Our Trustees
Martin Meteyard – Chairperson
Martin is one of the pioneers of fair trade in the UK. He helped to set up Equal Exchange in the late 1980s and his work has focussed mostly on the co-operative movement for the last 25 years. Martin was Chairperson of Cafédirect from 1998 to 2005 and oversaw its public share issue. He has chaired a number of conferences of the international fair trade organisation IFAT (now WFTO) and is also Chair of the Scottish fair Trade Forum and a board member of Zaytoun CIC.
Duncan White – Company Secretary
Duncan was a member of the senior management team of Twin and Twin Trading for 10 years until 2007. He was part of the team that set up Divine Chocolate, then launched and directed AgroFair UK, the fair trade fruit company, before leading the successful launch of Liberation, the 100% Fairtrade small farmer owned nut company. Duncan also previously worked overseas with VSO and Christian Aid in Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone. A chartered accountant, Duncan today works as an independent consultant mostly focussing on international trade initiatives.
Kate Sebag
Kate is a founder of the Fairtrade dried fruit and cereal bar brand Tropical Wholefoods. She is the Marketing and Sales Director of Fullwell Mill, the company which now owns the Tropical Wholefoods brand. Kate lived and worked in Uganda in the early 1990s working with farmer suppliers into Tropical Wholefoods. She has also worked in Burkina Faso on dried mango supply chains. Kate was a fundraiser for the UK development charity Tools for Self Reliance in the early 1990s and, before that, worked at the International Institute for Environment and Development.
Albert Tucker
Albert is a leading figure in the international ethical trade sector, and in UK community regeneration and sustainable development; he is a trusted advocate for poor small-scale farmers in global trade and policy. Albert has had a strong track record with leading charitable development funders in the UK, and sits on the boards of the City Parochial Foundation, Comic Relief and the BIG Lottery Fund. He also has substantial media experience as well as over 20 years experience of senior management roles in the public and private sector.
Our Executive Team
Christina Longden – Director (Fundraising/Information)
Christina has a background in community-based project development and management, as well as a range of managerial functions, including performance and quality measurement, voluntary sector research, business development, service planning and contractual delivery.
Christina is an experienced third and private sector professional, and had a successful track record in the social housing and voluntary sectors before moving into the private sector, providing consultancy and training services to the charity sector and to Whitehall. Christina worked with marginalised communities and organisations in Southern Africa for several years, where she compiled and edited two oral history books, as well as fund-raising for rights and development programmes and leading on advocacy and PR.
Christina provides project management, fundraising and information services to the Foundation.
Ian Agnew – Director (Operations/Programmes)
Ian has worked in the public, private and charity sectors for twenty five years and has a successful track record in setting up and leading social enterprises and community organisations in the UK and Africa. Following a successful career in the UK social housing sector, Ian moved into the private sector leading a team of specialist consultants providing organisational development, management services and training to the voluntary sector. Between 2002 and 2006, Ian lived and worked in Africa as a technical advisor to indigenous people’s community and rights organisations.
Ian leads the Foundation’s strategic and programme development, social enterprise work and trading initiatives.
Cristina Talens - Programme Co-ordinator
Formerly the Ethical Trading Manager for Taylors of Harrogate, Cristina has years of experience working on social and environmental issues with tea, coffee and cocoa producers around the world.
With a background in labour, human rights and rainforest protection, she ran a vast social and environmental monitoring programme with smallholder farmers and estates, identifying areas for improved sustainable agricultural practices, developing action plans with the farmers, and mobilising local partner organisations for collaboration. She has direct first hand experience of designing and implementing capacity building projects, around issues such as quality, trading, credit, supply chain management and facilitating access to ethical markets through certification such as Fairtrade Rainforest Alliance, and Utz Certified. Cristina leads the LYF on our Smallholder Peer Support Network.
Laura Smith – Programme Co-ordinator
Laura’s background is in working with young people in the UK and overseas as a mentor and as a teacher. She has qualifications in both International Business Studies and Peace Studies, with her research focussing on the role of international business in contributing to equitable and sustainable development and promoting human rights. Laura spent 4 years working as a social justice campaigner building support for a refugee community in North Africa. Most recently she coordinated two community mentoring projects in Yorkshire, supporting disadvantaged young people to achieve qualifications and gain employment in the creative sector.
Jo Ward – Programme Co-ordinator
Jo Ward is a leading social entrepreneur and founded an independent consultancy business helping social enterprises throughout the UK to reach their potential. She was formerly a founder and Chief Executive of Refurnish, an award winning environmental enterprise that has successfully combined the delivery of social, economic and environmental objectives, reaching £1million turnover through a combination of trading activity, contracts, grants and sponsorship. Jo also previously worked oversees for the British Forces and the British Council delivering youth projects.
