The World Food Prize Foundation

World Food Prize Foundation Pays Tribute to Sir Gordon Conway

08/09/2023

On behalf of all of the World Food Prize Laureates, our Board of Directors and Council of Advisors, the World Food Prize Foundation extends its deepest condolences to the family of Sir Gordon Conway, who passed away on July 30.

“With a legacy spanning more than a decade, Sir Gordon Conway was an exceptional member of the World Food Prize Council of Advisors, said Ambassador Terry Branstad, President of the World Food Prize Foundation. “His recent passing leaves a profound void, reminding us all of his invaluable contributions.”

From his field research in Borneo to the multiple leadership roles he had as President of both The Rockefeller Foundation and the Royal Geographical Society, Chief Scientific Adviser of the United Kingdom's Department of International Development and Professor at Imperial College London, Sir Gordon Conway was at the forefront of global agricultural development for over 60 years. 

Sir Gordon was a regular participant in World Food Prize Foundation programs each October, speaking on panels during the Borlaug Dialogue and interacting with students at the Global Youth Institute. Sir Gordon gave a valedictory address, An Agricultural Ecologist’s Journey, at the 2018 Borlaug Dialogue, in which he shared the many lessons he learned and taught to others about sustainable agriculture.

Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, President Emeritus of the World Food Prize Foundation, who had the honor to work with Sir Gordon for over 15 years, said, "As one of the very first distinguished international leaders I invited to join the World Food Prize Council of Advisors, Sir Gordon played an absolutely essential role in providing critical intellectual leadership to our Borlaug Dialogue, referring to it as 'the premier conference in the world on global agriculture.' Sir Gordon Conway will forever have an exalted place in the pantheon of great international leaders who inspired and shaped the struggle to achieve global food security for all."

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