CONTI ASIA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Chairman, Ladder Capital / Financial Holdings LLLP
Alan Fishman has had a distinguished career in the banking industry. He is currently the Chairman of Ladder Capital Finance Corporation. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Washington Mutual Bank. During 2007 and 2008, he served as Chairman of Meridian Capital Group and prior to joining Meridian, he was President of Sovereign Bank. He assumed the leadership of Independence Community Bank when he was elected President and Chief Executive Officer in March 2001.
Mr. Fishman has been an active leader in many not-for-profit activities in Brooklyn. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He also served as Chairman of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation and as Co-Chairman of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Brooklyn Community Foundation. The Brooklyn Community Foundation is the successor institution to the Independence Community Foundation. The Brooklyn Community Foundation is Brooklyn's only Foundation focusing exclusively on the Borough. Mr. Fishman serves on the Boards of several private companies and other not-for-profit and civic organizations. A lifelong Brooklynite, he was educated in the public schools graduating from Erasmus Hall High School. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in Economics and received a master's degree in Economics from Columbia University.
Ani Sefaj has been with Continental Grain Company since 2018. Prior to joining the Corporate Investments team, Ani worked at Macquarie Infrastructure & Real Assets, focusing on private equity investments in transportation and communications across North America. Previously, Ani worked at Atlas Holdings, a special situations private equity firm, and Ellington Management Group, a quantitative investment firm. Ani received a Bachelor of Arts, with distinction, in Mathematics and Philosophy from Yale University.
Ari Gendason - Chief Investment Officer
Ari Gendason is our Chief Investment Officer. Ari joined Conti in 2004 and has been involved in many of our investments in the food and agriculture sector over that time. He currently oversees a portfolio of both public and private food and ag investments. Prior to this role, he managed Arlon Opportunities Investors, an equities and commodities hedge fund backed by Conti. Before joining Conti, Ari worked in private equity and investment banking. Ari is a member of the Board of Directors of Wayne-Sanderson Farms LLC, Restaurant Technologies, Hissho Sushi and Agile Cold Storage. Ari holds a BS and MBA in Finance and Accounting from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Brian Loeb has been with Conti since early 2016, having previously worked at J.P. Morgan within the Financial Institutions Investment Banking Group. At Conti, Brian has focused primarily on Conti Ventures, with a mandate to co-invest in early stage technology companies in the food, agriculture and restaurant sectors. Brian currently sits on the Board of Prenexus Health, Myco Technologies, Arzeda, Checkmate and Plasma Nutrition. Brian is a Board Observer at Brightseed Bio. He also helps manage Conti's partnership with the Boulder Food Group, a VC fund focused on emerging CPG brands. Mr. Loeb holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University.
Carlos has been with Conti since 2016 and serves as Principal of Conti Direct Investments. Previously, Carlos spent 2 years leading Conti's origination and deal management in the region, and 3 years with the Conti Corporate Investments team focusing on global private equity transactions. He started his career in the investment banking division of BTG Pactual in Chile (previously Celfin Capital) where he was involved in M&A and ECM transactions in the Andean region. Later, he joined the Chilean Government, where he served as Advisor to the President in finance, mining and social development affairs. Carlos received a BA in Business and Economics from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Carlos serves on the Board of Directors for Multifoods and Agroberries.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chairman
- Member of the Company 's Board of Directors
Charles Fribourg has served as a Member of the Company's Board of Directors since 2001 and is a member of the Management Committee. He has served as Directeur General of Arlon Group (Europe) S.A., in Geneva, Switzerland, since 1999. Earlier, Mr. Fribourg served the Company as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Latin American Division, General Manager EEC, Europe, Product Manager International for Meals/Derivatives, Merchandising Manager International for Proteins/Derivatives, Commercial Manager for France, and previously held various merchandising positions throughout the Company's domestic operations. Mr. Fribourg received his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Connecticut College and his Advanced Management degree in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Wayne - Sanderson Farms Management Team
- Treasurer
- Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Wayne - Sanderson Farms
Courtney Fazekas is Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Wayne-Sanderson Farms. Prior to joining Wayne-Sanderson Farms in 2003, Courtney served in a variety of executive leadership and key financial management roles with Pepsi Cola International, Pepsi Bottling Group and Smith Barney, Harris Upham. Courtney holds a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and received his MBA from Columbia University School of Business with a concentration in Finance and Accounting. He's a member of the finance committee for U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and serves on the Board of Directors for Idaho Pacific Holdings.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager
- in 2022 As Senior Manager, Talent and Partnerships
Danielle joined Conti in 2022 as Senior Manager, Talent and Partnerships. Previously, Danielle worked at ExecOnline, Inc., where she spent several years in a series of Human Resources and Talent Management roles. Most recently, Danielle was Senior Manager, Business and People Operations where she oversaw the full employee lifecycle including onboarding, benefits, employee relations, and strategic talent management planning. Prior to working at ExecOnline, Inc., Danielle was a Recruiting Coordinator at Citi. Danielle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics, and Law from Binghamton University.
