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Anne Jorun Aas is CEO of Farmforce AS, a Norwegian based SaaS AgriTech company, the trusted source of first mile data for both multinationals and small holder farmers of the global food system.
Building her career on a PhD in nuclear chemistry from the University of Oslo and CERN followed by seven years at McKinsey, she brings 20 years of executive and board experience from sustainability, technology and innovation. Previous roles include CEO of a sustainability consulting firm, CEO of a business incubator and SVP with an integrated solar power producer. She also has extensive board experience from listed and private companies as well as governmental organizations.
Lorenzo Giorda Global Digital
Marketing Director Lavazza Group
Lorenzo started his career at Accenture, where he worked for 5 years in Supply Chain Management. He joined Google in Paris in 2013, where he became Finance Lead for the Italian market, then moved to Milan and was part of the startup of the local tech division. He led the agency team for Google Marketing platform until 2018. Since January 2019 he was hired by Lavazza to lead the digital transformation of one of the top Italian brands. He holds an MBA from INSEAD, which he is very proud of.
Manfred Borer CEO Koltiva AG KEYNOTE
Manfred Borer was born in Switzerland, vocational training as carpenter and started his career in 1994 as owner-manager of a construction company in his home region. He graduated later as a Business Process Manager with an Engineering Degree from the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, majoring Plant Management. Since 2007, Manfred worked as software developer, project manager and country director for a Swiss based organization in Indonesia. In 2017, Manfred joined PT Koltiva and established Koltiva AG, an integrated agriculture technology company that provides tailor-made software solutions and services for end-to-end business processes, in Switzerland. As CEO, Manfred is leading the board of directors and is in charge of the Business and Product Development in Koltiva Jakarta.
Prof. Joseph Kieyah JD Chairman, CSIC Executive Office of the
President,
Republic of Kenya
Prof Joseph Kieyah has over 20 years of experience in diverse international and Kenya leadership posts. He distinguished himself with credentials in interdisciplinary knowledge in law, economics and leadership. He obtained an MA and PhD in Economics from University of Missouri and University of Connecticut respectively and Juris Doctorate (JD) from University of Iowa College. Having studied and taught in top-notch universities in the United States of America (US), he acquired unique interdisciplinary skills as well as multicultural capabilities.
He is an excellent communicator with strong verbal and writing skills. The Pennsylvania State University recruited him competitively to join its faculty after graduation, until 2008. Thereafter a convergence of change of research interests to merge academics, public policy on development and patriotic impulses enabled him to join Kenya government’s premier Think Tank, the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA). KIPPRA is frequently ranked top in Africa. At KIPPRA, he provided intellectual leadership on collating KIPPRA’s influential annual publication, namely; Kenya Economic Report. Prof Kieyah honed his negotiation and advocacy skills on public policy formulation but above all, the political skills to guide the implementation of policy.
Robert Skidmore Chief, Sector and Enterprise
Competitiveness International Trade Centre (ITC)
Robert Skidmore leads the Value Added to Trade Programme at the International Trade Centre (ITC) where he leads the Value added to Trade Programme. Under VA2T, ITC teams help SMEs to build value through improving customer relationships, creating supportive eco-systems and building firm capabilities.VA2T covers more than 25,000 enterprises in over 60 countries in agribusiness, textiles and clothing, outsourcing, tourism and other sectors. In coffee, ITC has worked extensively on helping producers and exporters retain more value at origin including publishing the Coffee Exporter’s Guide (with a 4th Edition to be published in Q2 2021) and More from the Cup: Improving Returns for East African coffee producers. Previously, Rob managed private sector development initiatives for US-based consulting firms including PwC, DAI and Abt Associates, and worked as a butcher. He holds an MA from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a BA from the University of Wisconsin.
Jose Sette Executive Director International Coffee
Organization (ICO)
José Dauster Sette became Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) in May 2017. Before rejoining the ICO, he was Executive Director of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) from January 2014 to April 2017. He served previously in the ICO as Executive Director ad interim from November 2010 to November 2011, and Head of Operations from November 2007 to December 2012.
Mr Sette has extensive experience as a consultant to trade associations specializing in international trade matters, and was Superintendent for Development of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Fecomércio-RJ) and Secretary General of the Brazilian Association of Coffee Exporters (Abecafé). In the private sector, he worked for ten years at Inter-Continental de Café S.A., a leading Brazilian coffee trading house, where he was a trader and head of the Technical Department. He also worked in the Inter-American Development Bank, in Washington, DC, USA, and began his career with the Brazilian Coffee Institute, the government agency responsible for the regulation of the coffee sector in Brazil.
