Speakers

Ambassador Pio Wennubst, Assistant Director General, Head of the Global Cooperation Department at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) Ambassador Pio Wennubst was born in 1961 in Lugano. He is an agro-economist specialized in systemic approaches by training, has long experience in development diplomacy based on extensive field work in areas such as rural development, microfinance and public health. After a period as managing director of a Swiss chemical company, he moved to the public sector as an academic researcher. In 1992, he began working in the field of development cooperation for the UN in Nepal. He joined the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in 1995 and was initially posted to Bolivia and subsequently to Madagascar where he was tasked with reorganizing Swiss development cooperation activities. After a period as an economist at the SDC’s head office in Bern, in 2004 Pio Wennubst was appointed SDC country director in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. From 2008 to 2011, he was the deputy permanent representative of the Swiss mission to the -based UN agencies. From 2010, he was also in charge of the SDC’s Global Program Food Security. He later joined the Swiss permanent mission to the UN in New York as head of the economic and social development team. He currently manages the Global Cooperation Department as assistant director general of the SDC.

Dr. Roberto Ridolfi, Director Directorate C – Sustainable Growth and Development, DG DEVCO Dr Roberto Ridolfi is Director of the European Commission for Sustainable Growth and Development at DG for International Cooperation and Development. Twice Ambassador/ Head of delegation to the , Mr Ridolfi was first in Suva where he served from 2005 to 2007. There, he was in charge of all the relations of the European Union with 15 Pacific countries and territories. In 2010 he was appointed in Uganda by the High Representative for Foreign Policy of the EU where he served till September 2013. In between, during his duty as head of unit of Europe Aid, he managed programmes dealing with Environment and Climate Change, Food security, Human development, migration and asylum as well as the One-Billion-Euro Food Facility in 50 countries. Director R. Ridolfi joined the European Commission in 1994 and worked in several delegations of the UNION: Malawi, Namibia and Kosovo as development and economic advisor. Throughout Accession negotiations (2001-2004), he was the principal coordinator dealing with Environment and Transport in Public-Private-Partnerships (PPP). Dr Ridolfi holds a MSc in Engineering, an MBA and a PhD in A. Technology.

Mrs. Gerda Verburg, Chair of the Global Agenda Council on Food & Nutrition Security (WEF) Gerda Verburg was born (19-08-1957) on a dairy farm in the Green Heart of the . In 2007 she was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. In her period as Minister, she gave priority and special attention to innovative and sustainable agriculture and food security, both at national, EU and international level. She has a degree in social economic relations and started her professional career as Regional Secretary General of the Rural Youth Organization. In 1982 she obtained a position in the Christian Trade Union movement (CNV). In 1990 she was the first woman to be elected on the Board of the Confederation of CNV. She represented the CNV in the National Economic Council and was responsible for labour issues, gender and international cooperation. In 1998 she was elected Member to the House of Representatives for the Christian Democratic Party (CDA). She was speaker on economics and social affairs. In 2002 she became Vice Chair of her party in the House and also Vice Speaker of the House. In 2008 she was elected Chair of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 17). During that year core issues were amongst others: sustainable agriculture, food security and climate. CSD 17 had a cross cutting, action and result oriented outcome, which initiated the concept of what is now called: climate smart agriculture or save and grow. She is closely involved with the follow up of CSD recommendations and the post MDG-policy formulation. After her term as Minister, she returned to the House of Representatives (October 2010) and was speaker on economics, energy and innovation. In July 2011 she was appointed Ambassador/ Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN Organisations for Food and Agriculture in Rome (FAO, WFP and IFAD). In October 2013 Gerda Verburg was elected as Chair of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS). This is a multi-stakeholder committee where governments, civil society, private sector, research institutions and others deal with food and nutrition related topics. For 2014 and 2015 she was appointed to serve as Chair of the Agenda Council for Food and Nutrition of the World Economic Forum.

Dr. Karen Cooper, Sustainable Nutrition Expert at Nestle S.A. Dr. Karen Cooper is based at the Nestlé HQ in Switzerland, reporting into the VP for Nutrition, Health and Wellness and Sustainability within R&D, working to bring together the science of sustainability and nutrition in the context of Nestlé’s journey towards becoming the leading global Nutrition, Health and Wellness Company. She is responsible for developing tools that can help improve Nestlé product portfolio for nutrition and environmental impacts. She is also responsible for coordinating a global network of R&D sustainability champions that help embed sustainability into our products and processes at the earliest stage, encompassing the entire value chain, from the farmer to the consumer. She has a BSc in Human and Environmental Biology, an MSc in Human Nutrition and a PhD in Nutrition, and a post graduate certificate in Sustainable Business from Cambridge University.

Moderator

Mr. Ewald Wermuth, Director European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) Ewald Wermuth, a Dutch national, is Director at ECDPM since March 2015. He combines a strong track record in international relations with expertise on trade and food security issues. He has held several senior and managerial positions in organisations, ministries and diplomacy in the Netherlands and abroad. Before joining ECDPM, he was Director International Public Affairs at IDH – The Sustainable Trade Initiative in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Ewald Wermuth is responsible for the overall management and representation of ECDPM. He is also Secretary to the Board and member of the Management Team. Since 2013, Ewald Wermuth is a member of the Socires Food FIRST Task Force, which organizes monthly sessions that aim to stimulate cross-sector dialogue. During these sessions, members also critically reflect on and contribute to European policies regarding global issues and international relations, with an emphasis on food security issues.