Mr. Ilia Kvitaishvili has over 25 years of experience in international agricultural project management with USAID, the World Bank, EU, FAO and other donors in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, with 20 years in senior level leadership roles. As a Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Georgia, Mr. Kvitaishvili led negotiations for the Sanitary/Phytosanitary chapter of the Georgia-EU Assistance Agreement and DCFTA agreements, as well as the development of Strategy for Agricultural Development, a Three-Year Action Plan. As a Founder and Program Director of the Rural and Agricultural Policy and Development Institute (RAPDI), he implements donor-financed programs and maintains an active dialogue with the GoG and other stakeholders on agricultural program design, and implementation. Mr. Kvitaishvili has a Master’s degree in Agribusiness Management and a Master-equivalent in Agronomy.