In August, CGIAR announced the appointment of its inaugural CGIAR Executive Management Team (EMT), comprising three Managing Directors who are collectively charged with stewarding the creation of “One CGIAR” – a CGIAR that is a more unified and impactful partner for our funders, national research systems, the agricultural community, and global and regional agencies.
- Claudia Sadoff as Executive Management Team Convener and Managing Director, Research Delivery and Impact
- Elwyn Grainger-Jones as Managing Director, Institutional Strategy and Systems
- Kundhavi Kadiresan as Managing Director, Global Engagement and Innovation
The three appointees collectively bring demonstrated experience in transforming the way that institutions think, work and partner. This announcement is another key implementation step of the unanimous decision taken by CGIAR’s System Council in November 2019 to endorse a bold set of recommendations to create One CGIAR. These recommendations, developed by CGIAR together with its funders and partners, outline the key elements of a unified One CGIAR:
- A sharper mission statement and impact focus to 2030, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
- Unified governance under a “CGIAR System Board”;
- Institutional integration, including more aligned management under an empowered Executive Management Team, common policies and services, and a unified country and regional presence;
- A new research modality; and
- More, and pooled, funding.
“This moment is a powerful opportunity to bring positive change to the way CGIAR operates,” said Marco Ferroni, Chair of the System Management Board. “I am confident that these three proven change managers will be excellent stewards for this transformation—they bring a balance of perspectives from inside and outside CGIAR that will be crucial to empowering our staff to collectively reach for new levels of impact.”
Dr. Namanga Ngongi, Chair of the System Management Board’s EMT Search Committee, immediate past Board Chair of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – a CGIAR Research Center, and the first President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, added “This team is well positioned to chart a new course for CGIAR. Their extensive leadership experience, complementary skills, and access to scientific expertise and resources will ensure CGIAR can deliver on its mission of ending hunger by 2030.”
Claudia Sadoff, who will serve as the Executive Management Team Convener, noted the opportunity for CGIAR to come together in a new way: “One CGIAR will be much more than the sum of its parts. We look forward to reaching out across CGIAR with a systems lens, listening to and working with the Director Generals and scientists of every Center to bring CGIAR’s incredible expertise, partnerships and resources together to deliver innovation on the ground and impact at a systems level.”
Appointed for an initial term of two years to drive transformational change at pace, the inaugural EMT will report collectively to the System Management Board. A key element of its role will be to identify how to best leverage CGIAR’s nearly 10,000-strong staff and its diversity of talent and brands to deliver as One CGIAR.
