AI for Food Security Forum: AI & Food Security - The Geopolitical Moment

This panel session from the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program’s AI for Food Security Forum will feature an in-depth conversation moderated by The Atlantic Staff Writer Vivian Salama, and featuring Bayer Vice President and Special Envoy for Multilateral Affairs & Sustainability Helga Flores Trejo, CSIS Senior Adviser (Non-resident) Joseph Glauber, and World Food Programme Global Head of Communications Michele Quintaglie.

The conversation will explore global agriculture-market disruptions brought by the war with Iran, following recent disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. The panel will explore the ways AI-enabled technologies can help mitigate the impacts of these shocks on global food security—and prepare food systems to withstand future disruptions. 

This conference is made possible by generous support from Google.org.

Speaker Information

Vivian Salama is a staff writer at The Atlantic. She previously reported for The Wall Street Journal where, most recently, she covered the White House. Much of Vivian’s earlier career was spent overseas as a foreign correspondent, including as Baghdad bureau chief for The Associated Press, and she has reported from more than 85 countries. Vivian is also an attorney and a member of the District of Columbia Bar. 

Helga Flores Trejo is Vice President, Multilateral & Sustainability Affairs at Bayer. A seasoned foreign policy and international development leader, she brings more than two decades of experience across government, international financial institutions, foundations, think tanks, and the private sector. At Bayer, she leads the company’s multilateral affairs strategy, advancing sustainable business models, technology and innovation. She supports the company’s geopolitical strategy and represents Bayer across key international organizations and networks, including the G20, United Nations agencies, Multilateral Development Banks, the World Economic Forum (WEF), and the Munich Security Conference (MSC). 

Before joining Bayer, she headed Open Innovation at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), where she built and scaled global partnerships to drive innovation and address development challenges. Previously, she served as Head of External Relations at IDB Invest, promoting financial inclusion initiatives with an emphasis on SMEs across Latin America and the Caribbean. Earlier in her career, she served as Executive Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation North America, advancing transatlantic dialogue on sustainable development and global affairs. She began her professional path in the German Parliament (Bundestag) as an Advisor on Development Policy and Latin America, and later served as Chief of Staff to Hamburg’s Representative to the Bundesrat and as a European Affairs Advisor. She subsequently served in Belgrade with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as a Senior Advisor. 

Helga Flores Trejo is Vice Chair of the Global Environment & Energy Commission of the International Chamber of Commerce, a Board Member of the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), a Member of the Advisory Council of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, and a Member of the World Economic Forum’s Geopolitical Advisory Group. Helga Flores Trejo holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science and International Law from Frankfurt’s Goethe University in Germany; she speaks fluently Spanish, German, English, French, and Portuguese. 

Dr. Joe Glauber is a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and currently serves as interim secretary of the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS). He is also a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a non-resident senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Prior to joining IFPRI, Glauber spent over 30 years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including as chief economist from 2008 to 2014. As chief economist, he was responsible for the department’s agricultural forecasts and projections; oversaw climate, energy, and regulatory issues; and served as chairman of the board of directors of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation. From 2007 to 2009, Glauber was the special Doha agricultural envoy at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, where he served as chief agricultural negotiator in the Doha talks. He served as economic adviser at the so-called Blair House agreement leading to the completion of the Uruguay Round negotiations and was senior economist for agriculture at the president’s Council of Economic Advisers.

Dr. Glauber received his PhD in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1984 and holds an AB in anthropology from the University of Chicago. In 2012, he was elected fellow of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association and was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole by the French government.

Michele Quintaglie joined the UN World Food Programme (WFP) as Director, Communications and Media, in September 2024. In this role she is responsible for the organization’s communications, media and brand reputation. Quintaglie joined WFP from the private sector having led teams in media, marketing, public affairs, internal communications and brand management for several prominent Fortune 500 companies. Her extensive experience spans asset management, payments, aerospace, blockchain technologies and other industries. She has served as SVP and Chief Communications Officer for Visa; Global Head of Communications for Fidelity Investments Asset Management; Global Head of External Communications and Corporate Marketing for United Technologies; and Head of Media Relations, Brand and Public Affairs for Raytheon Technologies.

Earlier in her career, Quintaglie was part of Hill & Knowlton’s global leadership team, providing corporate positioning, crisis communications, public policy and reputational analysis to its major clients. She was also the Corporate Practice leader for the firm’s U.S. Social Responsibility efforts. Quintaglie began her career at the World Food Programme. She was based in Nairobi, Kenya, where she held the role of Regional Public Information Officer during a period of high-profile emergencies from 1994-2000. She holds a BA from Villanova University, and a graduate diploma from the University of Nairobi; and has been recognized as a Rotary International and Washington Scholar. A native of Boston, Ma., and mother of two adult children, Quintaglie is based in Rome at WFP’s headquarters.