Mr. Gupta is a managing director of the Newport Beach office, global portfolio manager, and leader of the global desk at PIMCO. He is an advisory member of the Asia-Pacific portfolio committee and has previously served on the Investment committee, the Emerging Markets Portfolio committee, and the European Portfolio committee. In previous roles at PIMCO, he was based in the London office managing European liability-driven investment (LDI) portfolios, and in the Singapore office on the global portfolio management team, focusing on investments in government bonds, foreign exchange, and interest rate derivatives across global markets. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2003, he was in the fixed income and currency derivatives group at ABN AMRO Bank. He has 25 years of investment experience and holds a master’s in business administration from XLRI, India, and a bachelor’s from the Indian Institute of Technology, Dehli.
Tom is currently the chair of the Ireland Africa Rural Development Committee. Previously, Tom was Ireland’s Special Envoy for Food Systems from 2021-2022. In 2021, he chaired Ireland’s 2030 agri-food strategy committee which produced Food Vision 2030, Ireland’s national agri-food strategy to 2030, and was a member of the Champions Group Network for the Food Systems Summit. He chaired the High-level Expert Group for Food Systems Science for the EU Commission in 2021 and the Task Force Rural Africa in 2019.
In addition to serving on GFN’s Board, Tom is a member of the Global Panel for Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition (GLOPAN), a member on Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition’s Board of Directors, a member of the Malabo Montpellier Panel, a member of the Sight and Life Foundation, and a member of the High-Level Groups on EU Policy Innovation.
His previous roles included serving as Coordinator for Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, the Director-General of the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), Chair of the Irish Constitutional Convention, CEO of Concern Worldwide, Chief Economist and Assistant Secretary General of the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Chair of the OECD Committee of Agriculture, and Administrator of the EU Commission.
Tom holds a degree in agricultural economics from University College Dublin (UCD) and master’s degrees from the Catholic University of Leuven and Trinity College, Dublin. He holds honorary doctorate degrees from the National University of Ireland (NUI) and from UCD.
Carol Bellamy is a nonprofit executive and former politician. Previously, she was Director of the US Peace Corps, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), President and CEO of World Learning, and Chair of the Global Partnership for Education. She recently completed her
term as Chair of the Board of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF). After three terms in the New York State Senate, she was the first woman to be elected to any citywide office in NYC as President of the New York City Council. Bellamy has also worked in the private sector at Morgan Stanley and Cravath, Swaine & Moore.
Dr. Martín Burt is founder and CEO of Fundación Paraguaya, a non-profit organization devoted to the promotion of entrepreneurship and economic self-reliance to eliminate poverty around the world. He has developed Poverty Stoplight, a new poverty measurement tool and coaching methodology that assists families to self-diagnose their level of multidimensional poverty and develop customized plans to eliminate poverty. This new metric is now being implemented in more than 30 countries, including the US and the UK. Dr. Burt is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship at the World Economic Forum and of The Global FoodBanking Network. In public service, he has served as Chief of Staff to the President of Paraguay, was elected Mayor of Asunción, and was appointed Vice Minister of Commerce.
“Through food banking, GFN is driving one of the most promising, community-based solutions to hunger. I am excited to work closely with the GFN Board and staff to fight hunger and food waste more effectively.”
Dr. Shenggen Fan is Chair Professor at the College of Economics and Management at China Agricultural University (CAU). He is a global leader in agricultural economics and food policies and an author of widely cited journal articles, books, and research on public investment, agricultural and rural development, food systems, transition economies, poverty, and food security and nutrition.
Prior to joining CAU, Dr. Fan served as Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) from 2009 to 2019. He serves as a member of the Lead Group for the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement appointed by former UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and served on the One CGIAR (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) Common Board. He also serves as Advisor to many national governments on agriculture, food security and nutrition, and was a member, Vice Chair and Chair of Food and Nutrition Council of the World Economic Forum.
In 2014, Dr. Fan received the Hunger Hero Award from the World Food Program, in recognition of his commitment to and leadership in alleviating hunger worldwide. He received the 2017 Fudan Management Excellence Award, which is referred to in China as the “Nobel Prize for Management.” This highly prestigious award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of management.
