Restrepo Juan Lucas

Juan Lucas Restrepo is Director-General of the Alliance between Bioversity International and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), as well as a Trustee of Bioversity International in the United Kingdom and the United States.

A Colombian and French national, he has worked in the agricultural sector over the past 25 years, in both the public and private sectors. He has significant experience in agricultural policy-making, agri-food value chains, markets and the management of agricultural research.
Over the years, he has supported the activities of the CGIAR by holding various governance roles, including on the Committee on Genetic Resources Policy, the Supervisory and Executive Committees, and as an ex officio member of CIAT’s Board of Trustees representing the Colombian Government.

In Colombia, he has held, amongst other positions, that of Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Executive Director of AGROSAVIA, the country’s leading agricultural research organisation, and Commercial Director of the National Federation of Coffee Growers.

As Chair of the Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR), hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), he has also led initiatives aimed at strengthening the integration of the international agricultural research community for development, promoting farmer-led change and innovation.

He holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the Universidad de los Andes and a Master of Science (MS) in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University.