Mr. Rafael Pleite Gutiérrez has a PhD in Biology from the University of Seville. He has conducted part of his PhD in CSIC in Seville, the world research center of reference in the field of table olive and olive oil industry. Rafael previously worked in the department of Metabolic Biology at the John Innes Center in Norwich (UK). Rafael is the Founder and CEO of Global Olive Consulting since 2005. Global Olive (www.global-olive.es/en) (GOC) is a multidisciplinary consulting firm that throughout its thirteen-year history has fostered the adaptation of the table olive industry to the new socio-economic environment. Quality, innovation, and sustainability are the three pillars on which GOC is based. With a long family history in the industry, in 2005 GOC began its mission to fill an important gap: the application of new technologies to the industry of table olives. Today the company has become a worldwide identity and reference for implementing new processes in the international table olive sector. These processes bring greater competitiveness to its customers and improve the quality of their products. The GOC team is made up of professionals from various fields related to biology, engineering, the environment, and food technology. Teamwork and the constant evolution of knowledge have allowed GOC to position itself as a leader in the table olive sector. Additionally, the company boasts internationally-renowned professionals constantly searching for new markets. Within GOC, Rafael has developed and coordinated several national and international research projects in the field of table olives in collaboration with private and public entities With extensive experience in the table olive sector, Rafael is continuously invited as an expert to participate in international industry forums and workshops and participates in the elaboration and publication of scientific articles. Rafael has also conducted several specific training in the field of table olive.

Richard Gawel is a long-term appointee as head judge of over 70 national and international extra virgin olive oil competitions including the Australian National, and the Los Angeles and Tokyo Internationals. Richard trained and headed Australia’s first International Olive Council accredited panel. He was the inaugural lecturer in sensory science at the University of Adelaide, and later lectured in food and wine matching at the Le Cordon Bleu culinary school. He developed the current nationally recognised TAFE certificate level unit in olive oil assessment.

He has authored a number of peer-reviewed papers on the communication value of terms used in the sensory assessment, on the consistency of expert tasters in judging situations, and on the bitterness and pungency in olive oils. Currently, he is a full-time research scientist working on taste active polyphenols.

Dr Rodney Mailer has researched olive oil quality and production throughout the development of Australia’s industry with a focus on quality control.  He has worked internationally to identify adulteration issues in commercial olive oils. With the help of the IOC he has worked to bring authenticity to EVOO.  He established, and, for many years supervised the Government “Australian Oils Research Laboratory” (AORL) in NSW.  Dr Mailer continues to work in developing standards for edible oils in his role as a Technical representative on the International Standards Organisation, Codex Alimentarius, and Standards Australia.

Dr Mailer recently left the NSW Department of Primary Industries as a Principal Research Scientist where he led the edible oil research programme but remains an adjunct Professor at the EH Grahame Centre, a subsidiary of the Charles Sturt University.  Rod received his MSc from the Australian National University and his PhD at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. His work has seen him receive multiple awards during his career including induction as a Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry and a Fellow of the American Oil Chemists Society.

More:  Dr Rod Mailer

Imene has presented her numerous published research and book chapters at many International & National conferences.

She is also a Panel Judge at London International Olive Oil Competition in the Marketing Design Award-LIOOC.

Abdel-Rahman Tarawneh currently works for the Ministry of Agriculture at Alkarak, Jordan as an Agricultural Engineer in Plant Physiology & Nutrition.

Abdel-Rahman holds an International Diploma in “Virgin Olive Oil Tasting” from the University of Jaen in Spain and has studied Agricultural engineering at the University of Iraq and further at University of Jordan.

He has worked as a professional teacher with the Jordanian Ministry of Education for over a decade starting in 1999.