Management Committee

HUGO CAMPOS

Title: Interim Deputy Director General for Research and Development

Citizenship: Chile

Location: Lima, Peru

Profile Summary: Hugo Campos is Interim Deputy Director General for Research and Development at the International Potato Center. He has 25+ years of international experience working in several Latin-American countries, Sub Saharan Africa, US and UK. Most of his professional career has focused on molecular breeding – the intersection between plant breeding and biotechnology – with an explicit goal of delivering superior varieties and increase the efficacy and efficiency of plant breeding programs, and in developing commercially relevant drought tolerant varieties. He is experienced in diverse crop species such as sugarcane, maize, soybeans, canola, potato, sweetpotato and wheat. He is an advanced practitioner of topics such as innovation and entrepreneurship from a private standpoint. In addition to playing a direct role leading plant breeding international teams, Hugo has written/edited four books to date, which overall have been sold/downloaded in excess of 300,000 times, and is in the process of publishing his fifth book. He is a Chilean national and holds a PhD from the John Innes Centre, UK, an MBA from Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile, and a Professional Certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship from Standord University (USA).

Languages: Spanish, English

PAUL DEMO

Title: Regional Director for the Africa region

Citizenship: Cameroon

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Profile Summary: As regional director, Paul provides programmatic oversight for the research and development portfolio; provides leadership in regional operational systems; and represents the International Potato Center (CIP) in Africa, with a focus on Kenya, Malawi, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Rwanda, Tanzania, Madagascar, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Mali and Cameroon.

A Cameroonian national, Paul holds a PhD. and an MSc in Agronomy from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and a BSc. (Engineer) in crop production from the University of Dschang in Cameroon. He has over 28 years of experience and skills in agricultural research, research management, fundraising, project management, capacity development and management of public-private sector partnerships.

Prior to becoming regional director, Paul worked for CIP as a senior scientist and country manager in Malawi and as a regional potato expert for sub-Saharan Africa (2003–2005). Before joining CIP, he worked as a scientist and leader of the Seed Potato Production Program at the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development Bambui Center in Cameroon (1990–2003).

Languages: English, French, Portuguese and Mboda’a

JAMES STAPLETON

Area: Communications and Public Awarenes

Title: Head of Communications and Public Awareness.

Citizenship: Ireland

Profile summary: James Stapleton is currently the Head of Communications at the International Potato Center (CIP) where he leads the design, implementation and oversight of the CIP communication strategy, raising the profile of CIP and the impact of the center’s research globally.

An experienced professional, James has spent more than 20 years working for various international and national non-profit organizations where he has gained extensive knowledge in the development, implementation and evaluation of a broad range of communications and advocacy strategies.

Prior to joining CIP, James worked as the team leader of the publishing team at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Communications and Knowledge Management group. Enhancing knowledge management capacities, he ensured ILRI communications products were systematically documented, published to the highest editorial standards in many audience-orientated formats—video, photo and written stories, policy briefs, etc.—and shared widely internally and externally, in print, electronically and through the creation of engagement opportunities. Collaborating with a wide range of actors inside and outside of the Institute, James worked to embed communications strategies within the organizational ‘theories of change’, facilitating the framing and generation of high profile corporate outputs, the provision of support to partners and mobilization of resources.

Between 2004 and 2015, he oversaw the strategic development of communications at the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). In addition to managing relations with the media and taking a hands-on approach to the development, design, editing, translation and publication of electronic content on the JRS multilingual websites and social media platforms, Stapleton also taught human rights at the Rome Campus of the Loyola University Chicago and was actively involved in advocacy networks on child soldiers, migrant detention and landmines. He also worked for the Irish Refugee Council as the policy officer for three years until 2003, where he was responsible for the development of policy and research papers, and relations with the media.

During the 1990s Stapleton worked for the African development NGO Environnement Développement Action dans le Tiers Monde, Amnesty International and the Institute of International and European Affairs. An Irish citizen, James has a bachelors degree in economics and mathematics, a masters in social policy from the National University of Ireland Maynooth and a certificate in managing non-profit organizations.

Languages: English, French, Italian and Spanish.

SELIM GUVENER

Area: Legal department

Title: General Counsel and Board Secretary

Citizenship: Turkey; United Kingdom

Location: Lima, Peru

Profile Summary: Selim Erdil Guvener is the International Potato Center’s (CIP) General Counsel and Secretary of the Board of Trusties. He provides legal and governance oversight, leadership and strategic direction for CIP’s global operations and research-for-development portfolio.

Since joining CIP in September 2013, Selim has supported the organizational expansion in Africa and Asia, led the design and implementation of CIP’s intellectual property strategy, and played a key role in the CGIAR restructuring of governance in 2016. As one of CIP’s representatives in the Multilateral System of The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, he has also contributed to its functioning.

Prior to joining CIP, Selim spent over a decade at major law firms in London and Istanbul, where he advised clients on corporate governance, pharmaceutical, telecommunications and international law. He has advised international agricultural research centers on international law and intellectual property since 2008.

Selim was admitted to the Bar in Turkey and is a division member of The Law Society of England.  He holds a Master of Laws from Cambridge University; Master of Arts in International Relations from the European Institute, France; and Maitrise en Droit from the University of Grenoble.

