Simone Giger is Switzerland’s Ambassador to Ghana, Benin and Togo with residence in Accra
since August 2022. In her role, s he is responsible for the maintenance and deepening of bilateral
relations between Switzerland and her countries of accreditation. She is the first woman to hold this position.

Karin Kreider has been Executive Director at ISEAL since 2012, working on external and member engagement, partnerships, governance, strategy, and all things good institutional management. Previously she was involved in the start-up of Rainforest Alliance and worked on organisational development and the launch of their forestry, agriculture and tourism programmes.

Juliana Asiedu holds a diploma in General Agriculture from Kwadaso Agricultural College and is currently pursuing a degree at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). She is a youth member and financial secretary of Offinso Fine Flavour Cocoa Cooperative (OFFCOP). A Fairtrade Women School of Leadership graduate and Best Female Leader (2024), she trains farmers on labour rights and sustainable cocoa production and advocates for smallholder farmers.

Dr Francis Baah, an agricultural development specialist with decades of experience in cocoa, holds a Degree in Agriculture from the University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, and an MSc and PhD in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development from the University of Reading, UK. He has also worked as a consultant for various international bodies.

Dr Abena Safoa Osei is a distinguished Food Safety and Quality Infrastructure (QI) Expert recognised for her exceptional ability to guide Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) toward compliance with key market and sustainability standards. With over twenty years of professional experience—including a decade at the Ghana Standards Authority and another with UNIDO’s Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development (TCS), Division of MSME Competitiveness. She has been at the forefront of advancing standards, policies, and technical regulations across sectors.

Richard Gyimah holds a PhD in Forest Science from Kagoshima University, Japan. He has over 30 years of working experience with the Forestry Commission. He has worked in several areas of the Commission, such as forest auditing and traceability for sustainable forest management practices, Ghana-EU FLEGT VPA implementation and championing timber industry modernisation and value chain development.

Emi-Beth Quantson is the Founder of Kawa Moka, Ghana's pioneering speciality coffee company. A former tax and audit professional and Chartered Accountant, she left corporate life to build a purpose-driven coffee business focused on sustainability, women's empowerment and local value addition. She serves on the Board of the Specialty Coffee Association, championing African coffee excellence globally.

As part of the cocoa team at Hershey’s, Caitlin focuses on human rights and environmental due diligence, data management, learning and assurance. Passionate about evidence-driven, market-based approaches to sustainability, Caitlin has previously worked with La Siembra Co-operative, Fairtrade Africa, Fairtrade International, and ISEAL. She was also fortunate to call Accra home from 2012 to 2014!

George is GCP's Kenya Program Manager, leading national initiatives and convening efforts. He supported Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning, including the Delta Framework, and recently oversaw a GIZ-funded Living Income benchmarking study in Mount Kenya. Formerly Regional Certification Manager at TechnoServe and acting GM at Africert, he holds an MSc in Environment & Resource Management.

Jacob Doe Adzikah is a dynamic entrepreneur and strategic leader in Ghana’s aquaculture sector, bringing over 15 years of executive experience in industry development, policy advocacy, and multi-stakeholder engagement and has led transformative initiatives that have strengthened regulatory frameworks and advanced sustainable aquaculture practices.

Lisa Barratt is Head of Africa Programmes at the Better Cotton Initiative, leading BCI programmes across Mozambique, Egypt, Mali, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire. With over 25 years of experience in sustainable agriculture in African countries, she focuses on sustainability and compliance as drivers of impact, resilience, and positive change for smallholder cotton farmers.

A Chartered Accountant (member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants - Ghana), trained Risk, Internal Control and Audit professional, with working experience in four different organisations ranging from audit practice, banking and manufacturing industries, spanning a period of 21 years. E&S Risk Coordinator at my previous organisation and now a member of the RSPO Committee of Norpalm Ghana Ltd.

Joseph Bandanaa is a multidisciplinary professional with an interest in agroecology, gender, and sustainable value chains. He holds a PhD in Environmental Science and works across research, policy, and development. He currently serves as Country Lead for Ghana and Regional Advisor, advancing sustainable agriculture through partnerships.

Worlali Senyo is a climate-smart agritech leader with 15+ years of experience. As VP of Corporate Services at Farmerline Group, he scaled the platform from 800 to 2.3+ million farmers globally. Blending tech and agriculture, his work leverages AI climate intelligence, voice advisory, and sustainable finance to build resilient African food systems and transform smallholder livelihoods.

Abdulahi Aliyu is an international development expert with 15+ years' experience in food systems transformation, market systems, and inclusive agribusiness in cocoa and coffee. He has led multinational teams supporting smallholders, farmer groups, and MSMEs to improve productivity, climate resilience, finance, and incomes. He is Global Director at Rikolto and Board Chair of Voice Network.

Nicholas Jengre is a country Director for Rainforest Alliance, Ghana. With over 25 years in natural resource governance, he has worked with several national and international NGOs, including serving as Country Director in Sierra Leone for six years. He holds a BSc in Agriculture and MPhil in Environmental Science.

Specialised in sustainable commodity supply chains, Fabienne has worked for the Fairtrade movement for 15 years, first in the Standards Unit of Fairtrade International, then in Fairtrade advocacy in Brussels. For the past 4 years, I have worked in Ghana for EFI, in the Sustainable Cocoa programme, focusing mainly on supporting Ghana in preparing for EUDR and operationalising the ARS.

Abu Karimu is an indigenous rights activist and CEO of Settle International, a non-profit organisation based in California. Abu Karimu is passionate about the welfare of indigenous peoples. He is the lead campaigner for the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

FSC Africa Regional Certification Manager, responsible for leading and coordinating the development and delivery of the Africa certification portfolio, including technical support to the sub-regional teams in the Congo Basin and West, East and Southern Africa. Background in forestry with many years of experience supporting the responsible production and sourcing of forest and agricultural commodities.

Valerie Lomokuor Fumey Nassah, a forester by profession, have been working with the Forestry Commission of Ghana for 32 years, currently the Director of Operations, Plantations for the Forest Services Division.

Professor Saa Dittoh is an Agricultural Development and Food Systems Economist with several decades of teaching, research and consultancy services. His interests have been in the promotion of smallholder agriculture for food and nutrition security, sustainable food systems, including sustainable and responsible consumption, sustainable natural resources management and the empowerment of rural women.

Larry Attipoe is a key member of ITC global agribusiness team and Africa Regional Coordinator of value chain interventions in cocoa and coffee with a keen eye on sustainability. He was previously the International Development Director of Fairtrade International.

Stephen is a Deputy Director for Responsible Production at the Proforest Africa Regional Office and has over 13 years of experience in environmental and natural resources management. He leads projects in Africa and supports companies to understand and implement sustainability requirements and commitments. He has successfully carried out projects in West, Central and East Africa.

Vidya Rangan has been with ISEAL since mid-2015, working on research, engagement and our human rights programme. Today she leads ISEAL’s Policy and Engagement team and the Research and Evidence programme.