Our Board of Directors

Henrik Wegener brings to the Board of Directors more than thirty years’ experience in epidemiology of infectious diseases. His research on antimicrobial resistance and infectious Diseases from a One Health perspective has contributed to the development of national, European, and global programmes for monitoring and controlling antibiotic resistance in the farm-to-fork chain. Henrik was until March 2025 Rector of the University of Copenhagen and is presently serving as full-time External Senior Advisor to the Novo Nordisk Foundation. In his former position at the National Food and Veterinary Institute Henrik Wegener was co-responsible for the establishment of DANMAP, the Danish Programme for surveillance of antimicrobial consumption and resistance in bacteria from food animals, food, and humans, which today still is seen globally as a role model for surveillance in a One Health perspective.

“My research and experience have made clear the need for a one-health approach to tackling antimicrobial resistance. I am really looking forward to chairing the ICARS Board of Directors and providing governance to mobilize the important and ambitious ICARS agenda.”

As founder and Executive Director of AfriCAN and a former World Food Programme (WFP)  Chief of Gender, Isatou brings 30+ years of policy, strategy and implementation experience to the ICARS board. She has worked across sectors to establish strategic partnerships, build and coordinate multi- sectoral and multi-stakeholder platforms. She continues to work to position nutrition and women at the centre of development at all levels.

“As a nutritionist, I am pleased to be part of the ICARS board and supporting its mission as AMR and malnutrition are both cross cutting challenges, requiring multi-sectoral collaboration and solutions. I am looking forward to working on the board to among other things,  put nutrition on the agenda of AMR and AMR on the agenda of nutrition”.

Jimmy W. Smith is a dual citizen of Canada and Guyana. In February 2023, he was appointed Director of International Programs in the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources at the University of Maryland, College Park, USA. In this capacity, he oversees the College’s international research, extension, training, and other development efforts.

Previously, Dr. Smith served as Director General of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), a position he assumed in October 2011 and held until December 2022. ILRI (www.ilri.org) is an international research organization in the family of CGIAR Centres working towards a food-secure world. ILRI’s work focuses on livestock research for sustainable development.

Before joining ILRI, Smith worked for the World Bank in Washington, DC, where he led the Bank’s Global Livestock Portfolio. Working at the corporate level, he anchored the bank’s investments of over one billion USD on sustainable livestock development and mitigating the threat of zoonotic diseases with pandemic potential.

Before his tenure at the World Bank, Smith held senior positions at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). At CIDA, he was responsible for the Agency’s bilateral and multilateral support for agriculture and rural development, including its partnerships with FAO, IFAD, WFP and the CGIAR. Still earlier in his career, Smith worked at ILRI and its predecessor, the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA), where he served as the institute’s regional representative for West Africa. Before his decade of work at ILCA/ILRI, Smith held senior positions in the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI-HQ in Trinidad & Tobago) and Guyana for the Ministry of Agriculture and the Livestock Development Company.

Jimmy Smith is a graduate of Tuskegee University (BSc.) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, where he completed MSc and PhD degrees in animal sciences. He is widely published, with more than 100 publications, including papers in refereed journals, book chapters, policy papers, and edited proceedings.

“As the whole world grapples with the urgent challenges of COVID 19  and climate change, we should not let the risk of Antimicrobial Resistance fall off the table. It is also urgent and compelling everywhere but particularly in developing countries where efforts to respond lag to those in developed countries with greater financial and institutional means. It is in this context that I am very pleased to be see ICARS coming to fruition as it will be a shot in the arm to the responsiveness of low and middle income countries on AMR. I am equally pleased to be asked to serve on ICARS inaugural Board” 

Dr. Renu Swarup brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to support us in our mission of tackling antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries. In her almost 30-year career at the Department of Biotechnology, Renu played a key role in the formulation of India’s Biotechnology Vision and Strategy and is credited with the establishment of India’s largest Microbial Resource Centre.

“It is a pleasure to join the ICARS Board. I look forward to the very important work being undertaken on developing and implementing AMR action plans in LMICs. AMR is a silent pandemic that needs global attention and ICARS’ vision and mandate aims to do that.”

Mr. Thanawat Tiensin was elected as Chairperson of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) on October 18, 2019.

As the Permanent Representative of Thailand to the UN Agencies in Rome, he has taken on other responsibilities such as Vice Chairperson of the 41st FAO Conference, Chairperson of the Asia Regional Group, Bureau member of the FAO Committee on Agriculture (COAG), Bureau member of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA), Bureau member and Rapporteur of the Plenary Assembly of Global Soil Partnership (GSP), Bureau member of the G77 & China, and Vice Chairperson and Member of the FAO Council in 2018.

Mr. Tiensin was a former Assistant Director General and Senior Expert on International Livestock Trade and Cooperation at Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. He has worked for international development programmes in various technical areas such as agriculture, livestock, food security and food safety, international trade, and capacity building of veterinary service related issues with FAO, ADB, APHCA, EU, IAEA, and OIE in several countries including DPR Korea, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, and Thailand.

With over 50 academic publications, he also provides lectures and technical services for various national and international universities and institutions. Mr. Tiensin has a Ph.D. in Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics from Utrecht University, The Netherlands and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) from Kasetsart University, Thailand.

Shobha Shetty, PhD, is the Global Director for Agriculture and Food Global Practice at the World Bank. She leads the institution’s global work to help countries confront rising hunger and malnutrition, respond to the climate and biodiversity crises, and unlock better jobs through innovation and agribusiness investments. In this capacity, she directs the Bank’s strategy, partnerships, and operations to build food systems that are more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive.

“Serving on the ICARS Board represents a unique opportunity to bridge development finance with antimicrobial resistance solutions, particularly in agricultural systems where World Bank investments intersect with AMR challenges. What I value most about ICARS is its commitment to co-developing solutions with countries rather than imposing external frameworks. This partnership model is exactly what we need to address AMR at scale and ensure impact where it is most needed.”

Previously, Dr. Shetty served as Agriculture and Food Practice Manager in both Africa and South Asia, and as Practice Manager for Global Partnerships and Resource Mobilization in the Social, Urban, Rural, and Resilience Global Practice. She has also held leadership roles in the East Asia and Pacific and Middle East and North Africa regions, bringing extensive operational and policy experience across diverse contexts.

Her work spans food systems resilience, sustainable agriculture, and nutrition, with emphasis on digital innovation, irrigation and water management, and women’s and youth empowerment. She has also been a Visiting Fellow at Cornell University’s Tata-Cornell Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative and at the International Water Management Institute.

Dr. Shetty holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Anna University and Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University.