Languages: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Turkish, German.

JORGE ANDRADE PIEDRA

Area: Global Potato Agri-Food System Program

Title: Interim Director

Citizenship: Ecuador

Location: Lima, Peru

Profile Summary: Jorge Andrade is the ad interim director of the Global Potato Agri-Food System Program where he leads an innovative portfolio of research and development projects designed to intensify, diversify and strengthen the resilience of agri-food systems with potato-related technologies. He is responsible for setting priorities that respond to changing country, regional and global demands and that contribute to the International Potato Center (CIP) and CGIAR long-term strategic objectives and goals.

Jorge has over 20 years of experience in leadership roles agricultural research and development with small-scale potato farmers in the Andes with CIP and Ecuador’s Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias. He is a member of the American Phytopathological Society and the Latin-American Potato Society. His research interests include epidemiology of potato late blight, seed systems, and innovation systems.

Jorge holds a PhD in Plant Pathology with minors in Epidemiology and International Agriculture from Cornell University, a M.Sc. in Plant Pathology from La Molina University in Lima, Peru and a B.Sc. in Agronomy from Central University in Quito, Ecuador. His did post-doctorate studies in Cornell University and at CIP.

VANIA AZEVEDO

Area: Biodiversity for the Future Global Program

Title: Leader of Biodiversity for the Future Global Program and Director of CIP Genebank

Citizenship: Brazil

Location: Lima, Peru

Profile Summary: As leader of the Biodiversity for the Future Global Program and director of the CIP Genebank, Vania Azevedo is responsible for the conservation, characterization, and distribution of samples of the world’s largest in vitro collections of potato, sweetpotato, and Andean root and tuber crops, for the benefit of humanity. She ensures’ that the genebank team adheres to world-class standards and that the genebank complies with CIP and CGIAR’s mission, and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. She also collaborates with other organizations and genebanks across the globe in areas that include conservation, research, knowledge sharing, and capacity building.

A Brazilian national, Vania joined CIP in 2021, after working as the Genebank Head at the CGIAR International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in Hyderbad, India. From ICRISAT headquarters, she coordinated activities in India, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. Prior to that, she worked for the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Embrapa, in the Genetic Resources and Biotechnology Unit, in Brasilia. Among her varied responsibilities there, she coordinated a system of more than 140 Genebanks across Brazil. Vania holds a Ph.d. in Molecular Biology and two bachelor’s degrees in biology and business administration from the University of Brasilia.

Languages: English, French, German

MILAGROS PATIÑO – SAMUDIO

Area: Finance

Title: Chief Financial Officer (a.i.) 

Citizenship: Peru

Location: Lima, Peru

Profile Summary: Milagros is Chief Financial Officer (a.i.), with more than 25 years working in an international and multicultural non-profit organization, contributing to improve financial performance, budget planning, treasury, and optimization of operations in regions.

She has vast experience in the preparation of budget controls, financial analysis, strategic planning, management and costing of projects and internal units, and reports to different donors.

Milagros began working at CIP in the Treasury area, managing to grow professionally in different areas of Finance, such as planning and budgeting, financial management of research projects, and cost accounting.

She has actively participated in the continuous changes regarding the business model, being CIP an agricultural research center which is part of an international research advisory group. The restructuring of the scientific bases and objectives impact the operations area, which provides support for the implementation and development of science projects. For this reason, during her work at CIP, Milagros has participated in three major transformations at the science program level, which in turn led to important restructuring at the operations level, such as adequate cost structures to report to donors, improvements and changes in the budget modules and in the accounting area, as well as online reports, in ERP, adequate financial information for the new One CGIAR global integration, which is in process and which, in turn, is also responsible before the OneCG Financial Directorate.

Milagros has a high degree of commitment to CIP and demonstrates it by improving the talent of young professionals who, during her years at CIP, have managed to hold management positions at CIP and CGIAR levels.

Milagros is a Bachelor of Administration and Finance from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, and with an specialization in Finance at CENTRUM Business School.

KRISTINA RÖING DE NOWINA

Area: Resource Mobilization

Title: Director

Citizenship: Canada; Sweden

Location: Lima, Peru

Profile Summary: Dr. Kristina Röing de Nowina is the Director of Resource Mobilization at the International Potato Center (CIP) where she is responsible for the development and implementation of a comprehensive fundraising strategy that builds and manages a portfolio of relationships with prospective donors and investors. Working closely with programmatic leaders, Kristina facilitates the creation of structures and practices for ambitious targets in support of annual program country and regional needs in alignment with CIP and the CGIAR strategies. She also ensures close relationships with private and public sectors and new partnerships with innovative financing mechanisms for the organization.

Prior to joining CIP, Kristina gained extensive experience in resource mobilization in different international agricultural research organizations. Kristina served as the Deputy Director, Funder and External Engagement at the CGIAR System Organization from 2019 until 2023, as well as Team Leader for Resource Development and Partnerships at the Center for International Forestry Research, and Head of Project Development and Administration at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture.

Kristina holds a PhD in Soil Biology and a MSc in Agriculture from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. She also holds an MBA from the United States International University in Kenya.