IEC Team

Suresh Chitturi took on the role of IEC Chairman in September 2019, during the IEC Copenhagen Conference. Suresh leads Srinivasa Farms, a dominant force in the Indian Poultry Industry for the last 50 years. After assuming leadership, Suresh has steered Srinivasa to achieve sustainably high growth through expansion and diversification. Srinivasa is involved in Chicken Breeding, Chicken & Egg Processing, Feed Manufacturing and also Soya Oil Extraction and Processing. His work has led to the company being recognised for always doing what is best for the individual farmers, industry and the country. Adopting a farmer first philosophy, he is passionate about ensuring that the poultry industry is healthy and sustainable through adoption of latest technologies, good rearing practices and welfare of the livestock. Suresh takes pride in the role he played in the two telugu states (Telangana and Andhra Pradesh) become leaders in ease of doing business, through his work in the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in various capacities. An avid reader, he also loves to travel and learn about different cultures and their history.

As Chief Executive Officer of the World Egg Organisation (WEO), I am delighted to have the opportunity to drive the overall strategic development of the whole WEO. I also have a key role in the continuing development of the International Egg Commission, which is at the heart of the WEO. The World Egg Organisation takes a whole value chain approach and provides the opportunity to bring together a wide range of partners and bodies across the whole egg spectrum. This allows us to work in key areas including human nutrition; through the International Egg Nutrition Centre (IENC), the environment; through the Global Initiative for Sustainable Eggs (GISE), and poverty alleviation; through the International Egg Foundation (IEF). I am passionate about advancing the knowledge and understanding of the power of the egg to benefit peoples around the world in both developed and developing environments.

As Chief Operating Officer of the World Egg Organisation (WEO) I work to execute the company vision, and to provide the link between strategy and operations. My responsibilities include the planning, implementation and evaluation of the association's programmes and services to meet the strategic objectives set by the Board, and to provide direction and empowerment to the operational team with the leadership and resources they need to successfully complete operational initiatives. I joined the IEC in 2010, spending four years as Business and Events Manager, before being promoted to Operations Director in 2014, Secretary General in 2015, and COO of the WEO in 2018, and thoroughly enjoy the translating of goals into accomplishments and further developing the service and reach of the WEO.

Peter van Horne is an IEC Economic Analyst and a senior farm economist at the Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands. He is Europe's premier Poultry Economist and specialises in poultry research projects for government and industry with particular focus on the economics of animal welfare, environmental protection, animal health and international competition. Peter has had a long-standing involvement with the IEC develops the Economic and Statistical service that the IEC provides to members.

Professor David Hughes was appointed as the IEC Global Food Marketing Analyst in March 2014 and brings with him a wealth of marketing experience in the food and drinks industry. David Hughes is Emeritus Professor of Food Marketing at Imperial College London and Visiting Professor at the University of Kent Business School and at the Royal Agricultural College, U.K. The IEC is extremely honoured to have David as part of the team. He is a much sought-after speaker at international conferences and seminars on global food industry issues, particularly consumer trends, and is a strong proponent of building vertical alliances between key chain members in the food industry; farmers, life science and input companies, ingredient firms, food and beverage manufacturers, retailers and food service. David has extensive experience as an international advisory board member with food companies and financial service organisations on three continents. Energetic, engaging, humorous and insightful, David gains the very highest evaluations at seminars, conferences and board level discussions in every continent he visits. He works closely with senior management of food and beverage firms on business strategy development and with governments on food policy formulation. David's views are frequently sought by TV, radio and the printed press.

I joined the IEC team in September 2016. As Executive Secretary my role includes supporting the IEC in an administrative and secretarial capacity, as well as assisting in the co-ordination and implementation of communications for IEC, WEO and IEF, including the E-Newsletters and Social Media. Excellent customer service is a huge motivator for me, and I take great pride in my role supporting IEC management to deliver the high standards of the IEC. I bring to the IEC a wealth of information technology skills as well as a knowledge of international customs and cultures, having gained previous experience in the travel industry and working for international businesses.

I joined the IEC Team in July 2018 after re-locating to the area. My role of Accounts Manager and Executive Assistant involves responsibility for the income and expenditure allocation and payments reconciliation for all the IEC Companies. Additionally, to ensure accuracy throughout the financial records, and that all the appropriate guidelines are followed as required to assist our team of auditors. I also support with new projects within the finance area to assist the CEO and COO, and particularly enjoy helping to continuously improve financial process and efficiency within the organisation. Having spent my career in accounts and finance I bring to IEC an abundance of accounting knowledge and experience and enjoy using this to add to the further development of IEC and assisting the other members of staff.

As Global Communications Manager of the World Egg Organisation (WEO), my key function is to plan, develop and deliver strategic communications for the WEO and the International Egg Commission (IEC). My responsibilities include both internal communications with our members, as well as corporate external communications, and I thoroughly enjoy translating the accomplishments and objectives of the organisations into a diverse range of communication outputs. I joined the IEC in August 2019, having gained valuable experience of communications and public relations (PR) whilst working for a leading agricultural PR agency in the UK. I am now taking the skills and techniques learnt during this time, along with a passion for the agri-food industry, to support and enhance the IEC’s communication strategies.