Jane Pettigrew has worked in tea since 1983. She became a writer, trainer, and consultant for major institutions and tea companies.

She has spoken worldwide and trained professionals since the 1990s. She served as Director of Education at the UK Tea Academy from 2015 to 2025.

She published 17 books and received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2026.

Marietta Bantchev is a linguist and academic, President of the UNESCO Community Association since 2014. She began her career as a French teacher in Sofia before joining the University of St. Kliment Ohridski.

She conducts research in cultural history at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. Mrs. Marietta Bantchev has organized and moderated major international cultural events at UNESCO, highlighting intangible cultural heritage and the role of women in modern society.

She has taken part in numerous international conferences, round tables, and events on intercultural dialogue, women's creativity, peace, language education, and the role of youth in heritage preservation, contributing to the promotion of UNESCO’s values and programs.

Since 2022, she has organized the International Tea Day at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, in collaboration with the Franco-Chinese Cultural and Artistic Exchange Center and alongside Jeremy Tamen, ethnobotanist and tea specialist, with strong participation from Member States where tea culture plays a central role.

Alcira Cuba Povea is a founding member of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Specialty Teas from Cusco (Apetco) since 2013 and a specialist in specialty teas from Cusco.

For 19 years, she has developed rural tourism and the tea sector in the Amazonian Andes. She founded Ecotur Huayopata to pass on tea knowledge and train younger generations.

In 2017, she received a national award for her impact and local commitment. Her artisanal teas, produced locally, have received several international awards.

Wouter Verelst lived in Malawi for 7 years before setting up the Satemwa Europe branch in Belgium. He develops direct trade and manages tea projects between Africa and Europe.

He trains tea professionals through international education programs and handles logistics to ensure African teas are available in Europe.

He promotes African teas worldwide and leads tea education tours in Malawi.

Stoyan Bantchev has worked for over 30 years within UNESCO’s External Relations Sector. He currently serves as a United Nations expert and geopolitical advisor in Paris at UNESCO-Unesco community Association. He holds several key positions, including:

• Responsibility for relations with Europe and North America.
• Leads the Executive Office of External Relations and several major programs.
• Oversees the Participation Programme and UNESCO scholarship programs.
• Implements international projects in education, science, culture, and communication.
• Coordinates scholarship programs with China, Korea, Japan, and other countries.
• Contributes to international cooperation and sustainable development between nations.

Acted as moderator, trainer, and speaker across multiple continents. Organized a major UNESCO scholarship event in 2019 with strong institutional participation.

Jeremy Tamen is a tea expert, trained ethnobotanist, specialist in the sensory analysis of plant-based raw materials, and Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit.

His expertise and interdisciplinary approach cover tea terroirs, their aromatic and cultural dimensions, and the transmission of knowledge. As a lecturer, he develops academic programs dedicated to tea in France and works as a trainer, speaker, and consultant in France and internationally. Expert in missions conducted with and for UNESCO – UNESCO Community Association.

Committed to promoting tea as a living cultural heritage across the entire value chain. Collaborates with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Peru, China, and other tea-producing regions. Recognized by UNESCO – UNESCO Community Association for his work in safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of tea.

Appointed in 2024 as a member of the Chinese Tea Experts Committee in Paris. His commitment to tea-producing regions has been recognized with an official medal in the district of Huayopata, Peru, honoring his work with producers and value chains. Signatory of the first Sino-French cultural agreement dedicated to the dialogue between Chinese tea and French wine, affirming his role as a link between cultures and know-how.

A pioneer in the revival of French tea, Johnny Guichard has spent the last two decades breathing new life into the historical plantations of Grand Coude. In 2005, he founded "Le Labyrinthe En-Champ-Thé" to protect a unique heritage that had nearly disappeared from Réunion Island.

On March 22, 2025, his lifelong commitment was officially recognized at the UNESCO Palace in Paris. The UNESCO Community Association awarded him a certificate of honor for his exceptional work in safeguarding the living heritage and cultural legacy of tea in Grand Coude, ensuring the transmission of this unique craftsmanship.