Job Titles:
- Operating Partner / Arlon Latin America Partners
Danilo Rodrigues has extensive experience in consulting (At Kearney and Webb Consulting) and as a business executive (Bacardi and Grupo Boticario). He developed projects and lived in many different countries (Brazil, USA, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Madagascar). He joined Arlon in 2019 and is currently a member of Conti's operating group, focused on our Brazilian investments (Alvoar, Grano and TMOV). Danilo holds an MBA from UC Berkeley - Haas School of Business and a BBA from FGV-EAESP.
Job Titles:
- Finance
- Senior Vice President
- Treasurer
David Dryerman has been with Conti since 2014, initially joining Arlon Capital Partners as its Vice President of Finance. In 2017, David assumed the additional responsibilities to lead a team that supports all aspects of accounting for all of Conti's fund and direct investments, as well as Conti's treasury/cash management.
Prior to joining Conti, David was a Director at EisnerAmper Fund Services, where he led the private equity fund administration practice. Before that, he was a Vice President at State Street Fund Administration where he was the head of Direct Investments for their private equity fund administration practice. Prior to that, David was the Chief Financial Officer of Falconhead Capital and the Controller at Wand Partners, both private equity firms based in New York. He began his career at Richard A. Eisner & Company (now EisnerAmper LLP) in 1991.
David received his BSBA in Accounting from the University of Hartford and is a licensed CPA in New York. He is a former chair of the finance committee and a board member of Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley.
Evan joined the Conti Ventures team in 2020. Previously, Evan was a strategy consultant with EY-Parthenon, where he advised private equity and Fortune 500 clients within the industrials, energy, and consumer sectors. Evan received his BA, cum laude, in Public Policy, with an Economics Minor and Energy & Environment Certificate from Duke University.
Felipe has been with Conti since 2022. Previously to joining the investment team, Felipe worked in a Search Fund called Tractus. Felipe received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of São Paulo (Brazil).
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Financial & Administrative Officer
Frank Baier has served as our Chief Financial Officer since 2012. Prior to joining Conti, Frank was Chief Financial Officer of North Jersey Community Bank. He has held senior financial executive roles at a variety of companies including Capital Access Network, Inc., Independence Community Bank, and ContiFinancial Corporation. He was also a consultant for Meridian Capital Group, LLC, and a partner at Columbia Financial Partners. Frank began his career at RJR Nabisco, Inc. in 1987. He is a Board Member of ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration (Accounting), Cum Laude, from the W. Paul Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University, and his MBA from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University.
Fritz has been with Conti since 2019. Prior to Conti, Fritz worked in private equity at Berkshire Partners focusing on investments in technology, consumer retail and healthcare as well as working with portfolio company management teams. He began his career at Bain & Company in its London and San Francisco offices. Fritz received his BA from the University of Oxford and his MBA, with distinction, from Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Senior Advisor
- Vice Chairman - US Investment Banking, Lazard Ltd
Gerald Rosenfeld is Senior Advisor to the CEO and is Vice Chairman of U.S. Investment Banking of Lazard. Prior to rejoining Lazard in 2011, he spent 11 years at Rothschild North America as its CEO and, after stepping down from that position, as its Deputy Chairman. Mr. Rosenfeld initially joined Lazard in 1992 and served as a General Partner, Managing Director and Head of US Investment Banking. Prior to Lazard he held significant management positions at Bankers Trust Company, Salomon Inc. and its Salomon Brothers subsidiary, and McKinsey & Company.
Mr. Rosenfeld has worked as a strategic and M&A advisor in the industrial and technology sectors, including representation of General Motors, Chrysler, United Technologies, ITT Corporation, Tenneco, TRW, Lucas Varity PLC, Case Corporation, Lotus Corp. in its acquisition by IBM, and recently as advisor to Dow in its proposed merger with DuPont. He has also worked on many airline transactions including for United Airlines, TWA, US Airways, and Northwest Airlines. Mr. Rosenfeld has worked on corporate restructuring assignments for, among others, TWA, United Airlines, Delphi Corporation, Gaylord Container, the Chicago Sun-Times, and AIG.
