CPPTF Members

Adugna Debela Bote is a Senior professional who received his BSc from Jimma University and his MSc and PhD from Wageningen University of the Netherlands (Coffee Ecophysiology and Agronomy). Mr Adugna Debela Bote was head of the Department of Horticulture and Plant Sciences at Jimma University and CEO for Ethiopian Horticulture and Agriculture Investment Authority. Currently, he is Director-General for Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority and President of Ethiopian Horticulture Science Society.

H.E. Aly Toure is the Permanent Representative of Cote d’Ivoire to the International Commodity Organizations and is based In London with sixteen years of experience in the commodity field. He is therefore the interface between the Government of Cote d’Ivoire and the International Commodity Bodies (ICB’s). Prior to that position, he was Deputy Permanent Representative from 2004 to 2010. He was the chairman of the International Grain Council, chairman of the Governing Council of the Common Fund for Commodity, chairman of the Council at the International Coffee Organization, chairman of the Strategic Review Group at the International Coffee Organization. Moreover, he has been chairman of the Economic and Statistic committee at the IRSG, Currently, H. E. Aly Toure is Spokesperson for Cocoa Producing Countries at the International Cocoa Organization and chairman of such Organization. Moreover, he is chairman of the International Sugar Organization, chairman of the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG), chairman of the Finance Committee at the Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO), and chairman of the Alliance of Cocoa Producing Countries. H.E. Aly Toure is a Graduate from the University of Greenwich in London in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

CV Reza Pahlevi Chairul

H.E. Iván Romero Martínez is a career diplomat with over 40 years of experience in the Honduran Foreign Service. Currently, he is Ambassador of Honduras accredited to the Court of St James of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Moreover, H.E. Ivàn Romero is Permanent Representative of Honduras at the ICO and Advisory Minister of the Presidency of Honduras in International Relations. Formerly, he has been Vice President of the UN General Assembly, President of the International Coffee Organization and Dean of the Group of Latin American Ambassadors in London.

Dr Leonard Mizzi is Head of Unit at the European Commission, Director-General (DG) for International Cooperation and Development – Rural development, food security and nutrition, since 1st of January 2017. Formerly, he has been Head of Unit for 10 years at DG Agriculture and Rural Development, firstly in charge of agri-trade and development issues (2007-2014) and from 2015-2016 in charge of the inter-institutional unit hence leading the 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 is a graduate from CIHEAM-Montpellier (MSc) and a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Reading (UK). He is the author of several articles and publications on agri-food issues and nutrition in the Mediterranean region. Dr Leonard 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, he 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. He has also been a visiting lecturer at the Boston University (Brussels campus) and the Open University and Malta University. Dr Leonard Mizzi often lectures at the College of Europe in Bruges. His areas of specialisation are Global Food Security Governance, Agriculture and Food and Nutrition Security, the Mediterranean, and Sub Saharan Africa.

Mick Wheeler has worked with and represented the Papua New Guinea Coffee Industry for more than 40 years. Besides that, he has been in charge of a variety of different roles including SCAE Executive Director (2004 to 2011) and Executive Director of the small charity Find Your Feet (1994 – 1997). Mick Wheeler lectured at numerous conferences including the SCAA, SCAE, and the ICO World Coffee Conferences. He has also worked as a consultant for organisations such as FAO, Common Fund for Commodities, the Netherlands CBI, the World Bank, and ITC (co-author and a moderator of “The Coffee Guide” www.thecoffeeguide.org). Mick Wheeler is also the author of several publications on coffee and cocoa. In 2017, he has been awarded an OBE for his services to the Papua New Guinea coffee industry.

Profile of Dr K G Jagadeesha IAS

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Dr. Enselme Gouthon, holding a PhD in Economics from the School of Economics and Management at the University of Bremen (Germany), has over 40 years of professional experience in institutional management, as well as in the management of agro-industrial and financial businesses, both nationally and internationally.

As the Secretary General of the Coffee and Cocoa Coordination Committee (CCFCC) in Togo, Mr. Gouthon is a distinguished expert recognized in his field. He works with excellence to defend the interests of producing countries while promoting inclusive dialogue between these countries and consuming nations within international organizations. He has served as the President of the International Coffee Organization (ICO, 2023-2024) and the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO, 2014, 2015, and 2018). He currently holds the following positions :

• President of the Economic and Development Committee of the Interafrican Coffee Organization (IACO) since February 2024.
• President of the Economic Committee of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) since September 2024.
• President of the African and Madagascar Robusta Coffee Agency (ACRAM) since 2011.

Mr Anil Kumar Bhandari has been a second-generation Coffee Grower in the Karnataka State of India for more than 50 years. Educated in Madras University, Mr Bhandari joined the Managing Committee of Karnataka Planters & Association in 1979 and served the Indian Plantation Industry in various capacities ever since. He has been the Chairman of the State Planters Association in 1989-90 and subsequently after serving more than 13 years on the Managing Committee of the United Planters Association, the apex multi-Plantation Commodity Organization for Southern India, he was its President in 2004-2005. Mr Bhandari was also nominated to the Coffee Board of India for multiple three years terms by the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India. He was the initiator of India Coffee Trust and is President of the India Coffee Trust, a non-profit multi-stakeholder body committed to promoting the Coffee industry in India. He was instrumental in conceptualizing India International Coffee Festival which has emerged as an authoritative and prominent platform for the Indian Coffee Sector since 2002. Mr Bhandari is the Chairman of Steering Committee of the 5th World Coffee Conference 2020 and is the Chairman of the Private Sector Consultative Board of International Coffee Organization.