Mr Sette has a MBA with a major in finance from American University in Washington, DC, and a BA in Administrative Science from Yale University.
Daniele Tricario Director of Insights
AgriTech GSMA
Daniele leads the insights and research work stream for the AgriTech programme at the GSMA, the global association of the mobile industry uniting more than 750 operators with over 350 companies in the mobile ecosystem.
Daniele and his group of work produce industry analysis and intelligence to support service providers with their digital agriculture initiatives, focusing on emerging use cases, business models and social impact opportunities.
Prior to joining the GSMA, Daniele was a telecoms analyst at Pyramid Research and Informa Telecoms & Media. Daniele holds an MSc in new media and information systems from the London School of Economics and an MA from the University of Bologna.
Yves R. Brehm Head of Section
Value Creation and
Innovation in Agriculture GIZ
2021 – to date: Head of Section │ GIZ, Germany
Section “Value Creation and Innovation in Agriculture“
2019 – 2021: Deputy Program Manager, Senior Project Manager │ GIZ, Germany
Global Program “Green Innovation Centers in the Agriculture and Food Sectors“
2017 – 2019: Senior Project Manager, Adviser │ GIZ, Ethiopia
Program “Sustainable Land Management“
2014 – 2017: Senior Project Manager, Adviser │ GIZ, Mali
Program “Sustainable Small-scale Irrigated Agriculture“
2010 – 2013: Senior Project Manager, Consultant │ AFC, Germany / Worldwide
Department “Rural Development and Agriculture“
2010 – 2010: Senior Project Manager, Consultant │ SOFRECO, France / Worldwide
Department “Education and Social Development“
2007 – 2009: Project Manager, Consultant │ GOPA, Germany / Worldwide
Departments “Infrastructure”, “Rural Development and Environment”
Juan Camilo Ramos Chief Commercial Officer Colombian National Federation
of Coffee Growers (FNC)
Juan Camilo Ramos is the Chief Commercial Officer of the FNC (Colombian National Federation of Coffee Growers). He is an Industrial Engineer from Universidad de los Andes, and he has been in the coffee industry for almost 20 years.
Passionate about coffee, agribusiness and rural development, and an entrepreneur himself, he has also been a member and chairman of boards of directors in the industries of cacao, meat, palm oil and construction, as well as member of the technical committee of the Global Coffee Platform.
Dr. Leonard Mizzi Deputy Director &
Head of Unit DG, INTPA European Commission
Dr. Leonard Mizzi is Head of Unit at the European Commission, Directorate-General (DG) for International Cooperation and Development – Rural development, food security and nutrition, since 1st of January 2017. Prior to this post he was Head of Unit for 10 years in DG Agriculture and Rural Development, first in charge of agri trade and development issues (2007-2014) and from 2015-2016 leading the inter institutional unit hence relations with the European Parliament, Council and consultative bodies and well as steering the Civil Dialogue Groups.
He is a graduate in Public Administration from the University of Malta (BA Hons First Class); and has degrees from CIHEAM-Montpellier (Master of Science) and a Ph.D in Agricultural economics from the University of Reading (UK). He has been an author of a number of articles and publications on agri food issues and nutrition in the Mediterranean region.
Dr. Mizzi has a broad working experience in the Maltese public administration and the Maltese private sector. He first worked in the Economic Planning Division of the Office of the Prime Minister (Malta) and from 1996-2006 was the first Director of the Malta Business Bureau in Brussels- the office of the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association.
Lucy Jingya Fu Vice-Chairman and
Secretary-General China Coffee Association
Ms. Fu currently holds the titles of Standing Deputy Chairperson and Secretary General of the China Coffee Association, and Executive Director of Coffee Committee of the China Brand Strategic Planning Institute. She is one of ten experts of Occupational Skill Testing in coffee industry issued by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, P.R.C (ID 00418140) because of her contribution to setting up the national Barista Testing System.
Ms. Fu has been appointed to represent China’s coffee industry at the meetings of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) and the International Coffee Organization (ICO) by CCA. She is the first and still a key agent for the official introduction of the Chinese coffee industry into the ICO. At the 116th International Coffee Council meeting, Ms. Fu, by gaining the support of an EU nomination, has successfully led China’s application for membership of the Private Sector Coffee Board (PSCB).
