Alyson is the founder of Conscious Impact and a seasoned executive with over 30 years’ of experience across the academic, non-profit, and commercial sectors. She is deeply passionate about transforming the food system to nourish the world while addressing the interconnected challenges of climate, nature, and equity.

Alyson believes that good food is a cornerstone of health and that the solutions to global food challenges must respect our planet’s precious resources, uplift communities, and tackle systemic inequities. Her approach celebrates food not only for its role in sustaining life but also for its unique place in connecting people, cultures, and livelihoods.

With a strong commitment to driving systemic change, Alyson leverages systems thinking and leadership to inspire innovation, collaboration, and actionable solutions globally, locally, and on the plate. She focuses on aligning efforts across the climate, nature, and equity nexus—advancing sustainable practices that benefit people, protect the environment, and promote shared prosperity.

Alyson is passionate about creating partnerships and enabling conscious change that drives positive impact for the planet, empowers marginalized communities, and ensures a thriving future for all.

Alyson is a board member for numerous private and public sector organisations, a former Business Fellow at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment University of Oxford, Chair of the British Nutrition Foundation Board of Trustees, Post Graduate Researcher at the University of Birmingham and Oxford, Director at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and an active member of the United Nations SDG2 Advocacy Hub since its inception.

Adam Gerstenmier is a global development executive, strategist, and alliance builder who has spent nearly two decades supporting institutions and leaders to shape and implement their strategic visions.

Adam serves as the Founder and Managing Director of African Century Group, a consulting firm he founded in Kigali, Rwanda in 2022, dedicated to supporting transformational institutions and leaders making this Africa’s Century. He supports visionary leaders and institutions through strategy development and implementation, partnership facilitation, and resource mobilisation for priority initiatives in the areas of governance, sustainable development, food systems, and climate action. In this capacity, Adam helped shape and lead the Food Action Alliance, a multi-stakeholder platform  launched by the World Economic Forum, IFAD, and Rabobank, with 30+ partner institutions around the world supporting country-led food systems transformation. He also served as a part-time secondee in the COP28 Presidency’s Partnerships team during 2023-2024, where he served as a Senior Advisor on Food Systems. Working with senior African leaders, Adam also supported the design and establishment of the African School of Governance, where he continues to serve as a founding member of the African School of Governance Foundation Council.

Prior to these roles, Adam spent more than 15 years in C-suite positions as Chief of Party and Strategic Initiatives in AGRA, Chief of Staff for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, Chief of Staff and Strategy to the President of AGRA, and as a Chief of Staff in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Adam holds a Masters degree in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and a Bachelors degree in Economics from Davidson College. He is based between Kigali, Rwanda and Nairobi, Kenya.

Edwyn Shiell has nearly 20 years experience internationally and in Australia across sustainable development, human rights, food security and nutrition, STEM and climate change. He has worked at executive level for UN agencies, charities, philanthropies and government agencies leading strategic communications, media relations, advocacy, major events and partnerships. Edwyn is a Board Director for Australian food waste and reuse charity Open Table and currently leads international climate change communications and engagement at the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. A passionate foodie and father of three, he has spent much of his career building inclusive and diverse movements to tackle the interlinked food and climate crises.

Judith is a globally experienced People & Culture executive, consultant, and leadership coach with more than two decades of multinational, multisector experience across humanitarian, government, FMCG, and commercial environments. Her career has centered on enabling organisations and leaders to thrive through clarity, collaboration, and people-centered strategy.

Judith’s leadership foundation was built across major international organisations, including nine years with World Vision International, where she served as Regional People & Culture Director for South Asia and the Pacific overseeing human capital strategy across 11 countries and 6,000+ staff. She led regional leadership development, capability-building, OD transformation, and major change initiatives, partnering closely with country directors, boards, and cross-sector stakeholders to create alignment and impact in highly complex environments. Her earlier work with World Vision New Zealand saw her lead People, Culture & Operations and serve on the Executive Team, including acting as CEO when required.

Judith has held senior executive roles in government and corporate settings, including Director of People & Capability at New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, and HR leadership positions in Mars Confectionery (UK), Southern Cross Healthcare, Fletcher Challenge, and Bell Gully (NZ). Over her career she has repeatedly been sought out to help organisations navigate transformation, strengthen culture, build leadership capability, and steward organisational strategy through periods of growth, disruption, and integration.

