Coffie will oversee all programmatic and operational activities in Ghana, playing a crucial role in advancing WCF's mission to promote cocoa sustainability.
The newly formed WCF Senior Leadership Team includes:
- WCF’s Vice President of Operations, Dougal Freeman, is leading the organisation’s finance, strategy and operations with an integral role in WCF's broader growth and performance delivery.
- Vice President, Programmes, Peter Koegler. Playing a significant role in the organisation as the spearhead for WCF's work to facilitate transformative change in the cocoa sector. Koegler designs and leads the strategies for WCF’s programmes and critical impact initiatives, reporting directly to the WCF President.
- Mariette Verbruggen is Vice President of Corporate Affairs. She oversees WCF’s global communications and corporate affairs strategy and stakeholder engagement, articulates a vision for sustainability in the cocoa sector, and drives the strategy priorities of the WCF.
- The recent addition of Finance Director, Bert Kramer who leads a team of four across WCF offices worldwide, further strengthens the organisation's financial stewardship.
Global network
A significant milestone in the new strategy adopted in October 2022 was the decision to extend WCF's presence beyond Washington and to establish a global network of WCF hubs strategically positioned in crucial cocoa sector locations.
All three new senior leaders will be based in Europe. President of WCF, Chris Vincent, said: "As we navigate the path toward a sustainable cocoa future, the strategic decision has been to extend the World Cocoa Foundation's presence beyond Washington.
"Through recruiting the senior leadership team in Europe, we are closer to the sustainability teams of our large members and the major cocoa markets, aiming to forge stronger partnerships and interventions, catalysing impactful initiatives that support sustainable cocoa farming practices worldwide."
- The World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting takes place in Amsterdam from 6 to 7 February 2024. Confectionery News is the official media partner of the event. Full agenda here.
