Ottawa, Canada – The Global Alliance of Pet Food Associations (GAPFA) is pleased to announce the election of its new Board of Directors for the 2026-2028 term and its Officers for 2026-2027 at the 12th GAPFA General Assembly in Ottawa on 24 June 2026 reinforcing the organisation’s role as the global voice of the pet food industry.

GAPFA represents more than 90% of global prepared pet food production through its member associations and works to advance pet food safety, nutrition, sustainability and trade worldwide. The Alliance supports the development of global standards, engages with regulators and stakeholders, and promotes science-based information across international markets.

The newly elected leadership will continue to guide GAPFA’s work in advancing science-based policies, supporting international cooperation and promoting the production and trade of safe, nutritious and sustainable pet food. The elections reflect GAPFA’s continued commitment to bringing together expertise from across the global pet food sector to address shared scientific, technical and regulatory priorities.

Outgoing President Loretta Hunter reflected on the progress achieved during her presidency: “It has been a privilege to serve as GAPFA President during a period of continued growth and collaboration. Together, we have strengthened GAPFA’s global voice, expanded our engagement with international partners and advanced important work on pet food safety, nutrition and science-based trade. I am grateful to our Members, Board and Secretariat for their commitment and look forward to continuing to support GAPFA as Vice President Member Companies.”

Incoming President Florian Wastl thanked Loretta Hunter for her leadership and highlighted priorities for the year ahead: “I would like to sincerely thank Loretta for her outstanding leadership and dedication to GAPFA over the past year. I am honoured to serve as GAPFA President and look forward to working with our Board, members and partners to build on this strong foundation. Together, we will continue strengthening GAPFA’s role as the global voice of the pet food industry, promoting science-based policies and international collaboration that support safe, nutritious and sustainable pet food around the world.”

Sebastian Csaki, GAPFA Secretary General, welcomed the newly elected leadership: “The strength of GAPFA lies in the expertise, collaboration and commitment of its global membership. With an experienced Board, dedicated Workstream Chairs and highly engaged members across every region, GAPFA is well positioned to continue advancing science-based solutions and further strengthening the global voice of the pet food industry.”

The newly elected Board reflects GAPFA’s global membership, bringing together representatives from leading pet food companies and national pet food associations across North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa and Oceania.

The General Assembly elected the following Board of Directors, Officers and Workstream Co-Chairs to lead GAPFA’s work over the coming years:

Board of Directors (2026–2028)

• Betsy Flores, Pet Food Institute (PFI), USA
• Caio Villela França, ABINPET, Brazil
• Carlos Gonzalez, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, USA
• Michelle Lang, Pet Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA), Australia
• Chris Nash, Pet Food Association of Canada (PFAC), Canada
• Dominique Kuhlmann, Pet Food Industry Association (PFI SA), South Africa
• Florian Wastl, Mars Petcare, Belgium
• Loretta Hunter, Nestlé Purina PetCare, USA
• Milica Jevtic, FEDIAF, Belgium
• Pablo Pascual, AMASCOTA, Mexico
• Richard Brake, New Zealand Pet Food Manufacturers Association (NZPFMA), NZ

Continuing their terms on the Board are:

• Jerry May, Freshpet, USA
• Sean McNear, Blue Buffalo, USA

Officers (2026–2027)

• President: Florian Wastl, Mars Petcare
• Vice President – Member Companies: Loretta Hunter, Nestlé Purina PetCare
• Vice President – Member Associations: Chris Nash, Pet Food Association of Canada (PFAC)

GAPFA Workstream Co-Chairs (2026–2028)

Food Safety & Trade Facilitation

• Ursula Huber, Mars Petcare
• Hilke Seyffarth, Nestlé Purina PetCare

Nutrition

• Lisa Conboy-Schmidt, Nestlé Purina PetCare
• Pailin Petison, Mars Petcare

Communications

• Daniel Cosio, Mars Petcare
• Morgan Beach, Nestlé Purina PetCare

The elections took place during the GAPFA Technical Congress and General Assembly, hosted by the Pet Food Association of Canada (PFAC) in Ottawa from 21–24 June 2026. The Congress and associated meetings brought together pet food associations, industry leaders, regulators and international organisations from around the world to discuss the scientific, technical and regulatory issues shaping the future of the global pet food sector.

About GAPFA

The Global Alliance of Pet Food Associations (GAPFA) is a non-profit organization established in Belgium in 2014, representing pet food manufacturers globally. GAPFA’s vision is to improve the health and wellbeing of pets globally through access to safe, nutritious and sustainable pet food. The Alliance works to promote adherence to food safety and nutritional standards enabling manufacturers to deliver wholesome, healthy and nutritious prepared pet foods; to promote the feeding of prepared pet food to support the health and wellbeing of pets; and to develop and disseminate educational resources which highlight and enhance the benefits of human pet interaction. For further information, please visit www.gapfa.org or contact the Secretariat at info@gapfa.org.