Mondelēz International has announced it is sending 15 employees to Ghana, the birthplace of Cocoa Life, the company's sustainable cocoa program.
The 2018 Class of Joy Ambassadors
Colin Antoni, plant manager — Australia; Chelsea Briner, associate director, Shelf Availability — United States; Betina Corbellini, human resources business lead, Supply Chain, Latin America — Brazil; Caroline Decker, senior manager, Global Strategy — United States; Stefka Ivanova, category planning manager, South Central Europe — Bulgaria; Kalshelia Lloyd, Associate Director, Marketing Gum Equity — United States; Joaquin Petroni, Senior Counsel, Southern Cone — Argentina; Ricardo Quintero, senior group leader, Research, Development & Quality — Colombia; Dara Kasouaher, director Tax Transfer Pricing — United States; Michelle Santillan, category marketing manager, Chocolate — Philippines; Andre Silva, associate director, Supply Chain Management — Brazil; Ilona Simcoe, quality manager — Canada; Herb Smith, manager Cocoa Chocolate & Nuts Sourcing — United States; Marcelo Trez, sales associate director, Modern Trade — Brazil; David Whitworth, manager FP&A Overheads — United Kingdom
As part of the ‘Joy Ambassadors’ skills-exchange program, employees will spend two weeks learning about the challenges and opportunities farmers face in growing sustainable cocoa.
Mondelēz says it will share its business expertise to help accelerate the impact of the company’s cocoa sustainability efforts.
“The Joy Ambassador program supports our ongoing commitment to empower people to snack right by building a cocoa world that delivers positive impact for people and planet,” said Sarah Delea, president of the Mondelēz International Foundation and senior director for well-being and community involvement.
A deeper understanding
“Our ambassadors gain a deeper understanding of our cocoa supply chain first-hand, grow as leaders and come back to their teams with fresh insights and inspiration from this life-changing experience.”
The ambassadors will immerse themselves in the communities and culture by working on the cocoa farms, helping with harvesting, meeting important stakeholders in the Ghanaian cocoa industry and volunteering in local schools.
They will also develop and deliver workshops to help farming communities increase their business knowledge and capacity in community-identified development areas such as strategy development, influence and communication, finance, stakeholder management and marketing.
Now in its fifth year, the program is funded by the Mondelēz International Foundation through a partnership with VSO, the world's leading independent international development organization working through volunteers to tackle poverty in developing countries.
The company will highlight the experiences of the Joy Ambassadors on http://www.facebook.com/mondelezinternational and http://www.twitter.com/mdlz during and after the journey.