Sierra Bayles Sustainability Manager Deloitte Consulting MODERATOR
Sierra is a leader in Deloitte Consulting’s Sustainability practice focusing on sustainable food and agriculture. She supports clients across the retail, food, and consumer products industries to meet their food- and ag–related sustainability objectives and grow their triple bottom line. Areas of focus include the adoption of climate smart and regenerative agriculture practices, decarbonization of agricultural supply chains, and the development of strategies to create shared value up and down the food value chain.
Sierra holds a BA from Columbia University and an MA in Energy, Resources, and Environment, and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Dr. Steffen Schwarz Managing Director Coffee Consulate Moderator
During his time at university, Dr. med. Steffen Schwarz founded his first company “Dionysos Consulting” in 1995. He advises on an international level many well-known companies in the food industry in terms of product development and marketing strategy. His particular attention is paid to coffee.
In 1999, he founded “The Coffee Store GmbH”, including the opening of own coffee shops, which are also offered as a franchise since 2002. The baristas of the group have won numerous national and international titles since that.
To meet the increasing demand for training, he added in 2005 the training and research center “Coffee Consulate”. It is meanwhile considered as prestigious address within the international coffee area. In addition to extensive workshop programs, the company manufactures barista tools, teaching material and analytical materials. Other fields of activity are research and product-development.
Isabel van Bemmelen Managing Director Progreso Foundation & Beyco INSPIRATIONAL TALK
While finishing her master’s degree in International Development Economics, Isabel worked in Peru and Mexico on subjects related to land titling and access to credit for smallholder farmers. In the following 1,5 years while she was working for the Rabobank in the Netherlands, she set up a foundation for a Dutch banking consultancy office. In collaboration with the Rabobank Foundation, she then worked in Brazil for 2 years, building an education platform and developing courses for the employees of a savings- and credit cooperative. After her time in Brazil, she worked for 6 years at the Netherlands office of the Rabobank Foundation, responsible for the Latin America credit portfolio. During that time she specialized herself in financing smallholder producer organisations with a high focus on coffee and cocoa organisations. She also started cupping coffee as she noticed credit lines were better used by coffee producer organisations when she could make a market connection for them. During her time at Rabobank Foundation, she worked closely together with the Amsterdam based Progreso Foundation.
Dr. Frederick KAWUMA Secretary General Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO)
Frederick S.M. KAWUMA, 60, is a Uganda national, an honours graduate of Bachelor of Commerce (Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda), Master of Arts in Communication & Marketing (Wheaton College Graduate School, IL, USA) and a PhD in Entrepreneurial Leadership (Regent University, VA, USA). He is the outgoing Secretary General of the Inter African Coffee Organisation (IACO), an inter governmental organisation based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (West Africa). He has moved African coffees to a new pedestal and helped to build a brighter future for African coffees. His term at IACO will end in the first part of 2021 but will continue to serve as a goodwill Ambassador for African coffee. He has over 30 years of experience in the coffee industry, of which over 25 years as a CEO of various organisations. He is a visionary who has been involved in many initiative s in the coffee industry that have had national, regional and international impact. He has played key roles in the establishment of projects to support the African coffee industry, with the vision to benefit coffee producers and improvement of quality and quantity of African coffees. He has also had a distinguished career as a leadership and management consultant and trainer and worked on several projects.
Anthony Day Blockchain Partner
Global Business Services IBM UK and Ireland
Anthony is a Partner in IBM’s UK & Ireland Blockchain team. He leads Blockchain transformations and creation of new business networks for IBM clients across a range of industry sectors. Anthony is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of helping clients achieve growth, define impactful digital strategies and launch new businesses powered by exponential technologies (Blockchain, AI, Robotics, Open Platforms, Cloud). He also hosts the Blockchain Won’t Save the World podcast.
Catalina Eikenberg Head of Sustainable Business Unit Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG)
Catalina Eikenberg is currently leading the Sustainable Business Unit at Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG), the largest coffee trading group in the world. This new department at NKG aims to positively impact coffee farmers´ livelihoods through the provision of services like finance, access to inputs and training, as part of the group´s global sustainable sourcing strategy, NKG BLOOM. She began her career 15 years ago in microfinance, building BlueOrchard Finance´s portfolio of investments in Latin America. She then worked for TechnoServe, a global NGO working on business solutions to poverty, as the Colombia Country Manager. Catalina holds a Msc in Development Management from the London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from McGill University in Canada.