Early in his career, Mr. Rosenfeld was a member of the faculty of the City College of New York, New York University, and the University of Maryland.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of CIT Group. In the non-profit sector, he serves on the Boards of The City College Foundation and The Charles H. Revson Foundation. Mr. Rosenfeld holds a Ph.D. in applied Mathematics from New York University. He is a Professor of Practice at New York University School of Law and a member of its Board of Trustees. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Grace joined ContiFeed Group in Beijing in 1999. Since joining the Company, she has served in various financial roles including Internal Auditing Manager, Financial Controller, and CFO. In addition to her role with ContiFeed, she has taken on finance oversight responsibilities for CCTI operations and Conti Asia's investment activities. Prior to joining Conti, Grace was Auditor of Arthur Andersen. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Finance from the People's University.
Job Titles:
- Vice President / Arlon Latin America Partners
Guilherme Franco has been ALAP since 2020. Prior to joining, Guilherme was part of the investment banking team at BR Partners, a leading Brazilian independent investment bank focused on financial advisory in mergers and acquisitions. Prior to that, he worked at Estáter, a Brazilian M&A and restructuring boutique, and Itaú BBA. He received his BS in Mechatronics Engineering from the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo and his MS in Management Engineering from Politecnico di Milano. Guilherme is a CFA Charter holder since 2019. Guilherme is a Brazilian national and is fluent in Portuguese and English.
Guillermo has been with Continental Grain Company since 2019. He started his career in the Investment Banking Division of Credicorp Capital in Peru where he was involved in executing M&A transactions in the Andean Region. Later, he joined the Investment Banking Division of Credit Suisse in New York where he was involved in M&A, DCM and ECM transactions in Latin America (2014-2017). Guillermo received his BA in Economics from Universidad del Pacifico (Peru) and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Job Titles:
- Associate, Direct Investments
Hunter joined the Direct Investments team as an Associate in 2023. Previously, he was as an Analyst within Guggenheim Securities' Industrials Coverage group, where he focused on both M&A transactions and capital raises. Hunter began his career performing process management consulting services and valuations in Deloitte's Tangible Asset Valuation practice. Hunter received a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University.
Ignacio Sanz joined Continental Grain Company in 2019, and serves as Principal of Conti Direct Investments. Prior to joining Conti, Ignacio was a principal at Australis Partners, a middle-market Latin American private equity fund. At Australis, Ignacio was involved in the acquisition and management of investments in the retail, foodservice and healthcare sectors. He started his career at Citigroup's investment banking division where he focused on M&A advisory and capital market transactions for Latin American clients across a broad range of industries. Later, he joined Citi Venture Capital International (CVCI) where he was involved in acquisition, management and realization of several CVCI's Latin American investments. Ignacio holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Instituto Tecnologico de Buenos Aires.
Ignacio serves on several boards including Multifoods, Agroberries, and Moderna.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Chairman of the Board
- Member of the Wayne - Sanderson Farms Management Team
- President
- CEO and Chairman of the Board of Wayne - Sanderson Farms
- Wayne - Sanderson Farms in 2012 As Vice President and General Manager
Clint Rivers is the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Wayne-Sanderson Farms. Clint joined Wayne-Sanderson Farms in 2012 as Vice President and General Manager of the Fresh Business Unit. Clint was named Chief Operating Officer in 2014, President and CEO in 2017 and Chairman of the Board in 2020. Prior to joining Wayne-Sanderson Farms, Clint served as President of Foodservice and Supply Chain with Perdue Farms, and in successive leadership roles with Pilgrim's Pride including Chief Operating Officer, President and CEO. Clint earned a degree in Animal Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. An industry leader, he currently serves as Chairman of the National Chicken Council.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Communications and Investor Relations
Jacqueline joined the Conti team in 2021 as Manager of Communications and Investor Relations. Previously, Jacqueline worked on the Global Communications Team at Adisseo in France and as special events coordinator for IMAGINE Food Group. Jacqueline started her career at Hawke Media, where she was involved in Business Development and Digital Marketing consulting for food and wellness brands. Jacqueline received a Master's in Global Communications from the American University of Paris and an Honors Degree in Social Anthropology from the University of St Andrews.
