Medicinal Cannabis Business Conference (MCBC)

Nick Abbingh is Managing Partner of Cannabis-drying.com, a specialist provider of GMP-compliant drying systems for regulated and medicinal cannabis.

Backed by Agratechniek’s 50+ years of experience in climate control and drying technology, he primarily supports projects across Europe while also working with clients in other international markets worldwide.

Peter Nel is a Chemical Engineer, biotechnology entrepreneur, and CEO of GES Labs, a South African genomics and molecular diagnostics company. He founded GES Labs to localise advanced biotechnology in Africa, delivering high-quality, scalable medicinal cannabis medicines for African and global markets.

Under his leadership, GES Labs has expanded from advanced cannabinoid R&D to GMP medicine manufacturing, quality control laboratories, and global therapeutic delivery across areas such as pain, cachexia, and opiate dependency. His work strengthens South Africa’s biopharma manufacturing capacity, medicine security, and decentralised innovation through strong partnerships across academia, industry, and public health.

Aligned with the Congress theme “Synergies, Symbioses, Sustainability,” Mr Nel champions translational biotechnology that connects research with real-world impact, advancing health sovereignty, skills development, and sustainable biotechnology growth across Africa.

Anri Coetzee is a Responsible Pharmacist at a licensed medicinal cannabis cultivation facility in South Africa. She is a qualified pharmacist, trained at North-West University, with extensive experience in community pharmacy and pharmaceutical compliance. As an RP, she specialises in regulatory oversight, quality assurance, SOP development, and patient safety, bridging traditional pharmaceutical standards with the emerging cannabis industry.

Her expertise comes from both professional experience and seeing the therapeutic value of cannabis firsthand, inspiring her to ensure that patient care, ethical practice, and compliance remain central to the industry. She is passionate about supporting the growth of a responsible and trusted medicinal cannabis sector and advocating for women in technical and leadership roles.

Ben Nikaj (MSc) is an experienced Senior Crop Advisor at Grodan, a leading provider of stone wool substrates for professional horticulture. With over 25 years of experience, Ben supports vegetable and medicinal crop growers worldwide in optimising irrigation strategies and cultivation methods through data-driven decisions.

Wesley Petzer is a global cannabis consultant specialising in cultivation systems, commercial strategy, and market transition. Based in the Netherlands and originally from South Africa, he works internationally as a global commercial and cultivation consultant for Atami Nutrients, helping companies adapt from legacy operations to modern, regulated cannabis markets.

His work spans cultivation strategy, input economics, and long-term planning across diverse regulatory environments. Having worked across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Africa, Wesley brings a connected-systems perspective shaped by agriculture, economics, and human decision-making.

Gregory Ondrejkovic is a highly experienced analytical chemist with over 24 years in pharmaceutical, veterinary, agricultural, and environmental testing laboratories. His expertise includes HPLC, GC, GC-MS, LC-MS/MS, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, and Ion Chromatography. Greg has led method development and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation initiatives in multiple laboratories and has presented research at international conferences, including EU MS in the Netherlands.

As Technical Director at Ecogreen Analytics, he drives analytical excellence, oversees accredited testing operations, and advances scientific standards in pharmaceutical and cannabis laboratory testing.

Sonja Nel-Ondrejkovic is a strategic leader with over 23 years of experience in operations and supply chain management across the banking and medical industries. With a strong foundation in operational excellence, compliance, and risk management, she has built a career on transforming long-term vision into measurable, high-impact outcomes.

As CEO of Ecogreen Analytics, Sonja plays a pivotal role in steering the company’s growth and sustainability within a highly regulated industry. Her strength lies in aligning operational strategy with regulatory compliance, quality assurance, and long-term business scalability. Through disciplined execution and a clear strategic roadmap, she has helped position Ecogreen Analytics as a leading cannabis testing laboratory in South and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Gabriel Christiaan Theron is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cilo Cybin Holdings, a JSE-listed biotechnology investment company, and its GMP-licensed manufacturing subsidiary, Cilo Cybin Pharmaceutical. He established the group as a structured, vertically integrated manufacturing platform within the regulated medicinal cannabis sector, guiding its development from early-stage operations into one of South Africa’s largest pharmaceutical-grade extraction and production infrastructures.

With prior executive experience in organisational turnarounds and regulated operating environments, Gabriel brings a disciplined, performance-led approach to scaling compliant manufacturing systems aligned to pharmaceutical quality standards and export-oriented regulatory frameworks.