HNK 2, Zagreb
1 — 3 June
1 — 3 June
Gladys H. Morales is Global Head of Innovation at IFAD. She leads the design and implementation of innovation initiatives and partnerships that positively impact poor rural people. She is also the Regional Ambassador in Italy of the Global Blockchain Business Council.
Prior to joining IFAD, Morales led digital transformation in Multilateral Development Banks and United Nations agencies’ projects in Latin America, Asia and Europe. She worked for the International Poverty Reduction Centre in China where she led the design of digital platforms and established the Global Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth Portal. She was also part of the management team for a digital advertising startup in Indonesia and founded her own startup in Italy.
Morales is a graduate from the Executive Program on Digital Business Leadership at Columbia Business School. She has a Master of Science in Development Economics and International Cooperation from University of Rome, Tor Vergata, and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service and International Economics from Georgetown University.
The United Nations have set a clear goal: to end world hunger by 2030 (Zero Hunger). But as the planet warms, soil conditions shift, and the global food system enters one of the most unstable periods of the modern era, it is clear that existing models are no longer enough.
Gladys H. Morales, Global Head of Innovation at the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), comes from the very heart of solutions that combine technology, artificial intelligence, and a new generation of agriculture—one that must feed the world under conditions of climate disruption. Many crops are increasingly unable to withstand drought, pollinators are disappearing, and the natural rhythms we have relied on for centuries no longer hold.
At the same time, innovations that were until recently confined to laboratories are now transforming how we grow, produce, and distribute food. In this talk, we will explore precision agriculture, regenerative methods, AI-driven solutions, and new approaches to cultivation. Because technology gives us the opportunity to make the food system more resilient, smarter, and more equitable than ever before.