Dr. Panos Varangis Principal Agriculture Finance Specialist International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Dr Panos Varangis joined the FIG team in July 2020, as a principal specialist in agricultural finance. Prior to that Panos was the Head for agricultural finance in the Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation, Global Practice at the World Bank. Since 2014, Panos has been involved in projects around the globe that facilitate financing for farmers and Agribusiness SMEs by working on public policy issues and financial products that involve the private sector. Prior to that Panos led IFC’s advisory work to facilitate access to finance for SMEs, agribusiness and farmers and improve risk management. Before joining IFC, Panos served as the Deputy CEO of the Agricultural Bank of Greece (2004-2009) and was a member of the board of directors of Agrotiki Insurance and Mindbank, an SME bank in Romania (subsidiary of ABG). From 1987 to 2004, he worked at the World Bank in various positions at the International Commodities Division, the International Trade Division, the Bank’s Research Department and at the Agricultural and Rural Development Department where he oversaw a global program on commodity risk management and index insurance. Panos holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University in New York.
Blanca Maria Castro Chapter Relations Manager International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA)
With more than 14 years within the coffee sector in marketing and trade, started as Marketing Coordinator for the National Coffee Association of Guatemala – Anacafe-. As volunteer, supported IWCA Global projects in Central America and as Coffee Consultant to the International Trade Center in East Africa supporting “She Trades” projects and creating awareness of the coffee sector around the world. Fluent in English, French, German and Spanish, advance student in Italian, with strong network and experience on public relationship and communications, that enabled her to identify needs and solutions to approach the coffee market. Currently working as Chapter Relations Manager for the International Women’s Coffee Alliance supporting and coordinating groups in 27 Chapters in Latin America, East Africa, Asia, Australia, Yemen in the Middle East and last USA in North America.
Marketing strategies, commercial net working with traders, roasters, coffee shops, exporters, coffee growers in farms, cooperative and coffee organizations.
Also, President to the Board of Conservation and Eco Development Foundation – Guatemala – FUNDAECO – since April 2016 and member of the Specialty Coffee Association Advisory Council Committee – Event Committee & Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Task Force since December 2017
Peter Onguka Head of Lending, Africa Root Capital
Peter Onguka is the Head of Lending for the Africa portfolio at Root Capital, a leader in social impact investment in rural communities around the world. In this role, he focuses on providing innovative financial products to coffee enterprises in East Africa and to other small and growing agricultural businesses across the continent. Since starting his career in microfinance, Peter has spent 18 years expanding access to credit for traditionally overlooked populations in his home country of Kenya and beyond. Over more than a decade at Root Capital Peter has developed his expertise in loan structuring, risk assessment and mitigation, portfolio management, pipeline development, and business analytics for agricultural finance. If you ask him what he enjoys most about his job, Peter will tell you that it is that no day is ever the same; working in smallholder finance is action-packed and full of adventure!
Luis Macias
CEO and Founder GrainChain
Luis is an innovator and entrepreneur that has nearly 20 years of experience designing, inventing, and implementing technological solutions in the government, agriculture and insurance sectors. Since 2013, when he founded and implemented SiloSys and developed GrainChain’s transaction platform using smart contracts, he has been focused on viable agricultural solutions. He brings an experienced, relentless commitment to enhancing the performance of business processes and mission-critical deployments to the team, and his pioneering leadership in the technology and agriculture sectors ensures that GrainChain will remain the leader in its market space.
Laura Mackenzie SVP Financial Inclusion
Global Consumer Product Mastercard
As senior vice president, Financial Inclusion for Mastercard, Laura is responsible for developing, executing, leading and adapting the global product strategy to deliver Mastercard’s Financial Inclusion commitment to the World Bank to include 1 billion people into the digital economy by 2025 through the development and deployment of innovative products and delivery channels.
Prior to this role, she spent 12 years leading Mastercard’s US Merchant acceptance for core merchant verticals. Laura began her career in fashion with luxury global brands Ralph Lauren, Anne Klein and Nicole Farhi before making a move into the financial sector with South African start-up joint-venture e-commerce companies. She has spent many years living and working overseas in London, Barcelona and Johannesburg.
