IFA Welcomes New Director General

Avatar for Posted by |29 May 2012

Doha, Qatar – The Council of the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) approved appointed Charlotte Hebebrand as its new Director General. Hebebrand will replace Luc Maene, IFA’s current Director General, upon his retirement on 31 December 2012. She will be the first woman to hold this position.

Hebebrand is the current Chief Executive of the International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council (IPC), a think tank based in Washington D.C. that promotes a more open and equitable global food system and composed of a diverse mix of distinguished international agricultural trade experts.

William J. Doyle, President of IFA and CEO of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc., presented Hebebrand to IFA’s members participating in the Association’s 80th Annual Conference held in Doha, Qatar. “Charlotte is eminently qualified to be the next leader of our industry. She has dedicated her career to food production and understands fully the value of fertilizers”, Doyle said in a press release.

Hebebrand was selected after a thorough international search process during which over 410 profiles were considered. She holds an M.A in International Relations and Economics from Johns Hopkins University and is a dual German and US citizen.

“It is a real pleasure to work for an industry that is doing so much for food security. I am looking forward to meeting all of IFA’s members and working closely with them on the key issue of feeding a growing population and improving the safety, health and environmental impact of the industry’s operations”, Hebebrand said upon her appointment.

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Hebebrand will start working at IFA’s office in Paris on September 1, 2012. She will work together with Maene for four months before assuming the position of Director General on Jan. 1, 2013. Maene has been Director General of the International Fertilizer Industry Association since 1987, following an FAO assignment of seven years in Asia and the Pacific.

During Maene’s tenure, IFA’s membership expanded dramatically adapting to changes in global market dynamics and involving new players, in particular in Asia. His legacy will be celebrated during IFA’s Council meeting Nov. 28-29 in Rome, Italy.

Source: IFA, edited by David Frabotta, FCI editor

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