To kick start our conversations with Women in Sustainability, Emily sits down with Frances Seymour, one of the world’s foremost authorities on sustainable development. They discuss what it’s like to be a woman working in the field, how the role of women in sustainability is changing and offer some advice for future female leaders.
Frances has been a Distinguished Senior Fellow at WRI since 2017, where she has been conducting research and writing on forest and governance issues. This has included advising WRI leadership on major initiatives including Global Forest Watch, the Global Restoration Initiative, the Food and Land Use Coalition, and Cities4Forests.
Before that she served for six years in Indonesia as the Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). Her achievements at CIFOR included the development and implementation of a new organization-wide strategy, positioning CIFOR as a leader on policy research and convening related to forests and climate change. In 2012 the Government of France awarded her the rank of Officier in the prestigious Order of Agricultural Merit, in recognition of her leadership and accomplishments in the field.