Mars regenerative agriculture specialist joins Rainforest Alliance

Harper McConnell, who has close to two decades of experience managing agricultural sustainability initiatives at Mars and Starbucks, joined environmental nonprofit Rainforest Alliance as chief impact and growth officer on Feb. 3.

In her new role, McConnell is responsible for scaling Rainforest Alliance’s environmental and social work in farming communities and forest regions around the world and for building corporate partnerships that support those programs.

The NGO worked with more than 8 million farmers and 7,850 companies in 2024. It confers a seal that recognizes best practices that improve biodiversity, climate resilience and social equity — one that appears on more than 40,000 products.

Existing brand allies include Hershey, Kellogg’s, Nespresso, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. “I’m energized by the opportunity to work alongside the team to deepen our impact with the producers and landscapes we serve,” she said in a statement.

McConnell was most recently global vice president of sustainable sourcing at Mars, where she was primarily responsible for reducing the footprint for cocoa, the company’s single biggest emissions liability. She previously spent close to seven years working on sustainable sourcing strategies for cocoa and coffee at Starbucks. 

Early in her career, McConnell spent six years in roles with the Eastern Congo Initiative, which orchestrates public-private partnerships focused on economic development.

“This isn’t a return to the nonprofit world so much as the next step in where I can make the greatest impact,” McConnell told Trellis via email. “I’m grateful for the last decade I spent at Starbucks and Mars, which gave me deep experience across retail and [consumer packaged goods] markets, from customers to supply chains. This background helps me understand what both producers and companies need — and how to create mutually beneficial solutions for both sides.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated Feb. 12 to add a comment from Harper McConnell.