Dr. Melissa D. Ho is a global leader in sustainable development and conservation, with extensive experience in driving strategies and partnerships to create healthy, resilient food systems and freshwater ecosystems. Dr. Ho has worked across the public and private sectors as a senior executive, policy advisor, program manager, and scientist. Passionate about people-led solutions, especially those led by local and Indigenous communities, she is committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Most recently, Dr. Ho served as Senior Vice President, Freshwater & Food at WWF-US, leading efforts to address the impacts of agriculture and infrastructure on nature and climate change. She has also held senior roles at USAID, including Technical Division Director and Senior Advisor for the Feed the Future initiative, as well as Managing Director for Africa at MCC. At the Gates Foundation, she was a program officer on the Agriculture Development team where she developed the agricultural water management portfolio. Dr. Ho has also worked in the US Congress, including as Agriculture Policy Advisor for Senator Hillary Clinton.
Currently, Dr. Ho consults for the International Rice Research Institute and serves on various boards and advisory committees. Dr. Ho holds a Ph.D. in plant physiology from Penn State University, an M.Sc. in soil science from UC Davis, and a B.Sc. in Environmental Systems from Cornell University. She lives with her family on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg is an Executive-In-Residence at Schmidt Futures, building an initiative focused on senior and executive Black women leaders globally.
Previously she was Director of AWARD, the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development program which is working towards more gender responsive agricultural research and innovation on the continent.
Dr. Kamau-Rutenberg is a member of the selection committee of the Africa Food Prize, and the Malabo Montpellier Panel, a high-level panel of independent experts that supports African governments and civil society to identify and implement policies that enhance agriculture, food and nutrition security across the continent.
Born in Kenya, Dr. Kamau-Rutenberg holds a PhD and a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota, USA. She has held research and teaching roles at various universities, focusing on African politics, gender, international relations, ethnicity, and democratization, and the role of technology in social activism.
Dr. Kamau-Rutenberg has received widespread recognition for her work including being honored as a White House Champion of Change by the Obama Administration, named one of the 100 Most Influential Africans, 100 Most Reputable Africans, recognized as a Ford Foundation Champion of Democracy, awarded the United Nations Intercultural Innovation Award, named one of Kenya’s Top 40 Women Under Age 40 and a 2018 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellow among others.
Gonzalo Muñoz is a social entrepreneur who has advanced environmental innovation, sustainable waste management, and corporate social responsibility in Chile. He was appointed by Chilean President Sebastian Piñera as the UN High-Level Climate Champion for the 25th UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) to mobilize climate action in nonstate actors around the world. After witnessing the waste generated by the private sector in his 10 years of running traditional food businesses, he founded TriCiclos, a company that offers circular economy solutions in 13 Latin American countries. Sr. Muñoz is a board member of B Lab, a nonprofit that certifies businesses for social and environmental impact and transparency, and co-founded Sistema B, which promotes this certification and works to create an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economic system in Latin America.
Kumiko Watanabe is a Partner in Grant Thornton’s Global Client Services and member of Grant Thornton International’s Global Country Desk Steering Committee. As the national leader of Grant Thornton’s Japan Business Group, she provides audit, tax, and advisory services to Japanese companies doing business in North America. Ms. Watanabe serves as Executive Vice President of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Chicago and sits on the Board of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of NY and Japan America Society of Chicago.
Julie has served as president and CEO of the Food Bank since 2014. She joined Northern Illinois Food Bank in 2009 and previously served as vice president of philanthropy overseeing fundraising, food sourcing, marketing and volunteers. Under Julie’s leadership the Food Bank successfully completed Strategic Plan 2020, providing equity to access to charitable food in 98% of the communities served by Food Bank member agencies and programs. In 2020, the Food Bank lunched Strategic Plan UNITE to transform the charitable food system in order to reach 90% of neighbors experiencing food insecurity through a more dignified, equitable and convenient experience. A goal that was achieved two years early in 2023.
Julie has more than 25 years of experience in the non-profit sector. Prior to joining the Food Bank, Julie worked for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Children’s Memorial Foundation (now Lurie’s Children’s Medical Center) and the Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo.
Julie serves on the Boards of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago, Feeding Illinois, Thrivent Member Network Regional Board and Global FoodBanking Network. She is a past member of the Illinois Commission to End Hunger.
Julie has a degree in music and business from Northern Illinois University. She and her family live in Winfield.
