The Foundation's team

Viv Anthony runs our Demand-Led Breeding program. She has a special interest in innovation, entrepreneurship, and plant breeding. Viv was Head of Crop Enhancement Research at Zeneca, and Global Head of Crop Protection Product Development & Regulatory Affairs for Seeds and Biotechnology at Syngenta. She spent her early research years in fungicide invention and is a named inventor on over 25 patents. She has a Ph.D. in plant pathology and crop improvement from the University of Wales, and a Master’s in Business Management from Boston University. Viv is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Western Australia's Institute of Agriculture.

Robert Berlin has many years of experience in sustainable agriculture and market development. Before joining the Foundation, he was a senior program officer in the Income and Food Security Team at the non-governmental organization Intercooperation in Bern, Switzerland. He supported and advised partners on market development issues in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia, and fostered links between the private sector and development organizations. Previously, he worked in Peru and Kosovo (Intercooperation), and in Nicaragua (FAO), developing innovative approaches and helping smallholders capitalize on experience in rural market development. Robert holds a degree in agronomy and a Master's degree in international agriculture from Bern University of Applied Science.

Mail SFSA a question, and it’ll probably pass this way! Between a decade each in pharmaceuticals and agribusiness, paul.castle@syngenta.com freelanced as a journalist and translator. 30 years after graduating from Oxford, he completed a Certificate in African Studies at Basel University. Paul focused on radio extension for smallholders in minority languages, a topic he then pursued for the Foundation. He's also written about rural-urban migration and corporate foundations, as well as other topics on our Publications page. Paul is additionally our contact for Swiss "Zivildienst" and as of 2021, a certified ensa Mental Health First Aider. He is the Board Vice-President of the Basel Children's Cancer Foundation and volunteers at a local food bank. (Yes, Switzerland needs those, too!). Now a naturalized Swiss, Paul provided rowing commentary at five Olympic Games. You'll find his blog from a 2018 stay in East Africa on our Kenya page.

Prior to joining SFSA, Rebecca worked at Clyde & Co LLP, a leading global law firm, having trained at Bircham Dyson Bell LLP. She has extensive experience in prominent, multi-jurisdictional finance and corporate transactions, advising banks and other financial institutions, multinationals, high-net-worth individuals, government bodies, and charities. Rebecca has a strong commitment to pro bono and fundraising initiatives. She worked on a pro bono basis at a community legal advice clinic in London, which supported disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Rebecca grew up in the Sultanate of Oman and graduated from the University of Nottingham, UK.

Victoria joined the team in March 2014, after completing her Master's in global management, specializing in marketing. She is now Head of Partnerships. In this role, Victoria ensures the smooth running of key Seeds2B programs and pursues external partnership and fundraising opportunities. Her Master's dissertation on the value chain for tef sparked her interest in the needs of smallholders as primary producers. Victoria enjoys traveling, hiking and skiing. She has dual Swiss and British citizenship.

Natalia is a Certified Public Accountant with extensive experience in Finance. Before joining our Foundation in 2015, she worked in a range of managerial roles at Syngenta. Prior to that, she was with KPMG in her native Italy and the USA, where she worked as a public accounting manager. Natalia is now the Foundation’s Chief Financial Officer.

Mike Robinson worked for many years in R&D for industrial biosciences and, more recently, on biofuels technologies, renewable energy, and carbon accounting in agriculture. Previously, he worked as a Senior Technology Analyst for the Syngenta Corporate Strategy & Technology group. He has been involved in the establishment and project management of several global collaborative research programs with academic and commercial organizations. Mike holds a Ph.D. and graduated from Nottingham and Leeds Universities and Rothamsted Experimental Station in the UK.

Olga Speckhardt has many years of experience in international reinsurance and insurance. She holds a degree in Law and has a solid background in underwriting. Before joining the Foundation in 2012, she managed the reinsurance liability portfolio at Transatlantic Re, having previously led Swiss industry liability at HDI. Olga is now responsible for developing our relationships with international reinsurance and insurance partners. These form crucial factors for the success and sustainability of our microinsurance program. Olga additionally has a seat on the Board of ACRE. In September 2014, she also became Chairwoman of the Swiss Capacity Building Facility (SCBF). You can read the SCBF 2017 annual report here, with a message from the chair. 

