Malachy is co-founder and Managing Director of Farrelly & Mitchell. He works with CEOs, executives and leaders from private enterprises and public sector institutions helping to grow their food sector companies and agribusinesses.

Having spent 30 years working in the European, Middle East and international food sectors in various senior management and consulting roles, Malachy knows what is required to strategically organise projects in largescale farming, consumer foods and agri-processing and logistics. His experience in supply chain optimisation across complex market geographies informs the company’s approach of working with clients from planning right through to execution and beyond.

As the Managing Director of Farrelly & Mitchell, he has developed and executed numerous domestic and international market entry, expansion and M&A transactions worldwide on behalf of corporate and government clients.

Prior to co-founding Farrelly & Mitchell, Malachy worked in various senior operational and policy roles in Ireland, UK and the Middle East in poultry meat, produce and dairy sectors for the Kerry Group, Fakieh Poultry, Carton Bros. Ltd and Irish Farmers’ Association.

Stefan Fürnsinn is Senior Vice President Crop & Digital Solutions, at Yara International.
Passionate about responsibly feeding the world and protecting the planet, Stefan is in charge of managing and scaling the global digital and precision agriculture business in Yara, and for innovating and commercializing digitally-enabled business models. His role is truly global, leading a dynamic and fast growing digital team across all regions and key agricultural markets. The focus lies on designing innovative services and solutions that speak directly to the farmer’s, agronomist’s and food chain’s evolving needs in a shifting world, towards more productive, prospering and sustainable food production.
Stefan holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering as well as a Master Degree in International Business. Before joining Yara, Stefan was a Partner at McKinsey & Company focusing on agriculture and food, and an entrepreneur and scientist in renewable energy.

Diane Holdorf is Managing Director of Food and Nature at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), based in Geneva, Switzerland, since December 2018.

Before joining WBCSD, Diane was Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer for Kellogg Company. She joined Kellogg in May 2008 as Senior Director, Environmental Stewardship and in 2009 was promoted to Vice President, Environmental Stewardship, Health and Safety. In 2011, she was promoted to Chief Sustainability Officer, Vice President Environment, Health & Safety and in 2015, in recognition of the increasing importance of sustainability across the Kellogg business, became Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer to focus full time on advancing Kellogg’s sustainability leadership efforts.

In addition to her role at Kellogg, Ms. Holdorf served on the Advisory Board of We Mean Business, and on the Executive Advisory Board of the Graham Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan.

Prior to joining Kellogg, Ms. Holdorf served as vice president for Delta Consultants (now Antea), a U.S.A-based environment, health and safety and sustainability consulting firm. During her 17 years with Delta Consultants, she served in numerous management and consulting roles, based in the US and in the UK, where she worked with many consumer packaged goods, forest products and manufacturing companies in development and implementation of global programs for corporate responsibility, environmental management and risk management.

Diane’s board experience includes serving as a corporate officer during her years as Managing Director of a UK-based joint venture while with Delta, as well as serving as secretary of the board for Inogen Environmental Alliance, a global business of which Delta was a member.

In 2015, Diane was recognized as a Maize and Wheat Super Woman by CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) as part of the United Nation’s International Women’s Day in 2015.  She is also recognized as an Oxfam Sisters on the Planet Ambassador.

Ms. Holdorf received Bachelor’s degrees in Public Communications and in German from Syracuse University. She also completed the Executive MBA Program at the University of St. Thomas.

Maria is an economist and politician from Cape Verde. A leading expert in global development issues, she has worked in public service for over thirty years. Over the last decade, FAO has contributed to a new narrative, one where agriculture features more prominently in addressing increasingly complex emerging global issues– from climate change to conflict. By promoting a systematic integrated approach that takes a more inclusive view, Ms Semedo has fostered cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder exchanges, resulting in greater engagement and stronger strategic partnerships to better position FAO in its role to promote the transition towards sustainable food and agriculture systems to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Before taking up her current duties in 2013, Ms Semedo gained valuable experience and insight in Africa, first as FAO Representative in Niger (2003-2008), then as Deputy Regional Representative for Africa and Sub-regional Coordinator for West Africa (2008-2009) and Regional Representative for Africa (2009-2013). Prior to her international career, she worked as an economist for the Cabo Verde Ministry of Planning and Cooperation before becoming Secretary of State for Fisheries, then in 1993 Minister for Fisheries, Agriculture and Rural Affairs – the first-ever woman Minister in her country. After serving as Minister for Tourism, Transportation and Marine Affairs from 1995-1998, she became Member of Parliament, a position she held until 2003.

Honors and awards

November 2019:
• Receives the Crans Montana Forum Prix de la Fondation

December 2018:
• The Government of Brazil bestows the honorific Order of Rio Branco
• The Universidade Aberta in Lisbon confers the Honoris Causa doctorate for her work in global
sustainable development

March 2018:
• Named “Woman of the Year” at the commemoration of the 2018 Women Diplomats Day in
Portugal

May 2008:
• Receives the Order of Niger for her distinguished service to the field of agriculture.

Margarita Astrálaga is the Director of the Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division (ECG) at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). She leads a dynamic team to mainstream environment, climate, gender and social inclusion solutions in IFAD’s operations and policies, while ensuring that the highest social, environmental and climate safeguards are applied. Examples of her leadership are found in her coordination and mobilization of environment and climate finance and the engagement with international trust funds, her participation and dedication to policy making, partnership development and program supervision in Member States.

Astrálaga joined IFAD’s team in Rome in June 2015 from Panama where she was UNEP’s Regional Director for Latin America & the Caribbean. Her career began as a devoted member of the Colombian Environmental Agency which led to over 25 years of experience and wide range responsibilities in several international organizations working toward environmental sustainability from many different perspectives.

Astrálaga is a Colombian biologist, specialising in Environmental Management from the Danish Water Institute, with a master’s in Regional Planning and Development.