KAMPALA, August 27, 2026 — World Coffee Research [WCR] Chief Executive Officer Dr Jennifer Vern Long has been named to the 2026 Forbes 50 Over 50 list, recognising her contribution to the global coffee sector.
Long was included in the Impact category after working with 11 governments and more than 200 companies across 30 countries to help establish the coffee industry’s first globally coordinated variety development programme, the Innovea Network.
“I do this work because I believe that coopetition models in science will solve some of our most consequential global challenges,” Long said.
“Coffee is facing a hard decade. That’s exactly the kind of problem worth spending your most experienced years on, and why it is such an honour to be included in the Impact category of the 2026 Forbes 50 Over 50 list.”
Long said the recognition also reflected the contribution of the businesses and governments involved in the project, as well as the scientific team that, she said, had made variety development 2.5 times faster than previously.
This year’s list is the sixth annual edition of Forbes’ 50 Over 50, which recognises people aged 50 and above who are making an impact across different sectors.
The Impact category also includes actor and entrepreneur Jennifer Garner, Wikimedia Foundation Chief Executive Officer Bernadette Meehan, and Miami Herald journalist Julie K. Brown, who received a Pulitzer Prize for her investigative reporting on the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.
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