MONTPELLIER, FRANCE (27 October 2012) – The CGIAR Consortium is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Board members following a meticulous selection process involving the Consortium Board and the CGIAR Centers.
“Dr. Marion Guillou-Charpin and Prof. Dr. Martin Kropff have been picked from a small group of highly qualified people after proving themselves to be the best candidates to take up the positions,” said Carlos Pérez del Castillo, Chair, CGIAR Consortium Board. “They both possess the necessary experience, skills and passion to assist the Board and the Centers as CGIAR moves ahead with its mission to deliver quality agricultural research for sustainable development in these trying times.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to out-going Board members Ian Goldin and Tom Arnold. They have both made invaluable contributions to the organization over the past two years, and I would like to wish them well in their future endeavors.”
Dr. Marion Guillou-Charpin
As the President of Agreenium, a public consortium that promotes the role of research, education and dissemination to meet the challenges of food security and sustainable development, Marion is familiar with many of the global challenges CGIAR is trying to address. She also comes on board with 12-year’s experience in the management of large research and innovation programs covering disciplines like agriculture and climate change; animal health; and food and health.
When she stepped down from her position as the President and CEO of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) earlier this year, she had spent more than a decade involved in the strategic and operational management of the organization, and was responsible for 8,500 employees and a total budget of 830 million Euros. In addition, she has 16-year’s experience with complex national and international contracts and partnerships.
This French national is no stranger to the work of CGIAR. She is a member of the international advisory board of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and is also a member of a working group of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).
Marion graduated from France’s prestigious Ecole Polytechnique (1973) and was appointed head of the school’s governing board in March 2008. She holds a Doctorate in Food Sciences, is a Chartered Engineer of the French Institute of Forestry, Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, and a member of the French Academy of Agriculture.
“As a new member of the Consortium Board, I am looking forward to contributing to global research programs to tackle food insecurity in the context of global change,” said Marion. “I am convinced the collaboration between the national agronomic research centers and the CGIAR Centers will be a useful contribution, as has been the case with the Wheat Initiative endorsed by the G20.”
Professor Dr. Martin Kropff
Martin has extensive experience in international agricultural research and the management of large institutions and institutional reforms. Since 2005, he has been the Rector Magnificus and Vice Chairman of the Executive Board of Wageningen University and Research Center (Wageningen UR) in the Netherlands. His position involves leading research and education activities on healthy food and the living environment, and taking responsibility for the quality of science and education at the university. Martin also facilitated the integration of applied research institutions and the linking of research institutes with the university, first as the Director General of the Plant Sciences Group and later as the Rector on the Executive Board, effectively forming Wageningen UR as it is known it today.
Away from the university, Martin is a member of the Netherland’s ‘top team’ responsible for leading innovative processes in his country’s AgriFood sector.
Like Marion, he is also familiar with the work of CGIAR. During the 1990’s, while based at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines, he led the international program on systems analysis and simulation, which involved 15 interdisciplinary teams in nine Asian countries. Through collaborative programs and PhD students, he worked with several CGIAR Centers based in Asia, Latin America and Africa, and was closely involved with the CGIAR reform process through his participation in the ‘Strategy Group’.
Martin obtained a Master’s degree in Biology from Utrecht University and his PhD from Wageningen University, both cum laude.
“I am excited to be part of the CGIAR again,” said Martin. “I am convinced that the organization has an important role to play in the reduction of poverty and hunger, improvement of human health and nutrition and enhancement of ecosystem resilience across the globe as reflected in the mission statement. I look forward to contributing to that mission by working towards a stronger CGIAR, producing quality science through efficient and effective CGIAR Research Programs with greater involvement of the private sector and Advanced Research Centers and broader donor support. To achieve greater impact the work done by CGIAR and partners needs to be connected in a pro-active manner with public and private sector partners further down the research to development continuum. It is very encouraging to note that there is enhanced and renewed interest from donors, such as the Dutch government, in support of the system.”