Doug Hickey Named the Commissioner General for the USA Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Doug Hickey, most recently President and CEO of San Francisco-based BinWise, Inc., was introduced by Secretary of State John Kerry as the new Commissioner General of the USA Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015.

In this role, Hickey will lead the effort to successfully build and operate the USA Pavilion at the 2015 world's fair in Milan, Italy. Expo Milano, which will run from May 1 through October 31, 2015 with the theme "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life," will explore issues surrounding the challenge of feeding more than 9 billion people nutritiously by 2050. 

"I am particularly excited about the person who will lead the effort to demonstrate America's contribution to this effort," Secretary John Kerry said. Later adding "[Doug] has always intuitively and instinctively been able to help define the future and be ahead of the curve, and he has gravitated towards innovation in business as much as anything, which really makes him the perfect person to try to shape America's engagement next year at the Milan World Expo."

As Commissioner General, Hickey will join Friends of the USA Pavilion Milano 2015, a private consortium selected by the U.S. Department of State to organize the U.S. presence at Expo Milano. This model public-private partnership is raising funds to construct the USA Pavilion and bring to life its theme – "American Food 2.0: United to Feed the Planet" – which tells America's unique food story through topics including food security and policy, international relations, science and technology, nutrition and health, and culinary culture.

"I'm especially excited about this Expo because it's built around an issue of global importance:  How do we feed 9 billion people by 2050 in a responsible and sustainable way?" Commissioner General Hickey said. "I think our pavilion's focus on innovation in the areas of food, nutrition and sustainability will spark an important conversation at the Expo about feeding the future." 

"We welcome the appointment of Commissioner General Hickey, which highlights the importance of the U.S. technology sector's role in tackling food security challenges around the world. American innovation will be featured in the 'American Food 2.0: United to Feed the Planet' exhibit, and we know the USA Pavilion will benefit from Doug's deep insight and experience in the private sector – with both start-ups and large corporations," said Dorothy Hamilton, president of the Friends organization, a collaborative effort of the James Beard Foundation, the International Culinary Center and the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy. "Together we'll activate a global conversation about the challenges of feeding the planet, and celebrate the ingenuity, diversity and entrepreneurial spirit that have shaped America's food story and our contributions to the global food system."

Hickey has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the telecom, Internet and technology space, and spent more than a decade as the managing partner of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm.

About Friends of the USA Pavilion Milano 2015
Friends of the USA Pavilion Milano 2015, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a collaboration between the James Beard Foundation (JBF) and the International Culinary Center (ICC), in association with the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy, whose mission is to conceive, design, fundraise for, and produce the USA Pavilion and programs at Expo Milano 2015 under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State. Current partners include GE, Microsoft, Brand USA, Uvet, DuPont, illy, 3M, McKinsey & Company and FleishmanHillard.

The pavilion's management and program is directed by President Dorothy Hamilton (founder and CEO of ICC), CEO Charlie Faas, and Chief Creative Officer Mitchell Davis (EVP of JBF). Biber Architects has been selected to design the USA Pavilion, and Thinc Design is serving as USA Pavilion exhibition designer. Under the overall direction of the U.S. Department of State and in consultation with a team of experts across the science, business, technology, agriculture, sustainability, design and other fields, the Friends organization will oversee every aspect of the project.

For more information, visit: http://www.usapavilion2015.net/ and http://en.expo2015.org/.

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Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141202/161943

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SOURCE Friends of the USA Pavilion Milano 2015

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http://www.usapavilion2015.net