Yuan Zhou leads the Foundation’s policy research and advocacy platform and oversees the China Program. She advises SFSA, our partners and governments on policy development related to agricultural subsidies, regional agricultural economic integration, seed policy and regulation, food safety standards and traceability, agricultural mechanization, agricultural insurance, technology innovation, and sustainability issues. Yuan led SFSA’s entry to China in 2018, including registering and setting up the China representative office, recruiting the local team, and launching smallholder programs. She is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the China Program and defining a long-term strategy and framework for agricultural development. Previously, Yuan worked as an economist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG). Yuan holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Economics from Hamburg University and an MBA from IMD in Lausanne. She has published books and many journal articles on a wide range of topics related to food, agriculture and the environment. A number of her publications are available here.

Tony joined the Syngenta Foundation in 2020 from Bayer / Monsanto in Kenya. He had most recently been their Commercial Operations Lead for Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on product access for smallholders. He had previously led international business development at Frigoken, East Africa’s largest vegetable processor and exporter, working with thousands of smallholders. During 14 years in the USA, Tony held a variety of leadership roles at Fortune 500 organizations. He holds a degree in International Business from USIU-Africa in Nairobi and an MBA in Global Business from The Lake Forest Graduate School of Business in Chicago. Tony has dual Kenyan and American citizenship.

With a background in agronomy and a master's in Agricultural Policy, he has over 15 years of experience in agricultural projects and management, including time with international aid organizations and as a Scientific Officer at ICRISAT. He joined the Foundation in 2016 and has since held roles as Local Coordinator and Agriservices Program Manager. Currently, he's also working on a PhD focusing on the role of agricultural entrepreneurship in rural Mali's development. 

Isaiah Gabriel is a Nigerian national, and a successful professional with proven track records in the areas of increasing crop productivity, smallholder farmers training, and participatory evaluation of innovative technologies, among other deliverables. Isaiah has many years of strategic, forward-thinking, and out-of-the-box initiatives capable of delivering profitability and achieving organizational growth.  Before joining the Syngenta Foundation, Isaiah who has solid agricultural experience and savvy administrative acumen was the Assistant/General Farm Manager with Rayuwa Farms Limited, Senior Agronomist/Field Coordinator with the Syngenta/MADE project, an agronomist with Alluvia Farm, Demand Promoter with Syngenta Nigeria Limited and a member of the pioneer team that set-up Syngenta Seeds production in Kano state, Nigeria. He started his career as a volunteer graduate researcher on the UAM/IITA cowpea and soybean implementation project. Isaiah holds a degree in agronomist (Crop/Soil), a Master’s in Plant Breeding & Genetics and currently researching for a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding & Genetics with a topic: Stacking Resistance Genes for Effective control of Striga gesnerioides in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) in Northern Nigeria at University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State.

Presently, he is the Country Manager of Syngenta Foundation, Nigeria with its national and operational offices in Abuja and Kano respectively.

Rajendra was CEO of the Agri-Entrepreneur (AE) Growth Foundation since its inception in 2019, as well as Senior Advisor to Syngenta Foundation India (SFI). He was instrumental in setting up our SFI office and the AE training facility in Pune. From 2018-to 2022, Rajendra was also CEO of the Indo-Swiss Centre of Excellence there.  He previously worked for more than three decades at Syngenta and its legacy companies. His leadership positions there included Head of Engineering & Projects APAC, Head of Supply Chain South Asia, and Head of Toll Manufacturing Asia-Pacific. From 1995-to 97, Rajendra worked at a German manufacturing facility near the company headquarters in Switzerland. He holds an Engineering degree in Instrumentation & Control Systems and is an alumnus of the two-year Supply Chain Management course at Warwick University, UK. As country Director (Syngenta Foundation India), Rajendra is now responsible for leading the Foundation team to scale up of Agri Entrepreneur program across various states to help millions of smallholder farmers significantly increase their income while creating sustainable livelihoods for tens of thousands of unemployed rural youth.

