WFTO-Europe Board of Directors is currently composed of:
Juan José Martinez (Oxfam Intermón, Spain)
Charlotte Beacon (Traidcraft Exchange, UK)
Cassandre Maury (Les Jardins de Gaïa, France) – Co-opted in 2019
Jean-Christophe Galland (Malongo, France) – Co-opted in 2019
Manfred Winkler (Globo Fair Trade Partner, Germany)
Caterina Occhio (SeeMe, the Netherlands)
WFTO-Europe staff currently includes:
Mikkel Kofod Nørgård, WFTO-Europe Coordinator
My name is Mikkel Kofod Nørgård, I am from Denmark and since September, 2020 I am WFTO-Europe’s Coordinator. From September 2018, I was WFTO-Europe’s Junior Project Officer. I am coordinating the European branch and am responsible for developing and implementing our fundraising strategy. Should you, as a member of our network, have any questions or requests do not hesitate to contact me. Similarly, I am always interested in hearing about your needs and difficulties as a Fair Trade organisation, since I firmly believe our fund-raising activities should focus on meeting the needs and building capacities for our members.
Concerning my background, I have a bachelor’s degree in Japan Studies, and a Master’s in International Studies from University of Aarhus in Denmark. Throughout my studies of international relations, Asia, and international political economy, I have focused particularly on inequality on both national and international level. It is clear to me that poverty and the stark gap in state of development between many countries are structural problems born from a highly flawed world economy and trade system. Therefore, I was extremely happy for the opportunity to intern here at WFTO-Europe in the Autumn of 2016, where I learned about an existing and feasible alternative model: Fair Trade. Particularly, I am very keen on Fair Trade’s commitment to constant improvement, empowerment of the marginalised, and striving for decent and transparent working conditions and fair payment for workers and producers. While Fair Trade is naturally most urgent for many communities in the global South, the strengths of this alternative model for world trade can and should benefit everyone across the world. This will be my approach to working here at WFTO-Europe.
Contact: coordination@wfto-europe.org
Fabian Richter, Project and Advocacy Officer
Hello everyone! My name is Fabian Richter and I am Project and Advocacy Officer at the WFTO-Europe.
In my role as project officer I will be managing grants, projects as well as activities related to broader office management. The advocacy part of my position is about monitoring, and identifying relevant EU policy files. This includes the engagement in policy matters, building and maintaining partnerships and being part of alliances that promote more sustainable consumption and production patterns, and trade justice on EU level.
My academic background is in European Studies which I combined with issues around sustainable development. Personally, I have always been enthusiastic about a more sustainable lifestyle and its power to reduce pressure on the environment and people along the value chains. Be it textile, the electronics we use, the way we travel, or the daily grocery we do.
These interests have led me to the NGO Misereor, to the German Agency for International Cooperation and Development (GIZ) and the Fair Trade Advocacy Office in Brussels. At the latter, I have been working on EU policies for nearly 4 years. This work has gained my expertise, my network, and also my interest in Fair Trade issues on a European level. I am excited to continue this path at the WFTO-Europe as Project and Advocacy Officer.
Contact: projects@wfto-europe.org
Cristal Cedeño, Communication & Advocacy Assistant
Hi everyone! My name is Cristal and I am Italian. I am the Communication and Advocacy Assistant at WFTO-Europe. I will mainly assist in the development and implementation of internal and external communication of WFTO-Europe Office. I graduated in Political Science and International Relations at the University of Bologna and this path allowed me to develop a vision of a world in which justice, dignified livelihood and equity are the main values.
After my graduation I decided to continue my studies, so I’m now attending the second year of the Master in “Local and Global Development” of the University of Bologna. I chose this master program because I’m aware of the fact that the models promoted by global institutions and corporations have not delivered on their promise to eliminate poverty and have caused unprecedented levels of inequality. So, I wanted to study and learn how to improve this situation. For this reason, in February I started volunteering in a Fair Trade shop in Bologna, with the intention of combining my academic knowledge with practical help for a cause I deeply believe in.
I am very passionate about Fair Trade and I strongly believe that we need to develop an economic model more focused on people and the planet rather than profit. For that, I am really happy to be part of WFTO-Europe team!
Contact: communication@wfto-europe.org