The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) Partnership Meeting has announced the completion of its new senior leadership team and the commencement of an ambitious global expansion strategy. The WCF, an international organization dedicated to fostering sustainable cocoa farming, has selected an experienced team to drive its vision forward.

The newly formed WCF Senior Leadership Team includes:

  • WCF’s Vice President of Operations Dougal Freeman, who is leading the organization’s finance, strategy, and operations with an integral role in the broader growth and performance delivery of WCF.
  • Vice President, Programmes Peter Koegler. Playing a major role in the organization as the spearhead for the work WCF does to facilitate transformative change in the cocoa sector,
  • Koegler designs and leads the strategies for both WCF’s programs and critical impact initiatives, reporting directly to the WCF President.
  • Mariette Verbruggen is vice president of corporate affairs. She is overseeing WCF’s global communications and corporate affairs strategy and stakeholder engagement; articulating a vision for sustainability in the cocoa sector and driving 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 organization's financial stewardship.
  • Mawuli Coffie is the newly appointed country director for the WCF Ghana Office. He will spearhead and oversee all programmatic and operational activities in Ghana, playing a crucial role in advancing WCF's mission to promote cocoa sustainability.

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.

Chris Vincent, president of WCF, stated, "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." He continued, "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, catalyzing impactful initiatives that support sustainable cocoa farming practices worldwide."