Lucy joined us in January 2022. She has more than 15 years experience of developing agricultural market systems at NGOs and in the private sector across East and Southern Africa. Lucy’s work has covered, for example, value chain upgrading, commodity trading, social and environmental sustainability, digital technologies, and climate-smart agriculture. Before coming to the Foundation, she was Deputy Director of Gatsby Africa’s Kenya Commercial Forestry Program. Lucy has also worked for Mercy Corps, Kenya Cooperative Coffee Exporters Group, TechnoServe, and Farm Africa. She holds a BSc in Agriculture from the University of Nairobi, a BA and MA in Development Studies from the University of South Africa, and a Diploma from the Kenya Institute of Management. Lucy is passionate about people and is driven by making a difference in smallholders’ lives. In her free time, she likes to read, cook and watch documentaries. Read Lucy's April 2022 interview. 

Herve joined the Foundation in November 2017 and is currently Seed Development Head in Asia and Mekong region Director. His main objective is to drive innovation in challenging environments and establish public-private partnerships to accelerate poor-resource smallholders’ access to improved quality seeds. Herve worked all his career for the private Seed sector, ensuring cross-functional coordination among Research and Development, Production and Supply, and Commercial teams mostly at the international level in Europe, North America, and Asia, respectively for Limagrain, Dekalb, and Syngenta. Herve grew up on an arable farm in the wheat belt in Champagne / France and holds an Engineering degree in Agronomy from AgroSup Dijon and an MBA from the Business School EM Lyon, France.

Teddy Tambu joined the Syngenta Foundation in 2014, having most recently worked extensively on corn, rice, and vegetable seeds. As well as agronomy, he has considerable experience in analysis & strategy, marketing & sales, retail, distribution, operations, and business development. As of 2020, Teddy heads the Indonesian organization YASI. In his spare time, Teddy runs a "Reading Hut" to help children in a remote area of West Java enjoy books - which would otherwise be a luxury.

Yan (Tony Tong) has held a wide range of commercial, operational, and strategic roles in the agricultural sector. He is the country director of our China Program. Most recently, he ran Zespri’s Chinese kiwi supply chain. Earlier positions include developing the seed treatment business for Bayer in China and for FMC across Asia. At Limagrain China, Yan led corn seed business development. Early in his private sector career, Yan also worked for Novartis and Syngenta Seeds. He holds a Horticultural Sciences degree from Beijing Agriculture College

Farhad Zamil joined the Syngenta Foundation in 2011. Before joining the foundation, he managed the private sector potato development program in Bangladesh for a US-based non-profit organization Action for Enterprise. Farhad has over 20 years of working experience with leading International development organizations like BRAC, CARE, iDE, AFE, and UN agencies like FAO and UNDP in various capacities of program development, implementation management, partnerships, and technical backstopping. He works in a wider landscape of agriculture, food and nutrition systems, agribusiness promotion, and private-sector engagement. Farhad holds a Master’s in Horticulture from the Bangladesh Agricultural University, a Master’s in Business Administration from the Southeast University, and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations from the University of Dhaka. He was conferred Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration by Commonwealth University in 2020 and was also awarded Food 2.0 - Outstanding Leadership Award in 2022 for his significant contribution to sustainable development and poverty reduction in developing countries like Bangladesh. Farhad likes promoting new ideas and concepts, fostering creativity and innovation to change the livelihoods of farmers, and agricultural transformation in developing countries.

Laura Ciliberto joined the Foundation as an Administrative Assistant in 2009. She previously worked for six years at Sandoz Agro Ltd. and then moved to Novartis International. Laura was responsible for the Novartis Foundation (formerly Ciba-Geigy-Jubilee-Foundation) for 12 years.

Alva has more than 10 years of experience in international organizations engaging public and private sector stakeholders for agricultural transformation, food security, and poverty reduction. Before joining the Foundation in October 2021, Alva worked as Agriculture Policy Advisor at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) at a program that delivers policy assistance & advice to governments in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Previously, she worked as Agricultural Economist at the World Bank where she helped develop a global index on agriculture and agribusiness regulations and provided agricultural reform advice in over 60 countries globally. Alva holds an M.A. degree in European studies from the University of Siena, Italy, with a specialization in EU-SADC trade, and a B.A. in economics and political science from the University of Erfurt, Germany. Switzerland is the 9th country she has lived in. 

Anna joined us in 2020. She had previously worked at Syngenta for 13 years, mainly supporting business units, for example in Africa and the Middle East (AME). Most recently, she focused on in-licensing with suppliers and on collaboration with Adama in the EAME region. At the Foundation, Anna provides financial support to program and country teams, oversees key processes and controls, and helps implement new processes and systems. Anna grew up in Ukraine and graduated from Germany’s Ruhr University Bochum. In her free time, she enjoys playing the mandolin and traveling.

