The UK-CGIAR Centre is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Maya Rajasekharan to the organisation’s board. She will replace Juan Lucas Restrepo as a board representative for CGIAR. Juan Lucas Restrepo played an important role in establishing the strategic direction of the UK-CGIAR Centre, and he will be stepping down due to his commitments with CGIAR. Dr Rajasekharan is Managing Director, Africa at the Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT, and served strategic leadership roles in CGIAR, including the co-steward for the development of the One CGIAR 2030 Research and Innovation strategy and Senior Director for Integrated Systems and Scaling.
Dr Rajasekharan’s has over 20 years of experience living and working internationally means she brings to board a global perspective of food systems and expertise stewarding partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders. She has held roles at International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Asoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE).