Tainan, Taiwan
September 14, 2026
Koziell joins WorldVeg as it builds momentum behind its new Global Strategy, scaling up vegetable research and innovation to deliver greater impact for healthy diets, sustainable livelihoods and climate resilience
The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) welcomes Izabella Koziell as its new Director General, bringing an experienced international development leader to the Center as it steps up efforts to harness vegetable research to improve diets, livelihoods and resilience to climate change.
Koziell is the first woman to serve as WorldVeg Director General since the organization was founded in 1971, and succeeds Marco Wopereis, who led the organization from 2016-2026. She joins WorldVeg from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Nepal, where she served as Deputy Director General, overseeing the organization’s programmatic portfolio across the Hindu Kush Himalaya.
Her appointment comes as WorldVeg implements its Global Strategy (2026–2033), which aims to substantially increase the scale and impact of vegetable research and innovation worldwide. The strategy focuses WorldVeg’s work across six action areas: climate resilience, healthy diets, vegetable biodiversity, economic empowerment, urban food systems, and food safety and loss reduction.
“Vegetables have an extraordinary and still underrecognized role to play in tackling some of the defining challenges of our time - from healthier diets and better nutrition to sustainable livelihoods and incomes,” said Koziell. “At a time of economic uncertainty, climate change and biodiversity loss, WorldVeg’s science and innovation offer practical solutions and new opportunities.”
She continued: “The moment is now to take those solutions further and faster, building on WorldVeg’s remarkable science and expertise to get better varieties into the hands of more farmers, create opportunities for businesses, and make nutritious vegetables more available and affordable around the world. It is a privilege to lead WorldVeg, and I look forward to working with colleagues and partners to build on its strengths and seize the opportunities ahead.”
The need for such solutions is becoming increasingly urgent. A recent UN assessment estimated that around 2.7 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, while climate change is placing growing pressure on agriculture and food production. Against this backdrop, the case for greater investment in vegetables is growing: they are essential to healthy diets, offer valuable income opportunities for farmers, and their diversity can help breeders develop crops better able to withstand climate change and emerging pests and diseases.
From its headquarters in Taiwan and across Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, WorldVeg works with partners to develop improved vegetable varieties, conserve and use vegetable biodiversity, strengthen seed systems and value chains, and increase access to nutritious vegetables.
Gordon Rogers, Vice-Chair of the WorldVeg Board of Directors, said Koziell’s experience working across science, policy and implementation makes her particularly well placed to lead the Center through its next phase of growth.
“Izabella brings an exceptional combination of strategic leadership, international development experience and a deep understanding of the climate and environmental challenges confronting food systems and the solutions needed to address them,” he said. “The Board is delighted to welcome her to WorldVeg and looks forward to working with her as the Center expands the reach and impact of its research around the world.”
A career spanning science, policy and development
Koziell has more than three decades of experience working on climate, environment, biodiversity and international development. Her work at ICIMOD also involved leading the development of its long-term strategy and four-year institutional plan, and spearheading a major organizational change process.
Prior to ICIMOD, she spent five years as 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 and the UN Food Systems Summit.
Koziell previously 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.
WorldVeg warmly welcomes Koziell and looks forward to the experience and leadership she brings to the Center.
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