FairWild is joined by a new CEO!

March 2022 – The FairWild Foundation is excited to announce the appointment of our first CEO, Deborah Vorhies. Deborah will be working with the existing Secretariat staff and FairWild Board members to lead the Foundation into the next phase of growth.

“Last year we decided as a Board that the time was right to bring in fresh skills and experience to the FairWild team, to lead the Foundation forward towards our ambitious growth and development targets. We are thrilled to have found Deborah to fill this role. She brings such diverse experience and skills that we are excited to see how the Foundation builds on our core engagement from passionate supporters and companies and expands to wider industry over the next few years”, said Franziska Staubli, Chair of the FairWild Foundation Board of trustees.

Deborah brings her long and extensive experience to FairWild, in international biodiversity, trade and investment policy, including with the United Nations, the World Bank, and in the non-profit sector. Most recently, she has served as Interim COO of AWEI, the African Wildlife Economy Institute, based at Stellenbosch University.

Deborah said “I’m delighted to be joining FairWild at this exciting time in its development and to support its efforts to align conservation, development and commerce through enabling sustainable trade. Our focus on wild-harvested plants connects responsible consumption and production to landscape management and community well-being”.

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