Dr. Rocco Macchiavello
Associate Professor London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Rocco Macchiavello holds a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Rocco was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford University, Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Professor at Warwick University before returning to the London School of Economics in the Department of Management. Rocco’s research interests are in private sector development and he has done extensive work on the coffee value chain. In partnership with private and public sectors stakeholders, Rocco has conducted quantitative analysis of the coffee chain to better understand constraints to access to finance, the functioning and impact of buyer-driven sustainability programs, the role of competition and vertical integration and is currently working on traceability initiatives. His work on coffee has been published in leading peer reviewed journals and has featured in policy publications, including the 2020 World Bank Development Report and the 2021 Coffee Development Report by ICO.
Juan Esteban Orduz President Colombian Coffee Federation Inc. FEDECAFE (North America)
Juan Esteban Orduz is the President of Colombian Coffee Federation, Inc., the subsidiary in North America of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia (FNC). In 2003, Mr. Orduz joined the FNC, a non-profit association that represents more than 540,000 Colombian coffee growing families both domestically and internationally, after ending a year as fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University (2002-2003).
Besides leading all FNC’s commercial, cooperation, marketing and advocacy areas in the region, Mr. Orduz’s is responsible for many global initiatives, such as Colombia’s participation in the International Coffee Organization, Colombia’s 100 – 100 Sustainability Program and the World Coffee Producers Forum.
Among Mr. Orduz’ international experience in the public and private sectors, he was Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Colombia to the United States in Washington, D.C. (1998-2002), where he was one of the leaders in the design and implementation of Plan Colombia -the largest U.S.-Colombia bilateral program for security and social and economic development- and the extension of trade preferences through the Andean Trade Preferences and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA), and legal VP of Cemex Colombia, associate at Consultores Jurídicos y Económicos and advisor to the minister of economic development.
Mr. Orduz serves in many boards of directors in different countries, including the Global Coffee Platform-GCP (Germany, NL), Rainforest Alliance (USA and NL), the Coffee Quality Institute CQI (USA), American Friends of Fundación Cardio-Infantil 501(c) 3 (USA), co-vicechairman of the Advisory Board of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars – Latin American Program (USA, Washington D.C.) and leads the Colombian delegation to the International Coffee Organization (ICO).
Mr. Orduz earned a law degree (J.D.) from El Rosario University in Bogotá, where he received the highest distinction “Colegial de Número” for his academic excellence; he also earned a postgraduate degree in Finance at Los Andes University in Bogotá and is fluent in Spanish (native), English and German.
Christopher Brett
Lead Agribusiness Specialist World Bank
Christopher Brett was appointed as the Lead Agribusiness Specialist with the World Bank in November 2016 and joined the Agriculture and Food Global Agricultural Practice, based in Washington DC. He has a Master’s Degree in Management for Agricultural Development from Cranfield University in the United Kingdom. He has more than thirty years’ experience of working within the public private and voluntary sectors in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Prior to working with the World Bank, he worked for 9 years as the Global Head of Sustainability for a large multi-national agricultural supply chain management company, as part of the senior management team, Chris supported the company’s transition from a trading-based company to a global agri-business supply chain management company.
From 2001 to 2007, he undertook a range of consultancies for leading development organisations and the private sector, such as; the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, African Development Bank, European Union, United Nations Development Programme, commercial banks and infrastructural development companies. He also worked for 6 years in Central America as a Private Sector Development Advisor (1995-2001) for the UK Department for International Development.
Gerardo Patacconi Head of Operations International Coffee Organization (ICO)
Gerardo Patacconi is the Head of Operations of the International Coffee Organization (ICO). An economiststatistician and agribusiness development expert, after a significant experience with the private sector in manufacturing and banking in Italy, he joined the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in 1987 as associate Expert in Papua New Guinea. His latest position with UNIDO was Director of the Department of Agribusiness Development with a portfolio of US$40 million. In 2013 was one of the two shortlisted candidates and run for the election for the post of Executive- Director of the International Sugar Organization (ISO).
At the core of his experience is policy and strategic advice, development, fund raising and management of large-scale operations and development projects to address poverty and sustainability, with emphasis on Public-Private Partnerships covering the coffee sector and other agribusiness value chains.
An excellent communicator, Gerardo Patacconi is often invited as a public speaker and a moderator in ministerial meetings, international conferences and events in English, French, Spanish and Italian and has also published on topics relating to development and industry, agribusiness and sustainability.