Rachel is managing standard templates and contract reviews, with primary support for our West Africa and Seeds 2B programmes.

Jean-Pierre first worked for our Foundation as a Social Service Volunteer. In 2019, he joined our Agricultural Insurance Solutions team, providing coordination and administrative support. Jean-Pierre graduated from Lucerne University, Switzerland, with a diploma in Business Administration, majoring in Public & Non-profit Management. He also holds an Expert in Microinsurance certificate from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. Jean-Pierre previously worked in the finance sector and for a local refugee aid organization. In his leisure time, he enjoys football and volunteering for the Red Cross.

Marnie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Lausanne University and a Master’s in Sustainable Development from Utrecht University. Before joining SFSA in 2017, she helped monitor and report on the Syngenta Good Growth Plan. Marnie focuses on scaling up smallholder outreach and the impact of Agriservices programs in Africa while unleashing youth potential for rural employment and entrepreneurship in the continent. She also volunteers at various youth organizations, empowering young people to develop socio-environmental projects. In August 2018, Marnie has been elected as the new YPARD Switzerland co-representative. The Young Professionals for Young Professionals for Agricultural Development is an international movement and discussion platform which enable Young Professionals all over the world to realize their full potential and contribute towards innovative agricultural development.

Mario joined the Foundation in 2020. He had worked the last 6 years at the Syngenta Africa and Middle East Territory as a Business Development and Digital Strategy Lead. He has also held a variety of IT roles at Syngenta and its predecessor companies. Mario holds an Information Science degree at Freiburg Business School in Germany.” He is an expert in remote sensing and digital agronomy solutions and a strong believer that these technologies will have the potential to improve smallholders' lives. His passion for digital goes beyond work. At home, a fully digitally automated house and the garden are constantly being optimized with lots of new ideas. Mario enjoys photography, snowboarding, and scuba diving

Sunil joined our Seeds2B team in early 2019. He works with public and private partners and runs technical assistance to the Seeds for Impact program. Sunil previously led EAME vegetable seed production at Syngenta. He is passionate about agriculture in Africa, where his experience includes five years managing a company farm in Ethiopia. His tasks across the region included integrating assets, starting seeds production, and ensuring operational excellence. Sunil believes deeply in the importance of new technology for sustainable agriculture. He graduated as an engineer from Bangalore University, India. He enjoys time with his family, reading, listening to music, hiking, and traveling.

Miriam holds a Master’s degree in Business & Economics from Basel University and a Bachelor's in Business Administration from the nearby FNHW. After several years in the finance sector, she moved to agriculture at Syngenta, from where she joined the Foundation in 2018. She is leading the active management of our global SFSA portfolio, manages the Portfolio Definition Cycle, and creates insights to support decision-making in alignment with the new strategy. Besides that, she supports and coaches colleagues in using the portfolio data to enable insights through different lenses to support external engagement.

Nathalie moved to the Foundation in 2018. In her newly created role, she is developing a portfolio management process and matching digital tool for Seeds2B. She is very keen on challenging the organization to adopt Agile principles! Nathalie also coordinates the BMGF AVISA project in Tanzania and Nigeria. Nathalie previously managed projects in seeds production research at Syngenta, including a digital tool for climatic growing areas. Before moving to Switzerland, Nathalie spent 15 years in the USA, where she studied and then worked at Monsanto. Nathalie graduated from the Superior National Agronomy School in Toulouse, France, and holds a PhD in plant breeding from North Dakota State University, USA.  In her free time, she enjoys learning, trekking, running, biking, skiing and yoga.

Camille joined the Foundation in January 2012 as a seed specialist in West Africa. Before that, he had worked for Syngenta in France on the production and processing of cereal seed, primarily for hybrid barley. Since 2018, Camille expanded his role to be Seeds2B Africa's Technical Lead. He develops and oversees the seeds strategy for Sub-saharan Africa and coordinates the implementation of Pan-African seeds projects aiming to improve farmers’ availability and accessibility to performing varieties. Camille graduated in Agricultural Engineering from Angers, France, with majors in plant breeding and seeds production