Chicago, IL (August 6, 2020) – The Global FoodBanking Network is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Shenggen Fan to its Board of Directors.
“We are thrilled to add Dr. Fan’s perspectives and talents to the GFN Board,” said GFN Board Chair Jason Ramey. “Dr. Fan brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our Board and will be a strong ambassador for GFN as we seek to urgently scale food banking systems across the globe in our COVID-19 environment.”
Dr. Shenggen Fan is currently Chair Professor at the College of Economics and Management at China Agricultural University (CAU). He is known not only as an author of widely cited journal articles and books, but also as a global leader in agricultural economics and food policies. His research covers a wide range of issues, such as 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. Dr. Fan joined IFPRI in 1995 as a research fellow. He led IFPRI’s program on public investment before becoming the director of the Institute’s Development Strategy and Governance Division in 2005.
He was a member, vice chair and chair of food and nutrition council of the World Economic Forum. 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 has recently been selected to serve 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.
In 2014, Dr. Fan received the Hunger Hero Award from the World Food Programme in recognition of his commitment to and leadership in fighting hunger worldwide and received the 2017 Fudan Management Excellence Award. The award 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. Fan is an innovative and dedicated hunger fighter who has spent his entire career addressing food security and food loss and waste. His extensive research has achieved meaningful results for the global development community,” said Lisa Moon, GFN President and CEO. “We look forward to Dr. Fan being an integral director on our Board.”
“I am delighted to join The Global FoodBanking Network’s Board of Directors,” said Dr. Fan. “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.”
The appointment of Dr. Fan brings the total number of GFN’s Board of Directors to 16.
Dr. Fan will be a featured speaker at GFN’s virtual Food Bank Leadership Institute on Thursday, August 13 at 8:30 a.m. CDT (GMT-5). To learn more and register for this session, please visit fbli.foodbanking.org.
About The Global FoodBanking Network:
The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) is an international non-profit organization that nourishes the world’s hungry through uniting and advancing food banks in 44 countries. GFN focuses on combating hunger and preventing food waste by providing expertise, directing resources, sharing knowledge and developing connections that increase efficiency, ensure food safety and reach more people facing hunger. Last year, 949 GFN member food banks rescued nearly 900 million kilograms of food and grocery product and redirected it to feed 16.9 million people through a network of more than 56,000 social service and community-based organizations. For more information, please visit www.foodbanking.org.
Media Contact:
Katie Lutz
Manager, Communications
The Global FoodBanking Network
+1.312.620.9666
