The energetic pace and market diversity in Asia have helped the region remain a global economic powerhouse. What does the future hold for a nexus of innovation, business and agriculture? Join us as we explore the dynamic forces within Asian agri-business.
The Chinese agri-food industry has changed rapidly over the past two years, especially considering the challenges related to African swine fever (ASF) and COVID-19. However, the industry remains committed to
Growing up near the rice fields and beaches of Bali, Melati Wijsen saw the impact of plastic waste firsthand, as it littered the landscape and endangered local wildlife. She was
Founded 99 years ago as a startup with three workers, Sarda Group is now one of the most reputable firms in India, with more than 25,000 team members. Its diverse
Following the global financial crisis in 2008, many Asian economies were among the first to recover. As China and other countries begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, is Asia
Business leaders are increasingly faced with the growing challenge of managing risks against a backdrop of government involvement, new food security agendas, disrupted supply chains and climate risks. Meanwhile, changes
Research Fellow, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Dr. Huiyi Cai is a member of the science and technology committee of China's Ministry of Agriculture, as well as the national feed additives and new product approval committee of experts, the national approval committee for new feed additives, and the National Commission on Gene Security.
Since the seventh iteration of China's Five-Year Plans, which are a series of social and economic development initiatives, Cai has been engaged in scientific research studying animal nutrition and feed additives. During the eighth and ninth Five-Year Plans, he presided over more than a dozen key national scientific and technological research projects, as well as the National Natural Science Foundation of China, several international cooperation projects and more.
During the 10th Five-Year Plan, Cai was responsible for the national science and technology research project. He completed research on key technologies for high-quality, environmentally sound feed production, and he also participated in the national public infrastructure project, a study on biological safety standards for feed and some Natural Science Foundation projects.
Cai's years of experience and scientific research have made him a famous expert in the fields of animal nutrition requirement parameters, vitamin nutrition and animal immunity, animal micro-ecology nutrition and the application of technology in feed additives. He has accumulated many important scientific and technological achievements, including patents for inventions and the Scientific and Technological Progress Award, the result of his advanced scientific research.
Cai holds a doctoral degree in animal nutrition
Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, Tequ Investment Group
Tang Jianyuan is the co-founder and vice chairman of Sichuan Tequ Investment Group. His responsibilities include purchasing and incorporating new technologies. Under his leadership, Tequ set up a trading business unit to build an agri-industrial exosphere that could allow the company to serve as a platform for providing healthy food to the populace.
Jianyuan is also a senior animal husbandry veterinarian and is the owner of EMBA.
Head of External Affairs and Sustainability, Asia-Pacific, Corteva Agriscience
Elizabeth Hernandez leads Corteva Agriscience’s external engagement strategy in the Asia-Pacific region. She advances the company’s brand and reputation, develops strategic relationships with governments and other stakeholders across the food and agriculture ecosystem, and manages Corteva’s sustainability initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region.
Hernandez has more than 25 years of experience in Asia, mostly with multinational corporations, including GlaxoSmithKline, Hewlett-Packard, Facebook and DuPont (now Corteva Agriscience). She is also an accomplished tech entrepreneur who helped pioneer broadband connectivity for travelers in Asia. A recognized thought-leader, Hernandez speaks frequently on sustainability, the empowerment of women and creating shared value.
Hernandez served for two terms on the Board of Governors for the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. She currently serves on the boards of WOMAG (Women in Agri-Business) and the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL), a global partnership for digital inclusion funded by the U.N. Foundation and the Gates Foundation, among others. She is also a founding member of KeyNote Women Speakers, a global platform that advocates for gender diversity on the world’s stages.
Hernandez received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of the Philippines and studied at the American University School of International Service in Washington, D.C. She lives in Singapore with her husband and three children.
Chief Executive Officer, Rabobank Singapore
Based in Singapore, Harjan Kuiper is responsible for the overall management of Rabobank’s offices in Singapore and Malaysia, as well as for the wider southeast Asia region, as Singapore is the hub for clients in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Kuiper has more than 20 years of experience in banking and finance, most notably in investment and portfolio management, markets and trade finance. He started his career with Rabobank in London and subsequently took on various key management positions in Dublin, Ireland; Utrecht, the Netherlands; and New York. He most recently served simultaneously as the head of markets in North America at Rabobank New York and as chief executive officer for Rabo Securities USA, Inc.
Kuiper received a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Technology in Delft and a master's degree in business administration from NYU Stern in New York
Unit Head, Agribusiness Investment Team, Asian Development Bank
Martin Lemoine is the agri-business investment unit head at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Singapore, where he leads private-sector investments in food and agri-business across Asia and the Pacific.
