IGC Chairperson for 2023/24
Anita Katial is the Agricultural Counselor for the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Foreign Agricultural Service at the U.S. Embassy in London. She was appointed IGC Chairperson for 2023/24.
Over the past twenty-five years, Anita’s diplomatic assignments encompassed dynamic environments with responsibilities that included designing and implementing food assistance and capacity-building programs in Russia, Indonesia, Egypt, and the Balkans. She worked with host nation financial institutions to enable nearly $1 billion in export credit guarantee programs, helping farmers access credit to enhance their purchases of inputs. Over the years, Anita led teams in gathering critical market data and analysis for reporting on global agricultural trade impacts of the Russia – Ukraine war and during times of civil unrest in the Middle East and Central America while furthering USG agricultural policy goals. In addition, she closely partners with U.S. industry groups and importers to promote U.S. agriculture, opening doors for U.S. food and beverage products worldwide.
Anita Katial earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Finance from Loyola University of Chicago. She attended the Institute of World Politics in Washington, DC, for Graduate studies in International Affairs and National Security Studies.
Identifying challenges for the grains traders 10.00 - 11.00
Maize 09.30 - 10.30
Secretary General, COCERAL
Iliana Axiotiades is currently the Secretary General of COCERAL, which represents European traders in agri-commodities and agrosupply, and Unistock, the European association of portside storekeepers of agri-bulk commodities.
She also acts as a Senior Advisor for Euromalt, the European trade association for the malting industry, and is Vice-President of the IGTC – the International Grain Trade Coalition, which brings together grain trade associations on all continents across the globe.
Iliana has spent most of her career in the agri-food industry, as a consultant, at the helm of the European starch industry association, and in Cargill, where she was Director of Government Relations, then Director in Business Developoment. She also led Johnson Controls’ European Government & Trade Relations Department, where she worked with the Power Solutions, Automotive and Building Efficiency businesses to promote energy efficiency policies. She was, at the time, the company Lead for the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations.
Session 4
Assistant Deputy Minister & CIO, Information Systems Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Vidya ShankarNarayan is the Assistant Deputy Minister, Information Systems Branch at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She is a forward-thinking and creative leader implementing the Digital and Data strategy to advance the growth, sustainability and competitiveness of the agriculture and agri-food sector. She plays an active leadership role in championing innovation within the agriculture sector, the Government of Canada and with international associations such as the OECD.
Over the past 25+ years, Vidya has held multiple positions in both the private and public sectors, where she encouraged experimentation and horizontal collaboration to identify new and innovative ideas, and led multiple high-profile transformation initiatives related to service delivery, digital technologies and modernization. Previously, Vidya worked at Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Employment and Social Development Canada, where she passionately focused on the digital and data economy, and service delivery, with a vision of designing and implementing simpler, efficient and human-centric services. She has also held executive positions at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Global Affairs Canada, and in the private sector at Nortel Networks and Tata Consulting Engineers. She holds a Masters degree in Architecture, specializing in Design and Technology from Carleton University.
Vidya is an active community member, participating on various boards including the World Economic Forum and the Global Blockchain Congress. She is regularly invited to national and international events to express her fresh and avant-guard perspectives on the Digital and Data economy.
In her spare time, Vidya practices yoga and is a champion for diversity and inclusion of under-represented groups.
Session 3 11.30 - 12.30
President of COCERAL
Ted Swinkels has been the President of COCERAL, the European association of trade in cereals, oilseeds, rice, pulses, olive oil, oils and fats, animal feed and agrosupply since June 2023. He is also the Managing Director of Cefetra, a global supplier of agricultural ingredients to the animal nutrition, food ingredient and energy industries based in Rotterdam. He has worked for 22 years for Cefetra, after many years in trading he has spent the last 7 years in a managerial role within Cefetra.
Session 4 14.00 - 15.00
Head of Commercial, Covantis
Sorin Albeanu has been spending the last 15 years in roles responsible for the business growth of platforms and electronic networks used for energy and commodities trading. With previous experience in electricity, gas and oil markets Sorin has joined Covantis 4 years ago at its inception and is looking after Covantis business growth and platform adoption across agri markets globally.
Head of Crop Science Digital Strategy & Crop Protection Innovation Lab, Bayer Crop Science
Stefan (Tobias) Tempel throughout his 21 years with Bayer focused on transformation. Rooted in his passion for people, agriculture and technology Stefan constantly strives to synthetize the capabilities and ideas of teams and individuals with new technologies to solve problems for growers.
