Our Governance

John has coordinated Slow Food Kenya since 2010, overseeing the development and implementation of a range of educational and advocacy-related projects. A champion of regional integration, he has played a significant role in the development of Slow Food East Africa.

Manvester is an agripreneur who specializes in eco-friendly food crops that rejuvenate degraded land. He is the country coordinator for Slow Food Malawi, which has seeded more than 200 vegetable gardens since its establishment in 2011, and is embarked upon similar projects in Zambia.

Jean Marie has been coordinating the Slow Food Burkina Faso network since 2016, focusing on the development of community and school gardens. He was appointed international councilor in 2017, and has implemented biodiversity-related educational projects in more than 20 countries in West Africa and beyond.

Vince runs a catering company in Western Australia which sources local seasonal ingredients from small producers. He has sat on the Board of the Slow Food Perth Convivium and helped establish the Swan Valley and Eastern Regions Convivium. Vince also plays a prominent role promoting Ark of Taste products and showcasing Indigenous food at Terra Madre.

Vittorio Sun promotes the preservation of traditional cuisine and local producers in his native Shanghai and Eastern China. He founded Slow Food Greater China in 2015 and was elected to the Slow Food International Board in 2017.

Ramon Uy is an organic entrepreneur and restauranteur who co-founded Slow Food Negros Island in 2012. He acts as advisor to IFOAM Asia, board director of Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Program Philippines and President of the Eco-Agri Foundation.

Minsoo Kim is a producer of the Jeju green soybean Jang, the first Slow Food Presidium in Korea and an Ark of Taste product, and a Slow Food International Councillor since 2017. He played a key role in establishing the Slow Food Jeju Convivium in 2013, the year he became a board member for Slow Food Korea.

Nikolce champions local biodiversity in the Balkan countries. As a founder of Slow Food Macedonia, he fosters connections between farmers and consumers. Nikolce actively preserves local food traditions, emphasizing Ark of Taste products and supporting the growth of Slow Food Convivia in the region. He has served as a Slow Food Councillor since 2015.

Lea is a German pastry chef and eco-anthropologist with an MSc in Sustainable Food and Natural Resources. A board member of Slow Food Germany, she works with the CSCP think tank to promote sustainable consumption and production practices and is part of the core group on education.

Klaus joined the Slow Food movement in 1992, cultivating an interest rooted in his rural background in a small wine growing village. Long active in his local Convivium of Freiburg, he has sat on the board of Slow Food Germany since 2014.

Barbara began her career in Florence, in international fashion, before moving to the Tuscan countryside to pursue her passion for agriculture. She joined Slow Food in 2012, rising through the ranks to become Tuscany’s territorial and regional delegate and national councilor. Barbara currently serves as President of Slow Food Italy.

Born into a family of organic bakers, Maria was raised with the good, clean and fair ethos that defines Slow Food. She founded the Slow Food Youth Network in her hometown of Rovigo and is the youngest member of her regional Slow Food Executive Committee. Maria also has advocacy experience in Brussels as part of the Policy team of IFOAM Organics Europe.

Tiziana is a long-standing member of the Slow Food Cooks Alliance and the owner of Namo Ristobottega, a small central Italian restaurant infused with Slow Food values. She is committed to bringing her patrons traditional local products while implementing sustainable practices and cutting down on waste.

Jannie is the chair of Slow Food in the Nordic countries and vice-chair of Slow Food Denmark. An expert in food systems and food policy centered on building localized innovative ecosystems, Jannie brings more than 25 years of experience to our network across all three areas of action.

Ivan Yakushkin spearheads Slow Food efforts to preserve Russia’s culinary heritage. He co-founded Slow Food Siberia in 2014, advocating for local producers and Ark of Taste products. Since 2018, Ivan has been instrumental in promoting biodiversity and sustainable gastronomy in the region.

Chuma is a champion of protecting livestock breeds and local biodiversity in his native Spain, winning the European Environmental Award for his work in 2012. As leader of the Melón de Torres de Berrellén Food Community, he is passionate about promoting schools gardens and sensory workshops, and educating people about the benefits of local food production.

