Gilbert F. Houngbo became the sixth President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on 1 April 2017. Previously, Houngbo was the Deputy Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO). He served as Prime Minister of the Republic of Togo from 2008 to 2012. From 1996 to 2008, Houngbo undertook a number of roles at UNDP including Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary-General, Africa Regional Director. Houngbo has a Maîtrise en gestion des entreprises from the University of Lomé, Togo, and a Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures Spécialisées in Specialised Accounting from the University of Québec, Canada.

Giuseppe Conte was born in Volturara Appula (FG) on 8 August 1964. He graduated in Law at "La Sapienza" University of Rome with 110/110 summa cum laude (full marks with Honours). He has carried out research work for many years, both in Italy and abroad. In 2002 he qualified as full professor of private law, becoming Professor of Private Law I and Private Law II at the School of Law of the University of Florence. He is a co-editor of numerous legal journals and series. He has practised law in various law firms. He is the author of numerous publications of which some of the most recent are: L’impresa responsabile [The responsible company] (Giuffré, Milan, 2018); La formazione del contratto (in Il Codice civile. Commentario [The formation of the contract (in The Civil Code. Commentary)], Giuffré, Milan, 2018; with Prof. Guido Alpa, he edited Diritti e libertà fondamentali nei rapporti contrattuali [Fundamental rights and freedoms in contractual relations] (Giappichelli, Turin, 2018).

Danilo Medina, the eldest of eight children by Juan Pablo Medina and Amelia Sánchez, was born in Arroyo Cano, San Juan province, in 1951. He is a Chemical Engineer by the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, where he became a student leader, and an Economist by the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo. He is a founding member of the Dominican Liberation Party, with which he won three terms to House of Representatives, rising to the Presidency of the Chamber in 1994. He has been a member of the Latin American Parliament and Minister of the Presidency. Medina was elected President of the Dominican Republic in 2012 and re-elected in 2016 with 62% of the electorate. The promotion of inclusive and sustainable rural development has been a pillar of his tenure, during which time indicators of national socio-economic advancement —especially in the rural areas— have been at the forefront of both the Latin American and the Caribbean region, and the developing world. He has been married since 1987 to Mrs Cándida Montilla, a matrimony blessed with three daughters.

As Executive Director of the World Food Programme, David Beasley continues his life’s work bridging political, religious and ethnic boundaries to champion economic development and education. At WFP, Mr Beasley is putting to use four decades of leadership and communications skills to mobilise more financial support and public awareness for the global fight against hunger.

Sherrie Silver is an accomplished actress, dancer, choreographer and activist made world-famous by her work in Childish Gambino’s culturally seismic video “This Is America”. Born in Rwanda and educated in the UK, Silver recently won the 'Best Choreography' category at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards. Silver is passionate about helping young people thrive and educating the world about African cultures through the dance, while giving back to African countries through her philanthropy. She has been mentioned by Forbes as "a new creative visionary" and by Bill Gates as one of Africa’s young innovators changing the continents present and future. Silver has always made philanthropy a key part of her work as a rising star of the dance world, holding dance workshops for African children, and even starting homes for at-risk youth in Lagos and Kigali.

Katarina Eriksson supports the development of private-public partnerships in the fields of school nutrition and dairy value chain development at the Tetra Laval Food for Development Office. Previously, Eriksson worked with export promotion and export finance in the Swedish Embassy in Beijing, at the Swedish Export Credit Guarantee Board and in the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. She holds a degree in International Business and Chinese from Lund University.

Jessica Fanzo is the Bloomberg Distinguished Associate Professor of Global Food and Agriculture Policy and Ethics at the Berman Institute of Bioethics, the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, USA. Fanzo served as the co-Chair of the Global Nutrition Report and the UN High Level Panel of Experts on Food Systems and Nutrition. Before coming to Hopkins, she has also held positions at Columbia University, the Earth Institute, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Programme, Bioversity International, and the Millennium Development Goal Centre at the World Agroforestry Center in Kenya. She has a PhD in nutrition from the University of Arizona.

Dalí Cruz is the Director of the Timo’Patla Intercultural Organization A.C. and Mopampa, a network of social and solidarity economy companies of indigenous women. She is an active member of Slow Food in Mexico for the defence and promotion of Creole seeds, food, territories, and indigenous biodiversity. She facilitates training for women, youth and children on topics including rights, gender and interculturalism.

Annie Nyaga is a farmer, agriculture transporter and the youngest County Minister of Agriculture in Kenya. She is an active proponent of youth engagement in agriculture. Nyaga is coordinating with the Office of the President to spearhead a countrywide Youth in Ag Agenda. She is a Global UN Champion for the Youth (2018-2022).

Katherine Meighan is the General Counsel of IFAD and a member of the Executive Management Committee. She also oversees the management of a team of lawyers who deliver results on IFAD's operations, funding, governance and corporate matters. Before joining IFAD, Meighan was Assistant General Counsel and Manager at the International Finance Corporation. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law and a BA in Economics and French.

Annan El-Sherbiny is a junior consultant and business development coordinator at Yadawee’s export and trading arm since 2016. She worked on several donor-funded projects and focused on developing market demand-driven skills of female refugees and vulnerable Egyptians and developing their business capacity and creating market linkages. El-Sherbiny also worked on the Strengthening Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development project funded by USAID.

Dulce Martinez is a product designer and anthropologist dedicated to support, contribute and extend the recognition of traditional techniques and indigenous women’s knowledge. Through the use of design as a tool for socio economic improvement, Fabrica Social has developed methodologies and systems that allow Mexican women artisan to live in their communities and keep practicing their trades while raising children and harvesting food.

Dominic Wanjihia is tinkerer, a maker and an innovator. He develops gadgets and tools to alleviate poverty in communities, agricultural practices, and conservation. He focusses on recycling, simplicity, affordability, ownership and sustainability. He tries to develop simple solutions that are replicable and sustainable. Flexi Biogas Solutions is a think-tank that brings people together on issues from climate smart agriculture to better health.

Quan Le has over 20-years’ experience in finance, technology and commodities. After a ten year career in finance in Hanoi, Sydney and London, Quan started an agriculture technology firm bringing proven crop know-how from Asia to Africa. From these experiences Quan co-foundered Binkabi, a platform for issuing, trading and financing commodities on the blockchain. Quan holds master's degree in applied finance.

In her previous role as Head of Corporate Marketing at Infinity Blockchain Labs and as Head of APAC at IBV, Nguyen uses her industry insights and network to develop the blockchain and tech startup ecosystem in Vietnam and South East Asia. She has organised community outreach initiatives in Vietnam, including the first Vietnam Blockathon, Vietnam Blockchain Week and ENIGMA.

Veronica Barbati is the President of Coldiretti Giovani Impresa. Since 2010, she has owned and managed Agriturismo Barbati in the province of Avellino. During the last year, Barbati represented Coldiretti Giovani Impresa at CEJA, the European Council of Young Farmers and at the WFO, the World Farmers Organization, bringing Coldiretti's vision on European and international policies. She has a degree in Economics and Management of Tourist Services.