Nelli Hajdu joined Starch Europe in 2025 as Managing Director. Prior to this, she served as Secretary General of CELCAA (the European Liaison Committee for Agricultural and Agri-Food Trade), representing key food sectors engaged in international trade, including cereals, dairy, meat, and processed food products.

She is also the co-founder of NAERO Consulting, a boutique consultancy specialising in agri-food trade and market access. Earlier in her career, she was Secretary General of SHAFFE – The Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters (2020–2022) and Director for Trade Policy at Freshfel Europe (2015–2022), focusing on trade facilitation, SPS measures, and market access.

Nelli holds a postgraduate master’s degree in European Governance from the College of Europe and a master’s degree in political science and media science from Goethe University in Frankfurt a.M., Germany.”