Alejandro Gil

Alejandro serves as leader of sustainability for Compañía Nacional de Chocolates/Cordillera Chocolates, guiding the company's effort to build a better cocoa sector in Latin America, where the company operates. His role involves leading the training and experimental farms, producing high-quality planting material (cacao and forest tree species), and directing hundreds of alliances with farmers' organizations. Alejandro also leads the applied agricultural research program and agricultural extension strategies. Alejandro is a proud Fulbright scholar from the Cacao for Peace Program (USDA-USAID).

He holds a Ph.D. in Education, Development, and Community Engagement from Penn State University, where he also graduated with a dual-title master's degree in Agricultural and Extension Education and International Agriculture and Development. His research focused on understanding what explains the adoption of innovations among cocoa farmers and the evaluation of cocoa programs. Alejandro lives in Medellin with his wife and two daughters.