Lynette Thorstensen Elected as Fairtrade Board Chair

Fairtrade International is pleased to announce Lynette Thorstensen as the new Chair of the Fairtrade Board.

Lynette Thorstensen is a New Zealander living and working in France. She has devoted the whole of her career to social and environmental justice. Lynette has held senior executive positions in international sustainable development for more than 30 years. Her previous roles include as Chief Executive of Greenpeace Australia, as Executive Director, Social Development and Environment with the New South Wales Premiers’ Department in Sydney, Australia, as Managing Director of Communications with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development -WBCSD in Geneva, Switzerland and as Consultant Director of Communications with the Global Green Growth Forum -3GF- housed within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Lynette has also worked as a consultant advising on multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary partnerships with the overall goal of moving forward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. She was the founding Chair of Australians for Native Title, a Board member of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, and a founding Board Director of the Sydney Community Foundation.

“I am honoured to take on the role as Chair of this exceptional organization. The work of Fairtrade International is needed more than ever. In the light of the challenges posed by the Covid-19 virus, along with rapidly increasing impacts of climate change - protecting the living incomes of small farmers and other producers all over the world is a vital mission,” said Lynette.

“We extend our deepest thanks to Mary Kinyua for her leadership during the time of transition, and look forward to Lynette’s experience and leadership as we move into implementing our new Global Strategy,” said Dario Soto Abril, Fairtrade International CEO.

Lynette was elected to the Board as an Independent Member at the October General Assembly, and was elected as Board Chair at the December 2020 Fairtrade Board Meeting.