Starting at Bayer with a background in Finance, Stefan Tempel early on in his career experienced the privilege to engage with various smallholder farmers in Asia. Appreciating the significant benefits that modern technologies could bring to farmer communities he transitioned to operational commercial roles in Asia before focusing globally on organizational enablement and redeployment of resources towards maximizing farmer value.
In his current role as the Crop Science Head of Digital Strategy & Crop Protection Innovation Lab, his team focuses on orchestrating digital and physical capabilities in connection with partners to drive future solutions for farmers. At the same time Stefan is honored to lead a team of young, creative, and passionate digital natives who develop novel grower solutions through the combination of IOTs, agronomic capacity, software solutions and physical components.
“Working every day with so passionate people, new technologies and growers striving for Hunger for None is incredibly thrilling and energizing”.
Director of Investment and International Development Analysis, Global Affairs Canada
Mélanie Raymond has been leading research on Foreign Direct Investment and International Development issues since 2018. Prior to this role, she worked on a variety of issues within the Government of Canada, including at the Privy Council Office, advising senior officials on key strategic files such as attracting foreign direct investment in the Canadian automotive industry. She holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Natural Resources Economics from the University of California at Berkeley.
Session 5 15.00 - 16.00
Chairman, Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture
Widely acclaimed for his transformational role in food and agriculture sector worldwide tlhrough business projects, program innovations and policy interventions, Dr. MJ Khan is the Chairman, Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture, President of International Agriculture Consulting Group and Vice Chairman of World Agriculture Forum. He is also the Founder of Agriculture Today Group and All India Farmers Alliance, a body of 40 plus large farmers organisations. Dr. Khan has been equally active on social and political fronts, having been ordinary member of various political parties from 1991-2015. Born in a village in Lakhimpur (UP), Dr. Khan obtained his graduation in agriculture from Meerut University, Meerut, MBA from AMU Aligarh and Ph.D from Prescott, UK. He has travelled over 60 counties around the world, mostly as the guest of the host country governments. Dr. Khan is also Board Member, APEDA, Ministry of Commerce and Member of NFCH, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The social initiatives and political exposure and vast global travel has provided Dr. Khan with enormous learning to social and political realities and understanding of geopolitical dynamics on one hand and the issues and workable solutions to bring about a positive change in the condition of the community on the other hand.
Head of international affairs and market access, Paraguayan Grains and Oilseeds Traders Association (CAPECO)
She is currently head of international affairs and market access at the Paraguayan Grains and Oilseeds traders’ association (CAPECO), President at Single Window Consortium (CONVUE) and member of the Paraguayan Product Exchange Commission.
She Has more than 20 years’ experience in policy-making for market access, free trade and environment agreements at national and international level.
She Deeply involved with negotiations of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Cartagena Protocol, Climate Change and other MERCOSUR bilateral trade agreements participating in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee.
She Participates at international associations such as the International Soybean Growers Alliance (ISGA), International Grain Trade Coalition (IGTC), International Oilseed Producers Dialogue (IOPD) and the Latin American Business Forum at FAO.
She Among other positions, she has been National Coordinator at Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) - Project "Support for international trade liberalization and integration Process".
President of the Ukrainian Grain Association
Mykola Gorbachov has more than 30 years of experience in the agricultural market of Ukraine. In February 2017, he was elected as the President of Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) and in 2021 was re-elected for a second term. He previously co-chaired the Grains and Oilseeds Committee of the European Business Association (EBA).
He also holds the position of Director in the trading company in Ukraine.
Wheat 11.00 - 12.00
Senior Economist, IGC
Alexander joined the IGC as an Economist in January 2016. While he is involved in most of the organisation’s activities, his major focus until recently has been on the global maize market, grains use for ethanol and ocean freight of grains and oilseeds. He has been covering the markets for wheat, durum and wheat products since December 2021. Prior to joining the IGC, Alexander spent almost a decade in consulting and investment banking spheres in Moscow, as well as trade-related diplomatic service in London.
Meteorologist, Aura Commodities Ltd
Tom Whittaker is head of Weather at Aura Commodities based in London. He leads a team that provides regular in-depth analysis and commentary on weather disruption risk across agricultural commodities to a variety of market participants. Tom expertise is on translating the impact of short, medium, and long-term weather/climate patterns and events on agricultural production. He holds a MSc in Applied Meteorology from the University of Reading.
