Fairtrade International Seeking New Global CEO

Photo: Nathalie Bertrams/Fairtrade International 

Leading agricultural certifying agency Fairtrade International has begun the search for a new global CEO following the recent departure of former CEO Harriet Lamb to the London-based peace-building organization International Alert. Lamb had been the organization’s CEO since September 2012.

According to Fairtrade International’s job description, the new CEO will establish and lead a new “Global Leadership Team” from the central office in Bonn, Germany, while working closely with the chief executives of producer networks and national Fairtrade organizations.

“The CEO will work to grow Fairtrade’s influence within the realm of sustainable development and trade, providing vision and thought leadership,” the description reads. “In partnership with Fairtrade members, producers, companies, civil society, policy makers and donors, the CEO will drive high standards of quality across all areas of Fairtrade’s work, leading to increased impact on poverty reduction and fairer trading conditions.”

To put Fairtrade’s emphasis on coffee into perspective, nearly half of all Fairtrade producers are coffee growers, with approximately 812,500 smallholder farmers organized in some 445 producer organizations, according to the 2015 Fairtrade Monitoring and Impact Report.

The complete job description is available here, and Fairtrade International is accepting applications until August 16, 2016, with a projected start date of January 1, 2017.

“We’re looking for an exceptional person who combines leadership, strategic vision, experience and a great sense of humour,” Fairtrade International COO Greg Brown said in an announcement of the search. “This is a great opportunity to lead a globally-recognised organisation and help it deliver real impact for millions of farmers and workers world-wide.[sic]”