New ICO Executive Director, Vanusia Nogueira, has been Director of the Brazilian Association of Specialty Coffees (BSCA) for the last 15 years | Photo credit: BCSA

---

The International Coffee Organization (ICO) has elected Vanusia Nogueira as its new Executive Director. According to a BCSA press release, the decision to appoint Brazilian-born Nogueira was made by member countries on 9 and 10 February, which held the vote during the 131st Session of the International Coffee Council. She takes over the role from José Sette, who has been in the position since 2017.
 
The daughter and granddaughter of coffee producers and traders, Nogueira has a PhD in Business Administration, with an emphasis in marketing, from the National University of Rosario (Argentina).
 
She graduated in Information Technology (IT) and Management from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RJ), has a master’s degree in management and Advanced Project Management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV).

Holding the position of Director of the Brazilian Association of Specialty Coffees (BSCA) for the last 15 years, Nogueira has also worked with various industry bodies, including the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), World Coffee Producers Forum (WCPF), Rainforest Alliance and Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE).
 
“It was an honour to see the recognition of my work and to have my candidacy endorsed, both by the private sector and by the Brazilian government bodies,” Nogueira said.
 
Outlining her vision to lead a new direction for the global coffee industry, Nogueira added:
 
“We will seek sectoral coordination to work on priority issues such as prosperous income and well-being to cover costs and enable a decent life for producers; increase market transparency; propose and implement global financing policies and mechanisms; and generate focus on production and sustainable supply, as well as responsible consumption.”
 
Nogueira faces the challenge of tackling volatile global coffee prices driven by climate instability and labour shortages in the wake of the pandemic. She also faces turbulence among some ICO members, with her appointment coming days after Uganda officially withdrew from the International Coffee Agreement. The world’s seventh largest coffee producer coffee followed suit with Guatemala, which exited the agreement in 2020, and the US, the world’s largest coffee purchaser, which did so in 2018.
 
The International Coffee Organization was established in London in 1963 on the recommendation of the United Nations. The entity administers the International Coffee Agreement and is the main intergovernmental body for the global coffee sector. Its member countries represent 98% of global coffee production and 67% of world consumption.
 
In 2021 the UK and Nigeria became the newest members of the ICO.