Today, he manages his land under certified organic standards, focusing on the preservation of the island's agricultural history. For Johnny, the Labyrinthe is a place of sharing, where he invites visitors to discover the journey of tea through his favorite motto:
"From the tree to the cup."

Gwénolé Coppel is the founder of TEA & TY, an independent tea house established in Rennes in 2013 and later developed as a franchise in Paris and Saint-Malo. For more than thirteen years, he has built his project around a clear idea: placing taste at the center and offering a simple, accessible understanding of tea.

With a background in commerce and distribution, he selects flavored teas and origin teas for their aromatic accuracy and consistency, with particular attention to terroirs and production methods. His work involves both selection and explanation.

Trained in pastry, he has also explored the use of tea as an ingredient, developing new ways to express its aromatic profiles.

Through workshops, themed tastings, and trips to tea-producing regions, he promotes an open and educational approach: origin tea is not only meant to be tasted, but to be understood and shared.

Kalu Arachchige Mahesh Kumara Jayawardena, born on 30th December 1969, is the Tea Commissioner of Sri Lanka. With more than 25 years of distinguished service in the plantation and tea industry, he has been a driving force in policy-making, regulation, and development initiatives that safeguard and strengthen Sri Lanka’s tea sector.

Mr. Jayawardena began his career at the Ministry of Plantation Industries in 1999 as a Plantation Monitoring Officer, before joining the Sri Lanka Tea Board in 2004. Rising through the ranks, he now leads the nation’s tea industry as Tea Commissioner, overseeing regulation of tea factories, exporters, and dealers, ensuring compliance with Good Manufacturing and Good Handling Practices, and enforcing the Tea Control Act and Tea Tax and Control Act. His work also extends to quality management, export regulation, and industry development.

He holds a Bachelor of Agriculture from the University of Peradeniya and multiple postgraduate qualifications in business administration, science, and tea manufacture. His expertise has been recognized internationally, with advanced training in India and China, where he was awarded the prestigious Tea Master Certificate in 2013. Since 2012, he has also contributed to education as a visiting lecturer at the National Institute of Plantation Management.

Through his leadership, technical expertise, and dedication, Mr. Jayawardena continues to uphold Sri Lanka’s reputation as a global leader in tea production and trade.

洪崇倫為產業世家第四代茶師，同為甘澍 Rhéos & Raintea品牌創辦人，延續家族書誌中「甘 澍」所寓之及時雨意，回應茶文化於時代中的流動與生成。 長年專注於高山茶製程、感官品評與風味判讀。並以台灣茶業改良場之感官品評訓練為基礎， 疊合現代設計美學，將台灣四季地景、哲學與島嶼文學，轉譯屬於福爾摩沙的茶金感官旅程。 創辦人更是贏得兩岸茶藝師大賽冠軍的茶人，所創立的品牌茶品，在巴黎與英國等世界國際 賽事中大放異彩。更以屢獲國際肯定的茶品與獨特的茶席美學，接待全球媒體與國際精品品 牌貴賓，使台灣茶文化持續飄香國際。

Hung Chung-lun is a fourth-generation tea master and the founder of Rheos & Raintea. Drawing from his family’s archival chronicles of Gan Shu (甘澍), signifying "timely rain," he reinterprets the historical fluidity and evolution of tea culture for a modern audience.

By synthesizing years of high-mountain craftsmanship with rigorous sensory training from the Taiwan Tea Research and Extension Station (TRES), Hung elevates tea into a multi-dimensional dialogue. His practice weaves the textures of the Taiwanese landscape with philosophy and literature, translating the spirit of Formosan tea into an immersive sensory journey shaped by contemporary design.

A distinguished tea master and champion of the Cross-Strait Tea Master Competition, Hung has garnered international acclaim for his teas in Paris and the UK. His expertise and sophisticated tea aesthetics have established him as a premier collaborator for global media and international luxury brands, projecting the refined essence of Taiwan’s tea legacy onto the world stage.