Lise Lykke Steffensen

Executive Director, Nordic Centre for Genetic Resources (Alnarp, Sweden)

Lise Lykke Steffensen is a farmer and an advocate for diverse and sustainable food systems.

Steffensen has had a long career in agriculture and life sciences, both in the public and private sectors. For decades, Lise Lykke Steffensen has managed research and innovation, global business units and worked at executive level in business development.

She has more than 25 years of experience in resilient agri-food systems and genetic resources at national, regional and international levels. She has been involved in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault since its inception. NordGen is one of the three Seed Vault partners and is responsible for the operational management of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Lise Lykke Steffensen is also secretary of the International Advisory Group of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

She sits on several boards, panels and think tanks related to agricultural research and genetic resources, and has received several awards for her work as a leader, communicator and for her professional skills. Most recently, in May 2023, she was appointed by ECPGR as the first Chair of the European Network of Genebank Managers.