Toya is based in Zurich Switzerland, where she manages the Food for Change project, which empowers organizations in food system transformation and storytelling. She creates gastronomic experiences and pop-ups as part of her passion for food education and culinary tourism.

Nelleke joined Slow Food in 2014, serving as secretary to the Ark of Taste Committee and leader of Slow Food Rotterdam. Since 2016 she has chaired the Slow Food Netherlands national association, drawing on her depth of professional experience working with the Dutch government and as a private consultant.

Yulia coordinates the Slow Food network in her native Ukraine as well as Poland, Moldova and Baltic countries. She is the leader of Slow Food in Ukraine, CEO of Kyiv’s Integral health centers and has served on the International Council since 2015.

Esteban is a Professor of Gastronomy at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador, and author on food culture, sovereignty and heritage. He is a member of the National Agroecological Collective and territorial development project leader in the Andean region.

Glenn is a Brazilian biologist with a background in the impact on human activity on animal behavior. His interest in food biodiversity and agroecology led him to join Slow Food in 2009, and he now coordinates the National Association of Slow Food Brazil and represents Slow Food in national collectives of civil society organizations and human right movements.

Leidy Casimiro-Rodríguez is Professor of Agroecology at the University of Sancti Spíritus, Cuba. A prolific author on subjects ranging from agro-energy transition and the empowerment of rural women, her professional achievements include providing consultancy for FAO and serving on boards and committees of several agroecology congresses in Latin America.

Arturo Elías is a Master Vainillero in Chinantla, Oaxaca, a Mexican region where vanilla is an indigenous crop and Slow Food Presidium. Since 2012 Arturo Elias has served as Coordinator of the Chinantla Vanilla Presidium, which unites 15 families of small-scale producers.

Bobby is a Canadian consultant chef and food educator whose work centers on the transition toward a more sustainable food system for all. Since joining Slow Food in 2008, he has led Slow Food Montreal and co-chaired Slow Food Canada. Bobby has played a prominent role in promoting Slow Food Cook’s Alliance, Slow Fish and Slow Cheese campaigns.

Bilal is a proud first-generation child of Afghan refugees whose professional expertise lies in group facilitation, agriculture and mental health. He joined Slow Food in 2008 and has since served the movement in several roles, most recently as Governance Chair for Slow Food USA.

Stephany comes from a family of coffee growers who have worked in certified organic production and fair trade for more than 20 years. She is President of Café Cooperativo Mexico, an active member of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) and a founding member of the Bosque, Niebla y Café Xalapa Slow Food Community.

Arianna joined the Slow Food Youth Network in 2018 and is now a member of its steering committee. Born in Italy but working in Brussels, her focus lies in environmental policies, climate change and sustainability, particularly in relation to food and gastronomy.

Dai is a member of the Loochoo (Ryukyu) Indigenous people from Okinawa, Japan, who has committed his career to defending Indigenous rights and safeguarding food biodiversity and sovereignty. He has served as an advisory board member for the Slow Food Indigenous Peoples Network since 2018 and sits on the board of Slow Food Nippon.

Tunda Lepore is a member of the Maasain advocating for Indigenous rights and sovereignty and the preservation of cultural practices. She is passionate about empowerment through education and nutrition as part of the Ngong Road Children Association and works with Slow Food to conserve the endangered red Maasai sheep.

Melissa is a construction specialist in energy-efficient design who has been a member of the Slow Food Johannesburg Convivium since 2014. She has coordinated the Slow Food Rainbow Maize Presidium of South Africa, organized such Convivia events as the Soweto Eat-In and continues to cultivate South African Ark of Taste products.

Jerônimo is an ecologist and biodiversity expert with more than 15 years of experience with Brazilian socio-environmental organizations. He served as General Secretary of Slow Food Brazil and was a member of the Brazilian Ark of Taste commission. He is also the co-founder of Reenvolver, a company which strengthens value chains of socio-biodiversity products.

Shane Holland is the Executive Chair of Slow Food UK. His work encompasses food and health, access to food, GMOs, and food and climate change. In 2021, Shane was part of the COP26 delegation, leading on the Slow Food Climate Action initiative.