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- Member of the Wayne - Sanderson Farms Management Team
- Vice President
- Vice President and General Counsel for Wayne - Sanderson Farms
Jeremy V. Kilburn is Vice President and General Counsel for Wayne-Sanderson Farms, responsible for all legal aspects of the company's operation. Jeremy rejoined Wayne-Sanderson Farms in 2015 after several years in private practice, assuming the role of Assistant Vice President and Deputy General Counsel before being named General Counsel in 2016. Jeremy earned his Bachelors Degree from the University of Missouri in Animal Science, with minors in Agricultural Economics and Chemistry and received his Masters Degree in Poultry Science and his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia. Jeremy served on the Walton County Board of Education for ten years, including two years as chairman of the board, guiding the 13,000 student-system through critical financial and organizational issues while leading implementation of programs that successfully improved student achievements.
Jiayu has been with Continental Grain Company (Conti) since 2012. Prior to joining Conti Asia, Jiayu was an Associate in BNP Paribas's Structuring team in Singapore. Jiayu was born and raised in China. He received his BS in computational mathematics from Nanjing University, his MS in financial mathematics from Clemson University and his MS in financial engineering from Columbia University. He is fluent in Mandarin and English.
Job Titles:
- Chief Talent Officer
- Chief Talent Officer for Continental Grain Company
- Member of the 7th Generation of the Fribourg Family
Jordana Fribourg was appointed to Chief Talent Officer for Continental Grain Company in 2021 and is responsible for driving value creation through CGC's global network of relationships and talent. Prior to this role, Jordana was the Vice President of Talent and Strategic Partnerships for the Company. Jordana first joined Conti in 2017 to focus on corporate investments and venture capital. Jordana is a member of the Board of Directors of Restaurant Brands International Inc.
Jordana is a member of the 7th generation of the Fribourg Family to lead the business. She is an alumna of Brown University (B.A.), Sotheby's Institute of Art (M.A.), and Columbia University (M.B.A.).
Job Titles:
- Continental Grain Company in 2022 As an Operating Partner for Latin America
- Operating Partner
Jose Concha joined Continental Grain Company in 2022 as an Operating Partner for Latin America. Prior to joining Conti, Jose worked for SMU, a leading Chilean grocery retailer, in a series of roles from Merchandize Manager for Perishable foods to Operating Excellence Manager, among others. Before SMU, Jose worked at McKinsey, were he focused on operations transformations, Unilever working on supply chain, and Walmart where he worked in the Merchandize Department. Jose holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Catolica de Chile.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Vice President
Joe Bongiorno has been with Continental Grain Company since 1996, serving in position in compensation, benefits, human resources systems and information technology. Prior to Conti, Joe managed human resources systems for Young and Rubicam and also worked as a PeopleSoft HRMS consultant. Joe received his BS in psychology from Brooklyn College and is a certified Professional in Human Resources.
Job Titles:
- Controller
- Senior Vice President
Karen Miller is Conti's Controller. Karen has worked for Continental Grain Company since 1989 including her tenure at ContiFinancial Corporation as Assistant Controller. Karen received her MS in Accounting from Pace University and her BA from SUNY Albany.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Member of the Wayne - Sanderson Farms Management Team
- Chief Operating Officer of Wayne - Sanderson Farms
Kevin McDaniel is the Chief Operating Officer of Wayne-Sanderson Farms, overseeing fresh and prepared foods production, processing, and sales across eleven production facilities in five states. Kevin earned a BS in Agricultural Economics from Stephen F. Austin State University. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for the National Chicken Council and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and previously held several key positions with the Poultry Federation including Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, and Board Member and was named the 2011 Federation Industry Man of the Year.
Kevin joined Conti in 2013 and has been involved in the acquisition and management of private investments in the food and agriculture sector. He started his career in Piper Jaffray's investment banking division where he focused on M&A advisory for restaurants, retailers, and food companies. Kevin is a member of the Board of Directors of Restaurant Technologies and Caulipower. Kevin received his BA, magna cum laude, in economics and Spanish from Bates College.
Kevin VandeKamp is a Senior Associate on our Operations team. Kevin joined the team in 2022 from Citadel LLC, where he was most recently a Business and Strategic Associate on the Global Credit team. In his role, Kevin led strategic growth initiatives for the Credit, Convertible Arbitrage, and Equity Volatility businesses. Prior to his tenure at Citadel, Kevin worked for Vitaligent LLC and Deloitte & Touche LLP.
