Board of trustees

Dr. Tareq Alzabet brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to ICARDA with his Ph.D. in Water Resources Management from Germany and over 30 years of international experience. His distinguished career includes leadership roles as Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environment in Canada. In these roles, Dr Alzabet was instrumental in shaping environmental policies and strategies, overseeing and driving significant advancements in environmental research, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development.

Dr. Alzabet's extensive international experience spans countries such as Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar. He has collaborated with numerous international development agencies, including UNDP, UNEP, USAID, CIDA, UNESCO, the European Commission, IDRC, and GIZ. His expertise in board governance is further evidenced by his roles on multiple boards, chairing and member of the enterprise risk management (ERM), finance, environmental and social governance (ESG), human resources, and environmental stewardship, combined with his commitment to impartiality, integrity, and sustainability,

Mouwafak Jbour  joined the ICARDA board in the spring of 2018. He has served as deputy director general of the General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research within the Syrian Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform since 2015.

Between 2006 and 2012, he led the Syrian government’s institutional development of organic agriculture. He has published widely on topics of organic agriculture systems, emerging farming systems, and potato physiology and varieties. He serves as a member of the board of directors of the Higher Commission for Scientific Research in Syria.

He received his Ph.D. in agronomy in Warsaw, Poland.

Aly Abousabaa became ICARDA’s director general in October 2016. He brings 33 years of strategic leadership in sustainable development, operational and policy-based lending, and project management, spanning 35 countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

As vice president of the African Development Bank, Abousabaa led the preparation and execution of the Bank’s key strategies. He was also in charge of resource mobilization and management of a US$ 11 billion portfolio in the areas of agriculture, water, natural resources management, climate change, infrastructure, women and youth, and governance, making transformational impact on the lives of millions of people in Africa.

He has an established global network of international partners on development, including the World Bank, the United Nations, European Union, African Union, bilateral agencies, such as GIZ, DFID, and NORAD, and non-governmental organizations.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Alexandria University, Egypt, and a master’s in civil engineering from Montana State University in the United States. 

Prof. Charles Spillane is an Established Professor of Plant Science and leads the Agriculture, Food Systems, and Bioeconomy Research Centre at the University of Galway, Ireland. With a career spanning agricultural research for sustainable development and poverty reduction, he has worked with leading organizations, including CGIAR and FAO, contributing to the 2001 International Treaty on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

From 2016 to 2024, he directed the Ryan Institute for Sustainability, expanding it to over 100 research groups and €12 million in annual funding. He founded the MSc in Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (MScCCAFS), training over 200 graduates in tackling global challenges.

With over 230 publications and extensive experience in research leadership, Prof. Spillane is a passionate advocate for interdisciplinary agricultural innovation to achieve sustainable development goals.

H.E. Ambassador Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, an Angolan agronomist, is the African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment. With over 20 years of experience, she has held prominent roles, including Secretary-General of the Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO), where she championed small-scale coffee farmers and established Regional Centres of Excellence across Africa.

Ambassador Sacko has served as a Special Adviser on climate change, food security, and poverty reduction in Angola and was a key negotiator at COP21 and COP22. Her international engagements span the WTO, AU, FAO, AfDB, and UNECA, among others.

Recognized globally, she has received numerous accolades, including being named one of the 100 Most Influential Africans and receiving the Lusophony Prize 2024 for her contributions to sustainable development and climate resilience. Fluent in five languages, she advocates for African farmers and sustainable practices.

An experienced consultant with over 15 years of diverse professional experience in ethics, integrity, fraud risk management, investigations, training, auditing, risk advisory and compliance monitoring in various industries. These include humanitarian and development, financial services, manufacturing, telecom, transport – airlines, oil and gas, hotel, agribusiness, and public sector. Global expertise from working in Africa, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe and the United Kingdom.

Emmanuel Sackey, a Ghanaian expert in food science and intellectual property, holds an M.Phil. in Food Science and Technology specializing in Product Development and Food Biotechnology, along with multiple degrees and certifications in chemistry, education, French studies, and project management. A recipient of the prestigious WIPO Fellowship, he pursued advanced biotechnology and intellectual property studies in Sweden in 2000.

Sackey has significantly contributed to Ghana's National Agricultural Research Programme, post-harvest agro-processing, and integrated technologies. He played a key role in developing ARIPO protocols on traditional knowledge and plant variety protection and served as an African Facilitator at WIPO negotiations.

With over 48 articles and four books published, he is a global advocate for IP policy, innovation, and economic growth. He lectures at three African universities, serves on the AfricaRice Centre board, and chairs the Intellectual Property Network Ghana.

With over 30 years of leadership and management experience in technology, knowledge management, and communication within the development sector, Enrica has provided strategic guidance to several international organizations. A proven innovator and creative thinker, she currently serves as the Head of the Information Technology Department at CERN, one of the world’s foremost centres for scientific research and innovation, home to the world's largest particle physics laboratory. Previously, Enrica was Chief Information Officer and Director of the Technology Division at the World Food Programme (WFP), where she oversaw the organization’s digital technology strategy and systems across its global operations. Concurrently, she chaired the UN Emergency Telecommunications Cluster. Enrica also spent 15 years at the CGIAR Consortium, holding various leadership roles, including Director of Shared Services, Acting Director of Communications, and Chief Information Officer. Enrica is a Fellow at Stanford University's Reuters Digital Vision Fellowship Programme and holds two Master's degrees in Social Sciences and Finance.