Lemoine has 20 years of experience in his field, including 15 years of investing in Asia. He has led equity and debt financings to agricultural input companies, corporate farms, food processors, and logistics and distribution companies in 15 Asian countries. He manages a team of bankers that expands every year.
Prior to joining ADB, Lemoine was an investment banker with the Macquarie Group infrastructure team in Singapore. He started his career as a McKinsey consultant in Paris. He received a master's degree in business administration from the Wharton School, where he was a Palmer Scholar, as well as additional master's degrees from ESSEC Business School and Sciences Po in France.
Asia Marketing Manager, Alltech
Apple Lu Zhang is the Alltech Asia marketing manager. Her responsibilities include driving sales through marketing activities across all species in the region. She graduated from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences with a master's degree in animal nutrition.
Before joining Alltech, Zhang worked with Asia Agri-Business Consulting, helping international corporations establish business operations in the Asia-Pacific region. She joined the Alltech China marketing team in 2011 as the ruminant marketing coordinator, aligning Alltech's technical and marketing programs with the needs of its customers. In 2015, she took on the role of Alltech China marketing manager. She also has represented Alltech as the international corporate director for China's Animal Health and Food Safety Alliance.
Director of Agri-Business Investment, Temasek
Dheeraj Mehta joined Temasek in 2010 and currently serves as the director of the agri-business investment team, which is responsible for investments across the ag and food value chains.
Mehta was initially part of the investment team based in India. He moved to Singapore in 2015 and has been involved in Temasek’s efforts in the agri-business sector there since the team's inception. Over his last 10 years at Temasek, Mehta has led numerous investments across various sectors, including agri-business, financial services and industrials. He currently serves on the board of VoloAgri and Pivot Bio.
Prior to joining Temasek, Mehta was part of the M&A team at Rothschild. He received a master's degree in business administration from the Indian Institute of Management and a bachelor's degree in engineering with a focus on computer science from Delhi Institute of Technology.
Senior Analyst, Rabobank
Pan Chenjun is the executive director of RaboResearch Food and Agribusiness for Rabobank, based in Hong Kong. Since joining Rabobank in 1998, she has focused on researching China’s agricultural sectors. She is recognized as an expert in the animal protein sector, with a specialty in China.
Pan is the author of many publications, including "Convertible Bonds and State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring"; "The Pork Supply Chain: The U.S. and China"; "The Development of China’s Feed Industry"; "The Competitiveness of China’s Meat Industry"; and a series of industry overviews looking at China’s agricultural sectors, which was published by Rabobank.
Pan received a master's degree in enterprise restructuring from the Management School of Maastricht in the Netherlands and a bachelor's degree in foreign trade from Shanghai Jiaotong University.
CEO and Managing Director, Sarda Group
Shrirang Sarda received a degree in commerce from BYK College of Commerce and a master's degree in business administration from Simon Business School at the University of Rochester in 1996. He joined the Sarda Group family business in 1996, where he has played a key role in diversifying the business. He was instrumental in establishing Sarda Farms, a world-class dairy farm, and setting up its distribution of chilled milk. He also established Yogi Ayurvedic Products Private Ltd., a leading GMP-certified company engaged in manufacturing ayurvedic products.
Sarda oversaw the launch of Apple Country Manali, one of the most popular hotels in Manali, India. As director of TLC Relationship Pvt. Ltd., a leading customer relationship management (CRM) services company for the hospitality industry, he contributed to the technology aspect of CRM services. He also developed the first shopping center for the Indian city of Nashik. Known as The Zone, the center integrates retail, entertainment and leisure for the first time to attract national retailers to the city.
Sarda serves in many capacities for a variety of charitable, philanthropic and community institutions and causes. He is the chairman of City Centre Mall Pvt. Ltd., a 550,000-square-foot shopping center in Nashik. He is also a trustee of Shriman Kisanlal Sarda Pratisthan, which runs the Rasbihari International School, one of the lowest-cost International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP) schools in the world.
Sarda serves the community of Vipassana as a trustee of both the Mitra Vipassana Academy and the Dhamma Bodhi Vipassana center. He also serves as a trustee for Seeds of Awareness, an non-governmental organization (NGO) whose efforts are focused on gender and sexuality.
Managing Partner, Bluegrass Partners
John Young Simpson is an entrepreneur and agri-business investment professional with extensive international experience. He is a managing partner of Bluegrass Partners Asia, which provides advisory services to agri-business companies and their financiers in deal structuring, commercial strategy, operations and government relations.
