Martina Gaebler is the new Executive Secretary of the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO)
There is a change in leadership at the GISCO office. Effective November 1, 2023, Martina Gaebler will assume her new role as Executive Secretary, succeeding Beate Weiskopf.
Beate Weiskopf's remarkable, nearly ten-year commitment to GISCO has significantly contributed to establishing GISCO as a leading institution for sustainable cocoa both nationally and internationally. Under her leadership, the PRO-PLANTEURS project was initiated. She successfully brought together a wide range of stakeholders from politics, business, and civil society. The goal of this collaboration was to advance the cause of a sustainable cocoa sector not only within GISCO but also in conjunction with other national platforms for sustainable cocoa in Europe (ISCOs). Internationally, she served as chair and vice-chair of the Consultative Board of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO). Her tireless dedication, extensive network, and profound expertise made GISCO a recognized hub for all sustainability issues related to cocoa. Ms. Weiskopf will now support the development of the cashew sector in Africa from Ghana as Project leader of ComCashew under the "Market-Oriented Value Chains for Jobs & Growth in the ECOWAS Region (MOVE)" project.
With Martina Gaebler, GISCO gains a competent successor with extensive expertise in sustainable value chains. Ms. Gaebler is enthusiastic about her new role and aims to actively advance GISCO's sustainability goals in collaboration with its members. She aspires to make GISCO a dynamic platform for dialogue, knowledge transfer, and learning, both in Germany and internationally, with a focus on achieving greater impact on the ground in cocoa-producing countries.
The GISCO office sincerely thanks Beate Weiskopf for her outstanding achievements and dedication during her tenure as Executive Secretary and wishes her all the best in her future endeavors. We also warmly welcome Martina Gaebler and look forward to future cooperation under her leadership of the organization.
You can find the press release here.
