Sanne Helderman studied International Law at the Universities of Utrecht and Amsterdam. After graduation she started her career at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she gained experience at the Netherlands Embassy in Khartoum, the Netherlands Permanent Representation to the UN in Rome and the multilateral (UN/IFI) department. In these capacities she maintained a strong focus on agricultural development, food security and sustainability policies in agriculture. She continued her career at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome. At the Access to Seeds Foundation Sanne is Senior Research Lead.