News

Dionys Forster joins SAI Platform as new DG in its 20th year

1st April 2022

Leading SAI Platform to the forefront of the debate on climate, nature and livelihoods through Regenerative Agriculture.

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Overview

SAI Platform today announces Dionys Forster as its new Director General. Dionys brings to SAI Platform over 20 years’ experience as a dynamic and respected leader in agri-food value chains.

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Working previously as the Raw Material Sourcing Lead at Nestlé SA, Dionys developed sourcing strategies from field to factory, leading on the business’ sustainable agriculture impact assessment tools and innovative raw material sourcing. His wealth of knowledge in agri-food value chain management and implementation of applied agriculture research and development programmes in biodiversity, soil, water, GHG emission reduction, and inclusive growth will support SAI Platform in delivering on our ambitious strategy, tools and programmes.

“As SAI Platform marks its 20th anniversary this year, we celebrate its successes over the last two decades and commit to ambitious plans for this critical decade of action ahead. I, and the rest of the Executive Committee are confident that Dionys will provide strong leadership for SAI Platform on this journey.  Dionys has extensive agricultural and supply chain experience and I have no doubt will lead SAI Platform to ongoing success in these ever-changing times”.

Rob Meyers, VP Sustainable Agriculture, Global Sustainability, PepsiCo and Vice President, SAI Platform.

At Nestlé SA, Dionys directed the company’s Sustainable Agricultural Initiative, the Agripreneurship Programme and the recently created Regenerative Agriculture Farm Assessment Framework. Prior to his involvement at Nestlé, he led an international applied agricultural and environmental consortium research across different geographies. While working at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) he investigated organic versus conventional production systems and was instrumental in building up international plant breeding projects for low external input agriculture. At the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) Dionys was working on topics of circular economy, in particular on organic waste recovery and reuse in peri-urban agriculture. 

“In times of global change and a constantly increasing demand for food, SAI Platform has the important task of developing new, innovative approaches to source agricultural raw materials for food production. The focus is on striving for sustainable, economically viable and resilient agricultural systems. I am pleased to be able to tackle these challenges as the new Director General together with the SAI Platform team and our members and thank them for the trust placed in me.”

Dionys Forster, Director General, SAI Platform.

Dionys Forster

Dionys Forster graduated in International Agriculture from the Bern University of Applied Sciences in 2001. He received his doctorate in the field of natural resource conservation from the University Rostock in 2010. For his research and development projects he successfully raised funding from private and public organisations. Lately, together with his consortium partners under the lead of the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE) he received funding for an EC Green Deal project on Climate Neutral Farms (ClieNFarms).