Gianpiero Menza

Gianpiero Menza, PhD, is an International Development Professional with expertise in business strategy, management, entrepreneurship, development finance, stakeholder engagement, and resource mobilization. He serves as Senior Manager for Partnerships & Innovative Finance at Alliance/CGIAR. In this role, Gianpiero forges strategic collaborations between the public and private sectors, cultivate and steward relationships with governmental institutions including Italy, research centers, and universities, and coordinate the Alliance and CGIAR's engagement with G7 and G20 Presidencies. He also contributes actively to global processes like the United Nations on Climate Change (UNFCCC CoP).

Gianpiero has served in senior global positions with the United Nations, and the private sector. Before being selected as Junior Professional Officer of UNDESA in 2016 and assigned to Bioversity/CGIAR in Rome (Italy), he honed his skills as a business consultant in Boston and New York (USA), and as a private sector analyst with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Geneva (Switzerland). He has demonstrated commitment to development on the ground with extensive research experience in key value chains such as cocoa, coffee palm oil, and rubber in western and eastern Africa, as well as an academic interest in mission-oriented innovation and public/private sector partnerships.

Gianpiero's achievements include conceptualizing and launching the CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform in 2022. A venture space that nurtures collaboration between scientists and entrepreneurs, driving the development, acceleration, and funding of agri-food and climate-tech solutions. Under his leadership, he manages a dynamic portfolio of global projects within this platform and a team of talented professionals.

Gianpiero holds a Master’s in “Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship” from the Bocconi School of Management, as well as a Ph.D. in “The Economics and Management of Natural Resources” with a thesis on “Unlocking the potential of cross-sector Partnerships: a shared value perspective”, completed as a Junior Visiting Fellow at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. Beyond his professional pursuits, Gianpiero has also a background as an elite athlete, competing both in sailing and triathlon.