Head of Corn, Copenhagen Merchants
Marc Myllerup is working as head of corn in Copenhagen Merchants, with a specialized focus on corn flows to Europe, the Middle East, and recent expansions into China and Saudi Arabia. Beginning his career facilitating grain trades to Scandinavia, the ARAG region, and the UK from the Baltic Sea, Marc has since developed a notable expertise in global grain and freight market dynamics. Holding a double master's degree in Risk Management and International Business, Marc is particularly passionate about the burgeoning role of the Middle Eastern market in global trade. Marc combines in-depth knowledge and strategic insight to drive forward the international commodity trade.
Chair, Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS)
Dr Seth Meyer, Chair of Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS), Chief Economist, USDA
Dr. Seth Meyer was appointed USDA’s Chief Economist in January of 2021, returning to USDA after two years. Prior to his return, Seth was a Research Professor and the Associate Director for the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri. FAPRI is well known for its agricultural policy and market analysis, being called on by Congress and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its insight into commodity production, price, farm income and trade impacts from various agricultural policies including Farm Bill proposals, trade agreements and disruptions, and crop insurance.
Dr. Meyer was previously the head of the World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB) in the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE), the agency at USDA charged with bringing together USDA resources in the assessment of crops around the world. The OCE also publishes those finding in the ‘WASDE’ report which is closely watched by agricultural markets here and abroad.
Previously, Dr. Meyer served as an economist with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and as a visiting scholar at several research institutions around the world. Dr. Meyer grew up in eastern Iowa and has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri.
Soyabeans 14.00 - 15.00
Owner, Black Silo Commodity Consulting Ltd/Fryers Reports
Dr. Rory Deverell is a Commodity consultant and owner of Black Silo Commodity Consulting Ltd. A boutique commodity research company. Rory also produces and distributes the Fryers Reports, a daily global cash market report. The Fryers Reports are distributed to 37 different countries to commercial grain trading companies.
Head of Agri Commodities Markets, Rabobank
Carlos Mera heads Rabobank’s Agri Commodity Market Research team (ACMR) out of London. He joined Rabobank in 2015, having spent over seven years at a large physical commodity trading house. Carlos has visited over a thousand farms in several countries and is an experienced crop forecaster.
Carlos supervises Rabobank’s global S/D estimates of several agri commodities, forecasts prices and carries specific research projects like crop and stock surveys. Carlos’ research assists Rabobank’s extensive commodity client base, that extends from farmers and cooperatives to traders, food processors and supermarkets. He and his team support Rabobank rural, trade and large corporate lending, commodity sales and trading, M&A and stock finance, among other relevant services for the food & agri industry.
BSc Economics from University of Buenos Aires; MSc Finance from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Session 5 Productivity and sustainability 15.00 - 16.00
Vice President, International Government and Industry Affairs, Corteva
Director for Markets and acting Deputy Director-General for Markets and International, DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Pierre Bascou is currently Director for Markets and acting Deputy Director-General for Markets and International in the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission. In these roles, Pierre oversees the promotion and expansion of Europe’s trade in agriculture and food and the strengthening of the European Union’s international cooperation to improve food security and the sustainability of the EU agricultural policy. Pierre is also responsible for promoting the competitiveness, resilience and diversity of the agricultural sector in the EU to ensure the long-term food security as part of a sustainable food system.
Doctor in Agricultural Economics (1989; Imperial College of London, UK) and agronomic engineer (1986; ESA Toulouse, FR), Pierre spent most of his career working for the European Commission in the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI).
Before being appointed as Director for Markets in 2022 and acting Director-General for International and Markets in 2023, Pierre was previously Director in charge of sustainability (DG AGRI; 2014 to 2022). Between 2010 and 2014 he was Head of the Unit responsible for Agricultural Policy Analysis and Perspectives. From 2003 until 2009 Pierre was heading the Unit in charge of the economic analysis of EU agriculture for the conception, the management and the evaluation of the Common Agricultural Policy.