Based in Singapore for over a decade, Simpson was part of a team that invested more than $600 million of equity and debt into the agri-business supply chain in Asia and Africa on behalf of institutional, strategic and high-net-worth investors. He also provides policy input on global initiatives for responsible and sustainable agriculture investing, particularly for the United Nations Committee on World Food Security and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
Simpson is currently a director on the board of the Women in Agri-Business (WOMAG) Asia association, as well as at the Rice Council of Tanzania. He received a master's degree from the London School of Economics and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s General Management Program.
Executive Secretary-General, China Animal Health and Food Safety Alliance
Dr. Sun Zhongchao is a doctor of preventive veterinary medicine. He is also the first doctor with a specialty in animal welfare in China.
Zhongchao organized the creation of the first domestic farm animal welfare standards and scientific evaluation system in the country. He also helped compile the nation's first animal welfare textbook, "Introduction to Animal Welfare," and promoted the addition of animal welfare-related content to the question bank of China's veterinary exam. He has also played a role in drafting the country's first domestic animal welfare industry standards, the publication of the general principles for the evaluation of animal welfare and more.
Zhongchao has served in several prominent industry roles, including secretary-general of the National Alliance for Animal Health and Food Safety Innovation; secretary-general of the medical committee of the China Equestrian Association; and deputy secretary-general of the healthy breeding and animal welfare branch of the Chinese Society of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine.
Chairman and President, Ground Group
Dr. Gao Tianzeng is the chairman and president of Ground Group. He also serves as the vice president of the China Feed Industry Association and president of Henan Feed Industry Association. He has been listed as one of the 30 most respected private entrepreneurs in the Henan province of China.
Tianzeng received his doctoral degree from China Agricultural University.
Founder, Bye Bye Plastic Bags and YOUTHTOPIA
Melati Wijsen is a 19-year-old full-time changemaker from Indonesia. She co-founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags when she was 12 years old with her younger sister and has been leading the movement, which is driven by youth, since 2013. She also started the people's movement One Island One Voice, as well as the social enterprise, Mountain Mamas.
Wijsen has spoken on world stages, such as TED and the U.N., and was selected as one of Forbes' top ten most inspiring women in the country. She received her high school diploma from the Green School, graduating a year early, and has since been honored by TIME as one of the most influential teens in the world. She has also been included in the CNN Heroes Young Wonders and Forbes' 30 Under 30 lists.
Today, Wijsen is excited about her new youth empowerment project, YOUTHTOPIA, which empowers youth through meaningful, short peer-to-peer programs and provides them the tools they need to become young changemakers themselves.
President of Asia, Alltech
Based in Beijing, China, Jonathan Forrest Wilson, president of Asia, is responsible for leading Alltech’s strategy within the world’s largest feed market.
With more than 25 years of experience living and working throughout the Asia-Pacific and Oceania region, Wilson’s career has focused on leading industrial businesses and agribusinesses to help them reach their full potential. He has led businesses with operations on every continent, developing and executing growth-focused transformation strategies, including cross-border mergers and acquisitions, sales, product development, capital projects and technology initiatives in both emerging and developed markets.
Prior to joining Alltech, Wilson was chief operating officer and an executive director of GODACO Seafood in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He was also senior advisor to Navis Capital Partners Private Equity in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Previously, he was group CEO and a board member of Hong Leong Industries, a
Malaysia-based, publicly traded industrial conglomerate with $1.4 billion in sales.
Wilson joined Gold Coin Group in 2009 as chief operating officer and a member of the board, later rising to acting CEO. Gold Coin is one of the largest family-owned feed, premix, animal nutrition, shrimp genetics and poultry integrators in Asia, with sales of over $1 billion. His experience growing Gold Coin Group’s business ignited Wilson’s passion for advancing innovation in agribusiness and aquaculture. Before working at Gold Coin, he held top management positions as vice president and managing director of Asia at IMERYS and managing director of Asia at Great Lakes Chemical Corporation. He joined Unilever’s National Starch and Chemical Company in 1987.
He sits on the advisory board of Saigon A.I., a technology startup that aims to increase the participation of women in STEM fields, specifically data science and artificial intelligence. He also sits on the advisory board of Zero Waste Saigon, a startup dedicated to finding natural and innovative solutions to combat the problem of single-use waste and its impact on our environment using community engagement. Wilson is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Vietnam. He speaks French and Bahasa Malaysia, and he is a student of Mandarin Chinese.
He received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He also holds a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis on finance from Rutgers University. Wilson has been married for nearly 30 years and has two daughters, both of whom are working in agriculture and natural resources.