Profile
Izabella joined the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) as the first ever female Director General in September 2026.
She has more than three decades of international experience working across agriculture, food systems, climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development. Izabella is deeply committed to ensuring that science and innovation translate into tangible impact for people and communities.
As Deputy Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Nepal from 2021, she oversaw the organisation’s programme portfolio, led the development of its long-term strategy, four-year institutional plan, and spearheaded a major organisational change process.
Previously, Izabella was Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems at the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka, leading a global research-for-development portfolio focused on sustainable agriculture, natural resources and the uptake of innovation. She also contributed to CGIAR reform, the UN Food Systems Summit and received the UN Women USA Rise and Raise Others Award.
She spent 15 years with the UK Department for International Development in senior research, policy and programming roles, including postings in Kenya and India. Earlier, at the International Institute for Environment and Development, she led influential work on biodiversity and development, alongside wider environmental policy research across Africa and Latin America. She began her career in Tanzania, working with farmers on agriculture, agroforestry and soil conservation.