Program Council

The Agro Woman Programme Council is responsible for giving its opinion and ideas on the activities carried out within the scope of the initiative. Council meetings are held regularly; they also serve to exchange knowledge. Here, we also discuss selected issues with the participation of external experts.

Members of the Agro Woman Programme Council:

Karolina Tarnawska
President of the European Foundation to Support the Development of Rural Women “Agro Woman”

Founder and initiator of “Agro Woman”. An experienced mentor and coach. She graduated from the Faculty of Finance and Banking at the Warsaw School of Economics. She began her career at ING Bank, and in the following years held various managerial positions in finance in Poland and abroad at McDonald’s Polska Sp. z o.o., ING NV, and as a board member at Żywiec Group (part of the Heineken Group). Currently, she holds the position of Procurement Director at Pepco Group. Since 2019, she has served as Vice-Chair of the Board of the Polish Association of Sustainable Agriculture and Food, being the first and only woman on the Association’s Board. Together with the Board, she spearheads the transformation of the Association, aligning its initiatives with the challenges of developing sustainable agriculture and food production. In her previous roles, she gained recognition as a manager breaking stereotypes and redefining collaboration to build multifunctional, end-to-end focused teams—a commitment she continues in her new procurement role. A mentor in numerous programs supporting women, including Vital Voices and FutureUP. Privately, she is a mother of three daughters, and enjoys cooking and traveling

Małgorzata Bojańczyk
Vice-President of the European Foundation to Support the Development of Rural Women “Agro Woman”

Founder and initiator of “Agro Woman.” She has over 20 years of experience in implementing projects related to agriculture and rural development, and is an experienced expert in the EU Common Agricultural Policy and the European Green Deal as it relates to the agri-food sector. She began her professional career at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. In the following years, she served as a Member of the Council of Non-Governmental Organizations for the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and as Director of the Polish Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Food. She currently works as the Director General of the Polish Association of Plant Protection (PSOR). She is the author of publications in Polish and international journals on topics related to the Common Agricultural Policy, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable food production. A graduate of postgraduate programs at the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH) and Kozminski Executive Business School, as well as master’s studies at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) and the University of Bonn in Germany. She is currently undergoing certification in Systemic Business Coaching at the renowned Coaching Akademie Berlin, accredited by the European Coaching Association (ECA) and the Quality Association for Coaching and Consulting (QSA). A philanthropist, environmental advocate, and enthusiast of green living.

Monika Stanny PhD
Director, Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development, Polish Academy of Sciences

Monika Stanny conducts research in spatial economics, development economics, and demography. Her research interests include issues of socio-economic determinants of rural development. She analyses population processes, deagrarianisation, and territorial cohesion. She holds a postdoctoral degree in economics – Warsaw School of Economics, College of Business Administration, 2014, a PhD degree in economics – Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development, 2003, and a master’s degree in geography – Pomeranian Academy in Słupsk, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, 1996.

Joanna Gierulska
Agro sector manager with coaching experience

Joanna Gierulska has several years of experience in implementing aid to the agricultural sector and carrying out programmes co-financed from EU funds. For many years, she has been responsible for the development of rules for the implementation of these programmes in Poland, as well as for cooperation with the European Commission. For almost a decade she has been involved in the implementation of the EU LEADER initiative addressed to local communities in rural areas. Joanna Gierulska  is an expert in many international projects on supporting agriculture and rural development. She is a graduate of numerous training programmes and courses in management and communication. She has completed a comprehensive coaching training, which is internationally accredited for quality at the highest ACTP ICF level. She has also graduated from the Warsaw School of Economics.

Olaf Horbańczuk
Director of the Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Food in Poland

Dr. Horbańczuk has been actively involved in the development of sustainable agriculture for many years, including in his role as Agricultural and Agricultural Policy Advisor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. He holds a PhD in Food Technology from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) and Ghent University. He is a university lecturer and the author of numerous scientific and popular science publications. Expert at the European Research Executive Agency of the European Commission.

Anna Haase
Farmer – representative of the agricultural community

Co-owner of a large-scale farm in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, operated under a sustainable agriculture system. A lawyer and certification specialist at GPR Haase Farm. Member of the Polish Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Food.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION:

Bożena Bochenek
Attachée agricole Ambassade de France en Pologne

Graduate of the University of Silesia and Paris IV Sorbonne University, and a sworn translator of French. Since the beginning of her career, Bożena Bochenek has been involved in international cooperation and diplomacy activities as an official of the Polish state administration in the agricultural sector. For the past eight years, she has held the position of Agricultural Attaché at the Regional Economic Department of the French Embassy in Poland – there, she works to strengthen French-Polish cooperation in the field of agriculture.

Peggy Lantzsch
Counsellor for Food and Agriculture at the German Embassy in Poland