Barbara della Rovere is the Community Manager of the Innovation Champions Network at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Innovation Champions Network is an internal community that connects colleagues across FAO who are interested in innovation, helping them exchange ideas, share practical solutions, build partnerships and mainstream a stronger culture of innovation across the Organization.

Before joining FAO, Barbara founded her own company designing bags made from fish leather. Through this work, she collaborated closely with communities of women in southern Brazil who produced the leather, combining design, local craftsmanship, circular economy principles and women’s economic empowerment.

In her current role, Barbara brings together her experience in innovation, communications and sustainable design to support emerging ideas across FAO. Through the Innovation Champions Network, she helps give visibility to innovative projects linked to sustainable fibres and circular bioeconomy, while identifying opportunities to connect them with partners, expand their reach and support their scale-up. Her work focuses on building bridges between people, ideas and practical solutions that can contribute to more sustainable and inclusive agrifood systems.