Job Titles:
- Operating Partner at Continental Grain Company
Luiz Aere is an Operating Partner at Continental Grain Company and is responsible for value creation across Conti's global portfolio.
Luiz joined Conti from AB InBev, where he spent two decades of his career working in commercial leadership roles across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America, participating in most of AB InBev's post-merger integrations. Most recently, he served as Chief Commercial Officer in Europe and prior to that Luiz was the Global VP of Revenue Management and Business Intelligence.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- Vice President
Marcelo joined the Conti team in 2022 as a Senior Associate on the North America Direct Investments team. Previously, Marcelo was an Investment Banking Associate at Goldman Sachs in the Consumer Retail Group. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Marcelo worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Itau BBA where he focused on M&A advisory and capital market transactions for Latin America Ex-Brazil. Marcelo received his BS in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Tecnologica Nacional (Argentina) and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- in 2023 As a Senior Associate
Matt Rosen joined Conti in 2023 as a Senior Associate on the Operations team. Prior to joining Conti, Matt was a Brand Manager at Death Wish Coffee where he focused on managing brand performance and developing and executing brand marketing strategy. Previously, Matt worked across Food and Personal Care brands at Unilever where he was responsible for creating and executing all marketing activities to achieve financial targets, and prior to that, he spent 2 years at JP Morgan in Corporate Investment Banking & Treasury Services. Matt received a Bachelor of Asian Languages and Civilizations from Northwestern University and his MBA from Columbia Business School.
Maximiliano has been with Conti since 2019. Previously, Max worked as an Associate Director at UBS on the Mergers and Acquisitions team, focusing on Consumer Products & Retail, Industrial and Real Estate sectors. Max received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a minor in Mathematics from Georgetown University.
Michael Fribourg has been with Continental Grain Company since 2019, initially joining Arlon Capital Partners as a Senior Associate working on value creation across Arlon's portfolio. Today, Michael is leading a diversification strategy for Conti focused on making investments outside of the food and ag space.
Prior to joining Conti, Michael was a senior associate at private equity firm, Garnett Station Partners, focused on the restaurant, consumer, and franchising sectors. Before that, Michael was a marketing coordinator at Peet's Coffee, and prior to that was a freight analyst at Castleton Commodities. Michael received his BA from New York University, and his MBA from NYU Stern.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Secretary
- General Counsel
Michael R. Mayberry is our General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Michael has worked for Conti since 1996 including his tenure at ContiFinancial Corporation as Associate General Counsel. Prior to that he worked as an associate in the New York offices of the law firms of Dewey Ballantine and Winston & Strawn. He received his juris doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and his Bachelor of Science from the University of Oregon. He also holds an International Business Program diploma from Nijenrode, The Netherlands School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chairman
- Member of Our Board of Directors
Michael Zimmerman is a member of our Board of Directors and serves as Conti's Vice Chairman since 2012. Prior to taking on the role of Vice Chairman, Michael was our Chief Financial Officer, and Senior Vice President, Investments and Strategy. Before joining Conti, Michael was a Managing Director at Salomon Brothers Inc. He also served on the Boards of a number of publicly-held agribusiness and commodity firms. Currently, he is a Director of Stifel Financial Corp. and of Castleton Commodities International. Active in many nonprofit organizations, he serves on the Board of Mount Sinai Health System, and is the Chairman of the Investment Committee of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Michael earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Trinity College and his MBA from Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President - HR & Admin
Myra joined Conti Asia's Hong Kong office in 1993. She held various positions in the company from HR Secretary, to Executive Assistant to President, to Office Manager, to head of Human Resources and Administration. Before joining Conti Asia, she was Administrative Secretary of Michel Manufacturing Limited in Hong Kong. Myra obtained her Higher Diploma in Business Studies from City University of Hong Kong (formerly City Polytechnic of Hong Kong). She provides all-rounded HR and administrative supports to our team in China and Hong Kong.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Conti International
Nick Rosa is our Chairman of Conti International. Nick has worked for Conti for over 40 years and served in a variety of positions both domestically and internationally. He joined Conti in 1975 as a trainee in the animal feed division and eventually became General Manager of the Wayne Feed Division in Chicago in 1995. He relocated to New York in 1997 as Vice President of Conti's International Industries and in 2007, he was named Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Conti Asia, based in Beijing until 2020. Nick has served as Chairman and Director in several poultry, pork, food processing and feed companies in Eastern Europe, South America and Asia. Nick received both his BS in Economics and his MBA from Arizona State University.
