IDH strengthens its leadership team
IDH is strengthening its leadership team with two new appointments.
Antonia Wanner joins the Supervisory Board and Felia Palsenberg the Executive Board as Chief Services Officer. After 5 years of dedicated service and delivery on IDH strategy, Lizet Friesen has decided to step down from the Executive Board to pursue new opportunities.
Antonia Wanner, Supervisory Board
Antonia Wanner, Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer and member of the Group Executive Board at Nestlé, joins the IDH Supervisory Board from September 2026. Over nearly thirty years at Nestlé, spanning procurement, sales and sustainability, she became the company's first Chief Sustainability Officer in 2025.
At Nestlé, I'm seeing the urgency of unlocking resilient global agrifood systems that the future demands. As I step into this role, I look forward to working with IDH to accelerate its mission, securing food supply while generating shared economic and social value.
As IDH continues to strengthen its role in building systems that endure, having Board members with Antonia's depth of experience in sustainability and global business strategy will be of real value. I look forward to her contribution to IDH's mission.
Felia Palsenberg, Chief Services Officer
Felia Palsenberg succeeds Lizet Friesen in the newly evolved role of Chief Services Officer, reflecting the ongoing development of IDH's organisational structure. In eleven years at IDH, she has held roles spanning Legal Counsel, Chief of Staff & General Counsel and Global Operations Director. As CSO, she will lead Finance, HR, IT, M&E, Legal and Internal Communications.
IDH has been my professional home for 11 years, and in that time, I have seen what we're capable of when the people, the drive and the ambition come together. Along the way, I have also come to love the people who make it what it is, and I am looking forward to building on that foundation together with the team, our donors and partners. I feel honoured to serve on the board of such an inspiring organisation.
Thank you, Lizet Friesen
Felia's appointment follows Lizet Friesen's decision to step down from the Executive Board. Through her leadership, IDH has significantly strengthened its governance, strategic focus, financial management, and operating model, creating a more resilient organisation that is well positioned to deliver on its impact strategy.
I leave with deep admiration for the highly professional colleagues I have had the privilege to work with across all the countries where IDH operates. I was proud to be one of them. Over the years, I have seen how resilient agricultural value chains are built when businesses, governments, investors, farmers, and workers come together to tackle the challenges in their supply chains.
How strong business cases for all parties have been implemented while advancing living incomes and living wages, preventing deforestation, and accelerating the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices. I leave knowing that the organisation is well positioned for its next chapter and continued impact.
With these appointments and the earlier appointment of Olga Petryniak as Chief Program Officer in August, IDH's Executive Board is now at full strength.
We warmly welcome Antonia and Felia, whose expertise will strengthen IDH's leadership at an important moment in our development, and we thank Lizet for helping steer IDH toward a more focused and resilient future.