Digitalisation of the grains and oilseeds sector 14.00 - 15.00
VP Business Development & Growth, Windward Marine Risk (UK) Ltd
Global Head of Partnerships, Growers Engagement and Agrichain Activation, Bayer Crop Science
Jennifer Crall is the Global Head of Partnerships - Growers Engagement & AgriChain Activation at Bayer Crop Science. She and her team are responsible for deepening Bayer’s work with global growers’ networks, the next generation of ag leaders, grain traders and the feed sector to drive the transformation of sustainable agriculture. Before coming to Bayer, Jennifer led the Public Affairs unit for a family-owned pork producer. Prior to that, she worked for nine years at the International Republican Institute, designing and evaluating assistance programs and empowering local actors around the globe to engage their governments with posts in Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq, as well as the headquarters in Washington, DC. Jennifer has also worked as a special assistant at the United States Department of State, managed a congressional race, served as deputy chief of staff to a Member of Congress, and worked on a presidential primary campaign. She holds an MBA from the University of Iowa and an undergraduate degree from Iowa State University.
South Asia Focus 15.00 - 16.00
Economic Advisor, IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Session 3 Trade finance and economic outlook 11.30 - 12.30
CEO, Unigrains
Session 6 Regional focus on Central Asian trade development 16.30 - 18.00
Member of the Board, Minister in charge of Industry and Agroindustrial Complex, Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC)
Born in the city of Yerevan (the Republic of Armenia). She graduated with honors from the Faculty of International Relations of the Yerevan State University, with the Bachelor's degree in International Relations (2007) and the Master's degree in International Law (2009).
In 2011 she graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (Austria).
From 2009 to 2014, she served in the Foreign Relations Department of the Office of the Government of the Republic of Armenia. She was in charge of coordinating the Armenian-Russian relations and was included in the Working Group on the accession of the Republic of Armenia to the Eurasian Economic Union. 2014 to 2015, she was Deputy Director of Foreign Relations Department of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Armenia. 2015 to 2016, she worked as Adviser at the Ministry of International Economic Integration and Reforms of the Republic of Armenia, where she was in charge of coordinating the work on interaction between the Republic of Armenia and the EAEU. 2016 to 2017, she held the position of Assistant to the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of International Economic Integration and Reforms of the Republic of Armenia. She was National Coordinator of the Republic of Armenia on the EAEU issues. 2017 to 2020, she was Deputy Director of Integration Development Department of the Eurasian Economic Commission. From 2020 to 2024, she was Director of the EEC Integration Development Department.
Since February 1, 2024, by the decision of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, Gohar Barseghyan was appointed Member of the Board – Minister in charge of Industry and Agriculture of the Eurasian Economic Commission.
Managing Partner, Aitas Agro LLP, Kazakhstan
Talgat boasts over 20 years of experience in agriculture within the Central Asia region. Throughout his career, he has held prominent management roles at Syngenta in Central Asia. Talgat is a co-founder and CEO of one of Kazakhstan's ambitious and dynamic agricultural holdings. The company group encompasses four farms situated across different regions of Kazakhstan, collectively possessing a total land bank exceeding 35 thousand hectares of arable land. Additionally, the company maintains a commercial team facilitating a turnover of more than 350 thousand tons of agricultural commodities annually, exporting to Central Asia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East.
Director of Monitoring and Prediction Department, China National Grain and Oil Information Center
Partner Director, Alphamar Shipping Agency
Arthur Neto is a Partner at Alphamar Shipping Agency, the leading company for grains export in Brazil. With 20 years’ experience in this market, he currently oversees Alphamar’s Research and Market, developing new tools, statistics, reports and consultancy material for grain and fertilizer players. He is also a logistics consultant for grain origination in Brazil, using geolocation tools as a key feature to summarize new projects and market trends. Arthur Neto holds an MBA in agribusiness at USP/ ESALQ and an International Certification from Erasmus University in Waterway Transportation and Multimodal Logistics.
Managing Director, Research for Industry, and CTO Agri-Food, Microsoft
Secretary General, International Association Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor)
Gaidar has served as the General Secretary of the Association of Legal Entities “IA “TITR” since October 2021. With extensive experience in drafting agreements related to international transportation of passengers and cargo, as well as in the development of international transport links, he has also been involved in scientific and technical cooperation with railway transport authorities of foreign countries and legal entities. Additionally, Gaidar has successfully managed the Representative Offices of JSC “NC "KTZ” in the CIS, the Caucasus, and the Baltics. Furthermore, he is the author of more than 15 scientific papers and has co-authored the textbook "Logistics Management of Freight Transportation and Terminal and Warehouse Activities”.
