From 2021 to 2023, Dr. Rudy Rabbinge served as the chair of the IFDC board of directors. He is professor emeritus in Sustainable Development and Food Security at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He previously served as chairman of the Science Council and Partnerships of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). He is a former member of the Senate of the Netherlands Parliament and chairman of the board of trustees of the Royal Institute of the Tropics.
Rabbinge has led various missions and agricultural programs in developing countries and served as editor of several journals. He was a member of the board of trustees of four CGIAR centers and co-chair of the Inter-Academy Panel on Food Security and Agricultural Productivity in Africa. He formerly served as deputy chairman of the IFDC board and chairman of the board of trustees of the International Rice Research Institute. He holds degrees in phytopathology, entomology, theoretical production ecology, and philosophy of science from Wageningen Agricultural University.