Andrew Allan has had many leadership roles, including Director of the Joint Graduate School linking Plant & Food Research and University of Auckland, where he has a joint appointment. While contributing uniquely to the understanding of the metabolic control of pigmentation pathways, the genes he has described in publications are now used as markers in breeding apples, kiwifruit and other crops. Some thousands of seedlings continue to be screened using these markers. His research has developed plants that undergo continuous flowering (apples, kiwifruit, and others) that promises to speed-up perennial plant breeding many times, ensuring his impact will continue to grow. This work forms the basis of his current MBIE-funded programme “The Flowering Crisis” which aims to understand the effect of warming temperatures on flowering, as well as educating the public on new technologies. His programmes have specific objectives to enable Māori to inform the development, and be early adopters, of plants developed using these tools.