Sofia Parente
Morden,Surrey
Summary
I grew up in a farm and dedicated all my professional life to campaigns and policy to improve food, farming and recover nature. I have two decades of experience in various non-for-profits, planning and running campaigns, providing strategic oversight and operational development to programmes areas, team management, and communications for impact.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work history
Head of Policy (Food Production)
WWF-UK
Woking, Surrey
10.2024 - Current
- Lead a committed team of four and take responsibility for managing projects, programmes and portfolios across the organisation;
- Create policy that influences government and business to act on the climate and nature crisis through the production and consumption of food;
- Analyse existing and proposed policies for effectiveness and quality as well as identify new policy ideas from other contexts or locations;
- Oversee the integration of policy and advocacy priorities into on the ground delivery too. Forming links and strategic relationships with other organisations and across our global network.
Head of Local Action
Sustain
London
04.2023 - 10.2024
- Member of Senior Management Team providing strategic oversight, programme and staff management to local action projects and campaigns;
- Maintaining oversight of budgets (typically over GBP 150K and from multiple funding sources), development and fundraising with SMT and staff team, including leading and developing new areas of work, overseeing funding applications and building relationships with new and existing donors;
- Representing Sustain next to media, policy-makers and alliance organisations at a senior level.
Policy and Campaigns Coordinator
Sustain
London
11.2019 - 03.2023
- Member of leadership management team and public affairs team in Sustainable Food Places programme alongside colleagues in Soil Association and Food Matters;
- Driving local and national action on key food issues for Sustainable Food Places Network including coordinating Food for the Planet and Veg Cities campaigns;
- Developing and rolling out new pilot campaigns to network of 70+ local food partnerships with the support of a £1.5M grants programme, peer-to-peer support, coordinated action and bespoke events and training;
- Amplifying voice of SFP members at national level and advocating on specific issues where local priorities need national action through advocacy, events and campaigns;
- Line management of two members of staff and volunteers.
Campaigns Coordinator
Sustain
London
12.2016 - 11.2019
- Rolled out Sugar Smart campaign from innovative pilot in three local authority areas to nationwide impactfull campaign, supported by Jamie Oliver and with presence in over 50 places in Sustainable Food Places Network and beyond;
- Developed new pilot campaign (Veg Cities) with the support of grants, peer-to-peer support and bespoke programme of events and training.
London Food Link Officer
Sustain
London
04.2015 - 12.2016
- Coordinated Good Food For All Londoners report benchmarking action on good food action and policy by all 33 London boroughs in collaboration with partner organisations and Greater London Authority;
- Managed Cage-Free Capital campaign which aimed at securing commitments from major visitor attractions to only serve cage-free eggs in catering and events.
International Programme Manager
World Animal Protection
London
10.2010 - 03.2015
- Developed new international campaign to support the transition of World Animal Protection to a global animal welfare campaigning organisation with offices in 16 different countries worldwide. This included delivering global strategy in collaboration with regions, develop and deliver campaign tools, creative angles and supporter actions;
- Provided support to development of global and regional strategies and campaigns in North America, Europe and Latin America;
- Planned and managed international research on humane and sustainable agriculture and links between animal welfare and environmental impacts, freshwater use and food security;
- Represented the organisation in meetings with the food industry, other NGOs, policy-makers and research organisations.
International Campaigns Manager
World Society for the Protection of Animals
London
05.2007 - 09.2010
- Planned, developed and managed international campaign to phase-out long-distance transport of live farm animals for slaughter;
- Line managed one member of staff (Programmes Officer) and volunteers;
- Managed budgets, monitored and evaluated campaign outcomes;
- Developed and maintained excellent working relationships with external stakeholders and represented WSPA at external meetings, conferences and events.
Coordinator
Pesticide Action Network-Europe
London and Brussels
04.2005 - 05.2007
- Overall coordination of network consisting of consumer, public health, women's and environmental organisations, trade unions, development and sustainable farming groups and farmer associations, which collaborate to prevent hazards and damage to people and the environment caused by pesticides;
- Line management of one member of staff (Campaign Coordinator), contracting and management of consultants;
- Coordinated advocacy work and represented the organisation in stakeholders events and conferences;
- Coordinated, nurtured and developed network of over 30 member organisations across Europe;
- Prepared and submitted funding proposals and reports to donors and information for newsletters and briefings;
- Maintained key administrative tasks such as organisation and minute-taking of Board and Working Groups meetings and coordinated the organisation of annual conference.
Policy and Communications Officer
Liga para a Protecção da Natureza
Lisbon
10.2002 - 01.2005
- Policy and communications work in biodiversity, water management and sustainable agriculture, at League for the Protection of Nature, long-standing Portuguese environmental Non-Governmental Organisation;
- Analysed and formulated comments regarding Environmental Impact Assessments, environmental policies and specific projects with environmental impacts;
- Fundraised and organised events such as workshops and roundtables;
- Managed environmental awareness campaigns and projects;
- Edited the quarterly magazine, and the fortnightly newsletter.
Research assistant
Instituto Superior de Agronomia
Lisbon
01.2001 - 05.2002
- Project FAIR6-CT 98-4111 Propriété et gestion communale et leur implications pour le développement rural des zones périphériques, joint project by Instituto Superior de Agronomia (Lisbon, Portugal)/Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (Santiago de Compostela, Spain)/MacCauly Land Use Research Institute (Aberdeen, UK);
- Designed and carried out field questionnaires, organised databases, co-ordinated case studies of common property and assessed the importance and limitations of common property management for rural development and the conservation of natural resources.
Education
Master of Science - Agricultural Engineering (Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology)
Universidade Técnica de Lisboa
Lisbon07.2001
Bachelor of Science - Exchange program Socrates/Erasmus
Royal Vet and Agricultural University of Denmark
Copenhagen07.1999
Skills
- Chair of Friends of Moreton Green and Woodland;
- Participant in Merton’s Child Healthy Weight Steering Group;
- School Governor at St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School in Morden;
- Trustee of the Eating Better Alliance from 2016 to 2020;
- Represented Pesticide Action Network Europe and the European Environmental Bureau at the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) Stakeholders Platform from May 2006 to June 2007;
- Elected for two years the Portuguese representative in the Executive Board of the European Environmental Bureau/Bureau Européen de l’ Environnement, European federation of Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations based in Brussels from 2003 to 2005
Timeline
Head of Policy (Food Production)
WWF-UK
10.2024 - Current
Head of Local Action
Sustain
04.2023 - 10.2024
Policy and Campaigns Coordinator
Sustain
11.2019 - 03.2023
Campaigns Coordinator
Sustain
12.2016 - 11.2019
London Food Link Officer
Sustain
04.2015 - 12.2016
International Programme Manager
World Animal Protection
10.2010 - 03.2015
International Campaigns Manager
World Society for the Protection of Animals
05.2007 - 09.2010
Coordinator
Pesticide Action Network-Europe
04.2005 - 05.2007
Policy and Communications Officer
Liga para a Protecção da Natureza
10.2002 - 01.2005
Research assistant
Instituto Superior de Agronomia
01.2001 - 05.2002
Master of Science - Agricultural Engineering (Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology)
Universidade Técnica de Lisboa
Bachelor of Science - Exchange program Socrates/Erasmus
Royal Vet and Agricultural University of Denmark