Washington D.C. – International Fresh Produce Association announced that Tamara Muruetagoiena is promoted to become IFPA’s first ever Vice President of Sustainability. Muruetagoiena joined the organization in April 2022 and established the critical importance of the produce and floral industry taking the lead in sustainability efforts of the entire fresh and food systems.
“When Tamara joined our team, it was a reflection of the importance of providing member resources and guidance for and on behalf of industry on sustainability,” said IFPA Chief Science Officer, Max Teplitski, PhD. “We’re thrilled that she’ll be taking on this elevated role. This reflects not only the global need for produce and floral’s role in creating more a more sustainable industry but also her stellar leadership in the area throughout her career in the industry.”
In this new capacity, Muruetagoiena will lead IFPA’s efforts supported by the USDA Climate-Smart Pilots project, in addition to other new and established initiatives. Muruetagoiena also serves as the co-chair of the Consumer Goods Forum’s Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) which is working to benchmark global sustainability standards.
“Since joining IFPA, Tamara has been vital to creating, capturing and sharing the sustainability and climate-smart practices we are developing as an industry,” said IFPA Vice President of Supply Chain, Ed Treacy. “Tamara’s expertise in leading sustainability efforts along with her in depth knowledge of carbon credits, green financing and more has allowed the association to elevate and amplify our sustainability efforts and influence to create a sustainable produce and floral supply chain.”
Muruetagoiena joined IFPA bringing over two decades of experience in the agriculture and environmental arenas. Prior to joining the association, she led Great Mountain Forest promoting conservation and sustainable forestry, she served as a senior global manager in sustainability and R&D at Driscoll’s, and also served as a policy advisor to the European Union Parliament.
“Sustainability is an issue of vital importance to IFPA members and the global produce and floral community, which is why we’ve invested in growing our resources and expertise in this space. Tamara’s excellent leadership on a variety of sustainability topics has provided more value to our members and opened doors for IFPA and our industry, such as her serving as Chair of the Consumer Goods Forum Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative environmental benchmarking group to ensure produce and floral is represented and heard at these tables,” said IFPA CEO, Cathy Burns. “Through the combination of her background, expertise and her passion of sustainability, Tamara has elevated our industry and IFPA to become a transformative influence on global sustainability conversations and initiatives.”
Muruetagoiena holds a master’s degree in forest science from Yale, an MBA and international marketing diploma from University of California at Berkeley and ESEUNE Business School and a bachelor’s from Washington State University. She is fluent in English, French and Spanish and has a working command of other languages, including Basque and Portuguese. Her work will be supported by Sophie Marques, coordinator of grant-funded projects and Wendy Logan, manager in traceability and sustainability.
About the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) is the largest and most diverse international association serving the entire fresh produce and floral supply chain and the only to seamlessly integrate world-facing advocacy and industry-facing support. We exist to bring the industry together to create a vibrant future for all. We grow our member’s prosperity by conducting advocacy; connecting people and ideas; and offering guidance that allows us all to take action with purpose and confidence.
