Lorena Basso will become the first female president of the International Seed Federation (ISF) in 2026 according to a release. Basso was elected as the second vice president during the ISF General Assembly held on June 7, 2023, during the World Seed Congress in Cape Town, South Africa.
Due to the line of succession, Basso, an Argentinian seed business leader, will become the president of ISF of 2026, after the current first vice president, Arthur Santosh takes on the role in 2024, succeeding current ISF President Marco van Leeuwen.
Basso will be the first female president in ISF’s history. Currently, she is the CEO of Basso Semillas, a family-owned business in Buenos Aires. Having completed her MBA prior, she joined the family company as the commercial director in 2000 and has served as CEO since 2011. Basso was also the first female president of the Argentinian Seed Association (ASA) and the regional Association, Seed Association of the Americas (SAA).
In an interview with Seed World prior to the 2023 Congress, Basso said, “My last name has opened some doors, I’m sure, but then to prove you can sit in that seat, you need experience and talent. You don’t have to be a man. You have to be yourself.
“When I was the only woman in the room, particularly as a young woman, sometimes you can say something and no one hears you,” she continued. “That happened more many years ago, but now when we have more women in the room, we can help each other. It’s good to not be the only one.”
With files from Melissa Shipman.
