The International Mango Organization has announced that the esteemed agricultural leader Sergio Cedeño Amador will be the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming IMO Global Mango Conference in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Scheduled for March 18-20 at the Ponce Plaza Hotel and Casino, the summit will celebrate Cedeño’s five decades of pioneering leadership in the tropical fruit sector. 

A proud graduate of Zamorano University’s Class of 1973, Cedeño has become a legendary figure in his native Ecuador, where he manages Industrial Agrícola Cañas. His career is distinguished by

Equitable Food Initiative has selected Gonzalo Martinez de Vedia as the organization’s next executive director, following a rigorous, five-round recruitment process that attracted more than 200 applicants. Martinez de Vedia assumes the role this month, succeeding Peter O’Driscoll, who is concluding over 14 years of influential EFI leadership.

With EFI nearing the conclusion of its current five-year strategic plan and preparing to shape its 2027–30 blueprint, O’Driscoll saw this as the ideal moment to shift to new leadership that will guide the organization’s next phase of impact. O’Driscoll

The Giumarra Cos. appointed produce industry veteran and nonprofit executive Rich Dachman as its independent chairman of the board of directors.

Dachman will continue to serve as CEO of Brighter Bites, an organization he joined in 2019 following his retirement as vice president of produce for Sysco. He has spent more than 40 years in the industry, including 28 years in various leadership roles at Sysco and FreshPoint. Dachman served as chairman of the Produce Marketing Association, now the International Fresh Produce Association, in 2012. His industry honors include PMA’s Center for Growing

The Hass Avocado Board announced the appointment of Parisa Salehi as senior director of industry engagement, a role that underscores HAB’s commitment to its 2026–30 Strategic Plan and to strengthen collaboration across the U.S. avocado industry to advance strategic priorities.

In her new role, Salehi will lead initiatives designed to deepen industry relationships and demonstrate the value of HAB programs to U.S. assessment payers, expand leadership development through the BOLD (Board Leadership Development) program and advance the Avocado Sustainability Center mission and priorities.

“I am

The California Avocado Commission recently conducted board of directors elections, which were confirmed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The board elected new executive officers including Board Chair Rachael Laenen, who has served on the CAC Board for since November 2020, with three of those years as an executive officer. 

Laenen is the sixth generation of her family to farm in Ventura County and the fourth generation to grow avocados. She now manages the family’s avocado enterprise. Before her farming career, she worked in international motorsports, managing global

Fresh Inset S.A. announced the appointment of Gordon Robertson as general manager, Vidre+, North America.

Robertson brings more than 30 years of senior leadership experience spanning sales, marketing, operations and general management across domestic and international markets. His background ranges from top-tier consumer packaged goods organizations to privately held produce companies and venture-backed biotechnology startups. These include more than two decades at Campbell Soup Co., followed by leadership roles in agriculture marketing and operations at Sun World International, biotechnology