In 2017, Judith founded Thriveatwork, an executive coaching and leadership consultancy working with global NGOs, social impact organisations, and commercial enterprises. Her practice focuses on unlocking leadership clarity, strengthening team effectiveness, and creating thriving, purpose-driven cultures. She partners with CEOs, boards, and senior leadership teams internationally, including for purpose organisations such as World Vision International, International Rescue Committee, Christian Aid and the New Zealand Cancer Society.

She holds a BA from the University of Manchester and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business (HR) from the University of Auckland and is a certified executive coach and facilitator. Judith is based in Auckland, New Zealand.

Judith brings to the SDG2 Advocacy Hub a deep commitment to humanitarian impact, leadership development, and systems-level change. She is passionate about supporting leaders who work in service of global challenges, and she advocates for people-centered approaches that enable collaboration, amplify diverse voices, and accelerate progress towards a world without hunger. Judith also chairs the People Committee of the Board for SDG2 Advocacy Hub.

Namukolo Covic (Zambia) is ILRI Director General’s Representative to Ethiopia and CGIAR Ethiopia Country Convenor (2022 to present). From 2015 to 2021 she served as Senior Research Coordinator at IFPRI, for the CGIAR Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) and worked on projects in several countries, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia. A multidisciplinary academic background that spans crop science and extension (BSC), animal and poultry science (PGD) and nutrition (MSc & PhD) has made her uniquely positioned to addresses dynamics of food systems transformation from different fronts. She is recognized for her ability to link diverse stakeholders on interlinkages of research, policy and program processes. She has worked extensively with the government of Ethiopia and other stakeholders including the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Agriculture, and development agencies on different fronts of food systems and nutrition, including the development of food based dietary guidelines and their adaptation to pastoralist settings in Ethiopia; and the development of Ethiopia’s food systems transformation pathway in response to Ethiopia’s development needs and the United Nations Food Systems Summit process. She has supported African Union efforts on linking agriculture and nutrition in the CAADP process. She has led the Governance Working Group of an Independent Expert Group that emerged from the UNFSS that has developed a Monitoring Framework on Food Systems Transformation to guide progress on the SDG countdown to 2030.

Born and raised in Senegal, Pierre Thiam is a James Beard Award–winning chef, restaurateur, author, entrepreneur, and environmental advocate. His critically acclaimed New York restaurant, Teranga, presents vibrant, health-forward fast-casual cuisine sourced directly from smallholder farmers across West Africa.

He is the founder of Yolélé, a company dedicated to expanding access to African ingredients throughout the United States, most notably fonio, a resilient and highly nutritious ancient grain from the Sahel region.

Thiam is the author of four cookbooks, including his most recent title, Simply West African. He serves on the boards of several global nonprofit organizations, including IDEO.org, SOS Sahel, Corps Africa, and the New York Common Pantry (NYCP), and previously served on the Advisory Board of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). He resides in Oakland, California, with his wife, daughters, and their dog.

Rebecca Middleton currently serves as the Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer for World Food Program USA where she and her team work to educate Members of Congress and their staff on the importance of U.S. government support for the U.N. World Food Program. She brings more than 25 years of experience in policy, advocacy, and strategy to the role.

Rebecca began her career in Washington, DC, in 1997 as a Senior Legislative Assistant for Congressman Frank Wolf. Five years later she joined the public affairs firm Cassidy & Associates and quickly became Vice President, managing federal lobbying strategy and tactics for a variety of clients including Fortune 500 companies and organizations in the technology, health care, and defense industries.

Rebecca combined her advocacy and management expertise with her longstanding passion for eradicating hunger in 2013 when she joined the Alliance to End Hunger as its COO; she became its Executive Director in 2016. Rebecca joined World Food Program USA in July of 2020.

Rebecca holds a BA in political science and English from Mary Washington College. She serves on several boards including as chair of Freedom Network USA and as treasurer of the Alliance to End Hunger.

You can read more about Rebecca and connect with her on LinkedIn

Thin Lei Win is an award-winning multimedia journalist specialising in food and climate issues. She is Lead Reporter for the Food Systems Newsroom of Lighthouse Reports, a collaborative European journalism outlet focusing on public interest investigations, curates her own newsletter Thin Ink, and also writes for various international media. She previously worked as an international correspondent for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Thomson Reuters media company, for over a dozen years. She is also a sought-after speaker and moderator on food, agriculture and climate change issues. Born and raised in Myanmar, Thin has reported from many parts of Asia, Africa and Europe. She helped establish Myanmar Now, an award-winning bilingual news agency, and is the co-founder of The Kite Tales, a unique preservation project chronicling the lives and histories of ordinary people across Myanmar which now supports the country’s storytellers since the 2021 coup.