Annette Pensel is Executive Director of the Global Coffee Platform (GCP), an inclusive, multi-stakeholder membership association to advance coffee sustainability. Global Coffee Platform’s vision is a thriving, sustainable coffee sector for generations to come. GCP works with its Members and network of public-private Coffee Sustainability Platforms in producing countries towards farmer prosperity, improved livelihoods and well-being, and conservation of nature. Annette believes in the power of glocal collaboration to overcome systemic sustainability challenges: business as usual is not enough to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. She brings close to 20 years of experience in the international coffee sector and in the fields of development cooperation, including corporate sustainability, publicprivate partnerships and programs, capacity building and voluntary sustainability standards. She has lived and worked in Africa, Latin America, South East Asia and Europe, driving successful sustainability programs in agricultural sectors with leading companies, especially in coffee. Her previous roles include senior positions at the 4C Association, where she was responsible to build 4C Association’s network, structures and services at origin and to drive innovations. Creating and expanding partnerships to scale positive impacts of sustainable coffee, she has established productive relationships with key stakeholders ranging from coffee growers to private sector companies, NGO and donor agencies, and government representatives. Annette graduated in Economics, Political Science and Latin American studies from the University of Cologne (Germany) and Tucuman (Argentina). She speaks German, English, Spanish and Portuguese and is now based in Bonn, Germany.

Marcelo Burity has 20 years of experience in coffee procurement and sustainability as buyer, manager and Global Head of Coffee Procurement at Nestlé. Since 2015, he has been Head of Green Coffee Development for Nestlé Beverages Business and responsible for global coordination of coffee sustainability, quality and research.

Mario Cerutti was born in Torino (Italy) in 1958. He graduated in Business Administration at the University of Torino and got an MBA from the University of Dallas. Mario Cerutti has been working in Lavazza since 1986. Currently, he is Chief Institutional Relations and Sustainability Officer in Lavazza. He has been President of the European Coffee Federation (ECF) from 2017 to 2020 and he served as president in ECF also from 2004 to 2007. He is currently serving as President of the Italian Coffee Committee (CIdC – Comitato Italiano del Caffè), the association of large Italian coffee companies, as a member of Coffee & Climate Steering Committee and as a member of the board of the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC). He is a board member of ICP (International Coffee Partners).

Paula Mejía serves as a Program Manager at the Sustainable Business Unit at Neumann Kaffee Gruppe. With more than eight years of successful experience in the areas of development and sustainability both in the private and civil sector, she regularly partakes in various multi-stakeholder initiatives to contribute to the global sustainability agenda. She specializes in environmental management and human rights as key pillars to achieving sustainable development and currently focuses on ameliorating the lives of smallholder farmers along the coffee value chain. While her engagements have taken her around the world, Paula is proud to call both Colombia and Germany home.

Since 2019, Reena Eddiks represents Tchibo in the Coffee Public-Private Task Force. She graduated with Honours in International Communication at the Hanze University Groningen, Netherlands, and had her first coffee exposure during an internship at Kraft Foods. In 2009, she joined the Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung as communication expert where she built up the professional communication of diverse coffee sustainability initiatives and entities. During the subsequent eight years, Reena fell in love with coffee and the various challenges that come with it. In 2017, she started her assignment as Sustainability Manager for Volcafe in Switzerland, coordinating the global activities of the trading house worldwide. In 2019, she joined the Corporate Responsibility team of Tchibo, applying her experience to drive the implementation of the sustainability strategy of the German coffee roaster.

William “Bill” Murray is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Coffee Association, U.S.A. (NCA), a role he has held since June 2014. He leads NCA’s advocacy, regulatory, and member support activities on behalf of the hundreds of coffee- focused organizations that comprise NCA’s membership. Prior to joining NCA, Bill Murray was Chief Executive Officer of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the world’s largest professional society for public relations practitioners and students with more than 32,000 members. Before joining PRSA, he worked in Hollywood for more than 20 years, capping his career as Executive Vice President and CoChief Operating Officer at the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which represented the $40 billion U.S.-based audiovisual entertainment industry.

Justin Archer has worked in coffee for 27 years, mostly in senior management positions at origin in East Africa. He is the Global Head of Sustainability for SUCAFINA SA, a Swiss based trading company with operations in more than 32 countries. He has a Masters in Agricultural Economics and an MBA from the BI Business School in Oslo. He lives with his family in Kampala, Uganda.

Roberto Vega is a seasoned sustainability practitioner with over 30 years of experience in the financial and agricultural sectors, working across the globe. Having lived in Costa Rica, France, Germany, and Switzerland, Roberto brings a wealth of international perspectives to his work. With formal education in Business (MBA), Environmental Governance and Policy Making (Executive Master), and Sustainability, he possesses a robust skill set encompassing financial analysis, project implementation, and environmental and social policy expertise.

Fluent in Spanish, French, and English, with advanced knowledge of German, Roberto has effectively navigated diverse cultural and linguistic landscapes in his professional journey. His career spans various projects in developing markets, particularly in Latin America, APAC, and Africa, where he has demonstrated a keen understanding of local contexts and challenges. Roberto’s extensive experience in stakeholder management has been pivotal in representing companies across multiple platforms and initiatives. He has collaborated with a wide range of organizations, including private and public sectors, as well as civil society organizations (CSOs), fostering partnerships for sustainable development.

Roberto is currently serving as the VP of Sustainability, Agronomy, and R&D at Starbucks.

Teddy Esteve Biography