May 20, 2021

Following the successful terms of IRRI Board of Trustees (BOT) Chair Jim Godfrey and Vice-Chair Kaye Basford, IRRI welcomed new Chair Dr. Suthad Setboonsarng and Vice-Chair Dr. Cao Duc Phat on 27 April during the virtual BOT Chair’s Address.

“The solid foundation that we have collectively built over the years will play a crucial role as IRRI becomes an integral part of the unified CGIAR to accelerate the development and deployment of scientific innovations aimed at having a larger impact where they are needed the most,” Dr. Setboonsarng said during his first speech as Chair of the IRRI BOT.

With Dr. Setboonsarng and Dr. Duc Phat at the helm, IRRI will increase its focus on agri-food systems, as aligned with One CGIAR, while maintaining the institute’s fiscal responsibility and accountability. 

Dr. Suthad Setboonsarng is an experienced economist previously appointed as Deputy Director General of the ASEAN Secretariat. He is a member of several boards, including the Bank of Thailand Board and the Cambodia Development Research Institute (CDRI).

Dr. Cao Đức Phát is a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and currently the Permanent Vice Chairman of the Central Economic Commission. He also served as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam for the period 2004-2016.

IRRI’s new Board is composed of the following members:

CGIAR System Board

• CHAIR - Macro Ferroni
• Alice Ruhweza
• Alyssa Jade Macdonald-Baertl
• Hilary Wild
• Lindiwe Majele Sibanda
• Neal Gutterson
• Patrick Caron
• Shenggen Fan

IRRI Board of Trustees

• CHAIR - Suthad Setboonsarng
• VICE CHAIR - Cao Đức Phát
• Bernadette K. Ndabikunze
• Tahlim Sudaryanto
• Trilochan Mohapatra
• Danilo L. Concepcion
• William Dar
• Jean Balié
• Secretary to the Board: Romeo Recide
• NEW: Luis Rey Velsaco, a renowned entomologist and former Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Los Banos

Website: http://www.irri.org

Published: May 24, 2021