International Fertilizer Industry Association appoints new Director General

Doha, Qatar: 24 May 2012 – The Council of the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) approved today the appointment of Ms. Charlotte Hebebrand as its new Director General. Ms. Hebebrand will replace Mr. Luc Maene, IFA’s current Director General, upon his retirement on 31 December 2012. She will be the first woman to hold this position.

William J. Doyle, President of IFA and CEO of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc., presented Ms. Hebebrand to IFA’s members participating in the Association’s 80^th Annual Conference held in Doha, Qatar this week. “Charlotte is eminently qualified to be the next leader of our industry. She has dedicated her career to food production and understands fully the value of fertilizers”, said Bill Doyle. Ms. Hebebrand was selected after a thorough international search process during which over 410 profiles were considered.

Charlotte Hebebrand is the current Chief Executive of the International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council (IPC), a think tank based in Washington, DC working on promoting a more open and equitable global food system and composed of a diverse mix of distinguished international agricultural trade experts. She demonstrated her leadership and international understanding of agri-food chains during her time at IPC. Prior to this role, Ms. Hebebrand held positions at the European Commission and the Brookings Institution.  She holds an M.A in International Relations and Economics from Johns Hopkins University and is a dual German and US citizen. “It is a real pleasure to work for an industry that is doing so much for food security. I am looking forward to meeting all of IFA’s members and working closely with them on the key issue of feeding a growing population and improving the safety, health and environmental impact of the industry’s operations”, commented Ms. Hebebrand upon her appointment. Ms Hebebrand’s background is truly international but she has a particular interest in contributing to Africa’s agricultural development.

Ms Hebebrand will start working at IFA’s office in Paris on September 1, 2012. She will work together with Mr. Maene for four months before assuming the position of Director General on January 1, 2013. Mr. Maene has been Director General of the International Fertilizer Industry Association since 1987, following an FAO assignment of seven years in Asia and the Pacific. During his tenure, IFA’s membership expanded dramatically adapting to changes in global market dynamics and involving new players, in particular in Asia. Commenting on Mr. Maene's tenure with IFA, Mr. Doyle said, "Luc Maene has done an outstanding job leading our global association for the last 25 years. He pushed our growth to the four corners of the world by greatly expanding our membership. His human touch was greatly appreciated by everyone and we are all very grateful to him for his many years of dedicated service to the fertilizer industry."

Mr Maene’s legacy will be celebrated during IFA’s Council meeting that will take place on 28 and 29 November in Rome, Italy. “Charlotte is the best candidate IFA’s leadership could select. Her reputation in the international agricultural and food policy world is outstanding”, he said.

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The International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) is a trade association representing the global fertilizer industry. IFA member companies represent all activities related to the production and distribution of every type of fertilizer, their raw materials and intermediates. IFA’s membership also includes organizations involved in agronomic research and training. IFA has some 540 members in about 86 countries. The global fertilizer industry produces some 170 million tons of fertilizer nutrients annually. These are used in every corner of the globe to support sustainable agricultural production and food security. www.fertilizer.org

Media contacts:
Ms. Morgane Danielou
Director - Information and Communications
International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA)
Switchboard: +33 1 53 93 05 00
mdanielou@fertilizer.org
www.fertilizer.org