WFTO-Europe Board of Directors is currently composed of:
Juan José Martinez (Oxfam Intermón, Spain)
Caterina Occhio (SeeMe, the Netherlands)
Manfred Winkler (Globo Fair Trade Partner, Germany)
Martin Rhodes (Scottish Fair Trade Forum, UK)
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
Elena Sbaragli, Project and Advocacy Officer
Hi everyone 🙂
In January 2024 I started to work with WFTO-Europe as Project and Advocacy Officer, but my journey within the Fair Trade movement has started way before, precisely in 2021, after graduating in International Relations and Diplomatic Affairs at the University of Bologna.
About myself, I can surely say that I have always been invested in volunteering activities, because I am convinced by the importance of being active citizens and helping each other. Also due to this, I highly value the Fair Trade network since it takes care of a wide range of topics, such as fair wages, gender equality, and climate justice, all matters that are close to my heart. Moreover, considering the world we are living in, I believe in the need of linking the dots and operating under a broad vision, realising how everything is highly interconnected.
Regarding my role in WFTO-Europe, my tasks are mostly related to looking for new opportunities related to projects and partners, but also executing the ongoing projects, organising webinars and workshops, and last but not least, in the following and advocate for the European files that are relevant for our members.
Contact: projects@wfto-europe.org
Hi everyone (:
I’m Chiara, from Italy, and I was told that I am the first engineer to apply for an internship here at WFTO-Europe! Why so?
Right in the middle of my Engineering and Management Master at Politecnico di Torino, I had to face an ethical dilemma: why were all the courses proposed only profit-oriented? Why hadn’t anyone considered that if a country’s workforce is cheaper, it could be due to an underlying social issue? Why, in 2024, was nobody talking about an alternative way of doing business that put people and planet first? In the Fair Trade movement, I found the answer to my questions and, most of all, a community with whom to drive this business revolution!
My tasks here are various and stimulating: I assist with project implementation, fundraising applications and business administration, and, moreover, I have the opportunity to represent the organization at conferences and meetings in the capital of Europe.
If not at the office, you may find me ordering at a waffle truck or browsing through a flea market!
Contact: administration@wfto-europe.org