Charting a Path for Success: Ravi Prasad Assumes Role of Executive Director of IFOAM - Organics International
It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Ravi R. Prasad as the new Executive Director (ED) of IFOAM - Organics International. He begins his role on 19 January 2024 and will be based at our headquarters in Bonn, Germany.
Ravi has an impressive career spanning decades, along with a successful track record and extensive experience in global policy, advocacy, communications, fundraising, and strategic planning. Furthermore, he has worked in various international organisations, including Oxfam, the International Press Institute, UNICEF, ActionAid International, and Transparency International, in different countries around the world.
I am thrilled to join IFOAM - Organics International and engage closely with the organic community in this new role. With the immense knowledge and expertise available within the network, I believe together we will be able to chart a new path to progress, exceed expectations, and strengthen our global organic movement to achieve sustainable growth. I am looking forward to the experience.
Executive Director, IFOAM - Organics International
Ravi will be succeeding Marco Schlüter, who served as the Interim ED on a part-time basis since August 2022. During his term, Marco successfully led the strategy process, established new partnerships and efficiently led the team to complete various projects. His impactful leadership has set a foundation, with more achievements to be disclosed in the coming weeks, providing a strong transition for Ravi to build upon.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Marco for his time, expertise, and leadership during his tenure. Special thanks also to Naturland for allowing Marco to continue his work as the Head of Strategy and International Affairs there while leading our team at IFOAM - Organics International.
Karen Mapusua, President, IFOAM - Organics International, expressed her appreciation for Marco’s efforts during the past months, stating, “Marco stepped in at a difficult time and guided the organisation to its current state of readiness for growth. Through his leadership, IFOAM - Organics International has expanded its reach and strengthened its structure and network. We are delighted and excited to welcome Ravi to the team and the organic community. We look forward to collaborating with him and are optimistic about the opportunities we have to advance the organic movement and strengthen the sector together. Ravi is the right person at the right time.”
With Ravi’s experience in leading various teams and regional bodies, driving policy and advocacy efforts, managing campaigns, and building partnerships with stakeholders such as policymakers, media, UN agencies, the IMF, and the World Bank, we believe that he will be able to successfully lead the team, foster collaboration across sectors and regions, and strengthen partnerships.
One of Ravi’s main objectives will be championing IFOAM - Organics International’s new strategy to upscale and further develop organic farming and food systems policies worldwide. The strategy, developed with the support of several experts in the organic sector, was recently approved by the World Board to unite members and allies, build new partnerships, set a global agenda, and empower the organic movement to drive change around the world.
IFOAM - Organics International has found a new leader in Ravi. We thank Marco Schlüter, who will be returning to continue his role as one of IFOAM’s World Board Members.
I am glad that I could help IFOAM at a difficult time and I would like to thank the exceptional team who resiliently faced several challenges, the World Board who supported whenever necessary and the regional bodies and donors who contributed with flexibility and finding new funding opportunities. I wish our new ED, Ravi, all the success to build IFOAM to new strength.
Stay tuned for new developments on the 2024 Organic World Congress and the General Assembly.
Download this press release here!
