRC

How We Work

Practical. Rigorous. Curious.

  • We focus on what works in the field, not just in theory.

  • We test rigorously, across real conditions, not ideal ones.

  • We question assumptions and follow the data.

  • We design for simplicity, so adoption is easy.

  • We measure success by repeatable results, not one-off gains.

Leadership

David Benito

David Benito

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

David leads Glaia’s overall strategy and commercial direction. He brings extensive experience in building and scaling technology-led businesses, with a strong focus on execution, partnerships, and turning innovation into practical, market-ready solutions.

Imke Sittel

Imke Sittel

Founder & Chief Scientific Officer

Imke is responsible for Glaia’s scientific foundation and research direction. With a background in advanced materials and applied science, she ensures that Glaia’s technology is developed with rigour, repeatability, and a clear pathway into real-world agricultural use.

Robert Bird

Robert Bird

Chief Business Officer

Robert is responsible for commercial strategy, partnerships, and route-to-market execution. His focus is on aligning product performance with customer needs, distributor relationships, and practical adoption across agricultural markets.

Lynda Connon

Lynda Connon

Chief Financial Officer

Lynda leads Glaia’s financial management and operational planning. She brings experience in building financial structures that support growth, discipline, and long-term sustainability, ensuring the business scales responsibly alongside its technology.

JP Dorgan

JP Dorgan

Business Development

JP leads business development activities, working closely with partners, growers, and distributors. He brings on-the-ground commercial insight to ensure Glaia’s solutions are positioned effectively and deployed where they can deliver the greatest value.

Hugh Frost

Hugh Frost

Chief Technology Officer

Hugh oversees the technical development of Glaia’s platform, ensuring the technology is robust, scalable, and fit for deployment. His focus is on translating complex systems into reliable, repeatable solutions that perform consistently under field conditions.

David Allan

David Allan

Operations Manager

David oversees operational delivery, including trials, logistics, and day-to-day execution. His role ensures that Glaia’s technology is deployed efficiently and consistently, supporting reliable performance across locations and growing conditions.

Scientific & Advisory Team

Glaia is supported by a team spanning scientific research, agronomy, operations, and commercial leadership, ensuring innovation is grounded in real-world agricultural performance.

R&D Leadership

Our R&D team combines deep expertise in photosynthesis, plant science, and material chemistry to ensure scientific rigour and technical performance.

Prof. Tracy Lawson

Prof. Tracy Lawson

R&D Advisor

Professor at the University of Essex and member of the RIPE project (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation). Specialist in photosynthesis and plant productivity.

Dr. Viliyana Lewis

Dr. Viliyana Lewis

R&D Chemist

Expert in nanomaterial synthesis and characterisation. Supports formulation development, experimental design, and scale-up feasibility.

Advisory Board

Glaia’s advisory board brings experience across agtech, life sciences, agronomy, and global commercialisation.

Dr. David Flanders

Dr. David Flanders

Chair

CEO of Agrimetics and co-founder of GrainSense. Experienced in commercialisation and strategic partnerships in life sciences and agtech.

Dr. Brian Clevinger

Dr. Brian Clevinger

Investor Director

Managing Director at The Yield Lab Europe. 40+ years in life science technology development, with multiple exits and funding rounds.

Mr James Heath

Mr James Heath

Advisor

With 20+ years in product design and technical development, James supports Glaia via Green Angel Ventures in scaling innovations to commercial success.

Keith Norman

Keith Norman

Agronomy Advisor

Former Technical Director at Velcourt with 35+ years in UK and European agronomy. Supports trial interpretation and grower engagement.

Martin Brown

Martin Brown

Board Advisor

Former MD for Europe & Africa at Verdesian Life Sciences. Senior leadership roles at ICI, AstraZeneca, and Syngenta.

Wider Team

Supporting delivery across finance, operations, and execution.

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