President and CEO of CropLife International
Emily Rees is the President and CEO of CropLife International, a role she has held since March 2023. As global advocate of the plant science industry, CropLife International champions innovative technologies that enable farmers to sustainably increase productivity while managing the critical challenges facing our climate and the environment. Spearheading the association’s three pillars of ambition to bring workable solutions to increase food security, tackle climate change and protect biodiversity, Emily leads the organization in its regulatory and policy-driven dialogues. Through advancing science-based approaches to regulation, and fair and equitable global trading rules, Emily helps bring together diverse partners with cutting-edge research and development to effect positive change. Emily joined CropLife International with an extensive pedigree in EU affairs and economic diplomacy. Prior to joining CropLife International, she held posts as a Senior Fellow at the European Centre for International Political Economy, and Managing Director of Trade Strategies, a consultancy specialized in international trade policy. A specialist in EU-Latin American relations, she is fluent in English, French and Portuguese.
Pulses Will growth in global demand be sustained? 11.30 - 12.30
Director, Quality & Processing, Pulse Canada
Janelle Carlin is the Director of Quality and Processing at Pulse Canada, responsible for providing technical support to industry stakeholders and identifying research needs that align with national strategic priorities for market diversification. Janelle holds a MSc in Food Science from the University of Manitoba and is actively engaged as a project lead and/or collaborating partner on several research projects that develop foundational knowledge in the areas of pulse seed quality, analytical methods, milling, fractionation, ingredient functionality, and end-use performance.
Session 2 Identifying challenges for the grains traders 10.00 - 11.00
President, International Grain Trade Coalition Association (IGTC)
Alejandra Castillo is the President & CEO of the North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA). A senior executive with over 15 years’ experience in global trade with expertise in trade execution, stakeholder management and trade policy. Alejandra worked at the U.S. Grains Council in D.C., Singapore, and India. Most recently, she opened the Council’s newest office in India, where she served as the Regional Director for South Asia. In that capacity, Alejandra set up the strategy to evaluate and implement the Council’s market development programs in the region which included India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Alejandra also serves as volunteer President of the International Grain Trade Coalition (IGTC). Since 2019, Alejandra has supported the IGTC Working Group on Electronic Trading Documentation. In that role, she served as one of the co-chairs for the Industry Advisory Group (IAG) and the IAG representative for the CPM Focus Group on Sustainable Funding for the IPPC ePhyto Solution Project.
Prior to the Council, Alejandra worked in trade execution with Cargill focused on trade risk management as well as vessel and container logistics for cotton, grains and oilseeds. She also gained experience as an international freight forwarder prior to entering trade execution. Before joining Cargill, she worked as a project manager for the Mayo Clinic and an associate director of admissions for St. Catherine University.
Alejandra is a native of Nicaragua and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in strategic management and organizational leadership, both from St. Catherine University, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
CEO, Grain Trade Australia
Pat is the CEO of Grain Trade Australia, which is the leading trade organisation in the Australian grains industry.
Pat has vast industry experience in trading, risk management, policy and government relations, having spent more than 25 years in the grains industry in Australia and USA. He has a diverse experience across the entire value chain, working for trade houses, financial institutions and customer advisory businesses.
He currently serves as Secretary & Vice President of the International Grain Trade Coalition (IGTC).
Global Head of Proteins Business Line, Roquette
Romain Joly has been part of Roquette for 11 years, global leader in plant proteins and starch-derivatives for Pharma, Food and Industrial applications. He held several roles as project management expert, PMO and Executives General Coordinator, then Head of Customer Innovation, followed by Global Head of Marketing, PLM & Digital in Roquette’s subsidiary dedicated to Caramels: Sethness Roquette. He currently oversees Roquette’s alternative proteins business line that includes Pea and all potential new protein sources. Roquette is the global leader in pea proteins with 3 plants in 2 different continents serving a wide range of Food industries from meat-analogs to dairy alternatives and baking applications. Romain holds an Engineering and Entrepreneur degree from Iteem in France (joint-venture of Ecole Centrale de Lille and Skema Business School), as well as a Master of Science in Project and Programme Management from Skema Business School. He also holds several certifications in Project & Programme Management.
IGC Chairperson (USA)
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
President, COCERAL
President Ukrainian Grain Association
President and CEO, CropLife International