Job Titles:
- Associate, Direct Investments
Nicolas has been with Continental Grain Company since 2021. Previously, Nicolas worked as an Associate in the investment banking division of Credicorp Capital in Chile, where he was involved in executing M&A, DCM and ECM transactions in the Andean Region. Nicolás received a BA in Business and Economics from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Continental Grain Company
- Lead Independent Director of Loews Corporation, a Board
Paul J. Fribourg is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Continental Grain Company, an international agribusiness and investment company. Prior to assuming the helm of one of the largest privately-held corporations in the United States, he held a variety of positions with increasing responsibility-from Merchandiser and Product Line Manager to Group President and Chief Operating Officer.
Paul Fribourg serves as the Lead Independent Director of Loews Corporation, a Board Member of The Estee Lauder Companies, Inc., a Board Member of Restaurant Brands International Inc., a Board Member of Syngenta Group Co., Ltd., and a Board Member of Bunge Limited. He is also a Member of the Rabobank International North American Agribusiness Advisory Board. He also serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of Wayne Farms LLC, a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Member of the Temasek Americas Advisory Panel, and a Member of the International Business Leaders Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai. Mr. Fribourg graduated Magna Cum Laude from Amherst College with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Robert (Bob) Golden is our Chief Strategy Officer. Bob joined Conti in 2019 after retiring from a nearly 30-year career at Anheuser-Busch/AB InBev with roles covering a range of responsibilities across M&A, strategic planning, procurement, treasury, and packaging operations. Following the combination of Anheuser-Busch and InBev, Bob took leadership of AB InBev's global M&A program. Bob has served on several corporate boards and is currently a Director of Rotterdam-based Refresco, BV. Prior to joining Anheuser-Busch in 1988, Bob worked in commercial and investment banking at Continental Bank (Chicago). He earned a BS from Illinois State University and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.
Job Titles:
- Principal, Corporate Investments
Ryan Oksenhendler has been with Continental Grain Company since 2014. From 2005-2014, Ryan was a sell side analyst for Bank of America Merrill Lynch covering the Agribusiness, Packaged Food and Tobacco sectors. Prior to this, Ryan worked in the finance department for US Trust from 2003-2005. Ryan received his BS in Finance from Indiana University.
Job Titles:
- General Counsel of BT Group
Sabine Chalmers is the General Counsel of BT Group, a leading multinational telecommunications company. Prior to joining BT, she was the Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer and Secretary to the Board of Directors of AB InBev, a role she held from 2005 to 2017. Sabine joined AB InBev after 12 years with Diageo, where she held a number of senior legal positions including as General Counsel of the Latin American and North American businesses. Prior to Diageo, she was an associate at the law firm of Lovell White Durrant in London specializing in mergers and acquisitions. She is a member of the Board of Directors of AB InBev.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of Our Board of Directors
Sally Grimes has served as a member of our board of directors since November 2022. She most recently served as CEO of Clif Bar & Co, from May 2020 to March 2023 when Clif Bar was acquired by Mondelez International. Prior to joining Clif Bar, Sally was Group President of Prepared Foods for Tyson Foods, responsible for more than $10 billion of the company's revenue and 35,000 team members. Sally previously served as Chief Global Growth Officer and President of International for the company, joining Tyson with the acquisition of The Hillshire Brands Company in 2014 where she served as Chief Innovation Officer. Sally started her career at Kraft Foods, spending 10 years in brand management, and then transitioned to lead the global expansion and digital transformation of the Writing Global Business Unit at Newell Rubbermaid. Sally has been recognized by leading business publications including being named one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women to Watch and one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business. She has also been recognized by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business and by Crain's as one of The Most Powerful Women in Chicago Business. Sally also serves on the Board of Directors of Beyond Meat, Silver Oak Winery and the Midtown Educational Foundation. She received her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Sam joined Conti as a Principal on the Strategy team in 2023. Sam previously worked at Conti from 2017 to 2018 as an Associate on the Corporate Investments team. Prior to rejoining Conti, Sam earned a JD from Stanford Law School, was an Associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, and clerked for the Hon. Lewis J. Liman of the Southern District of New York. Sam holds a BA from Yale University and an MSocSc from the University of Cape Town.
Job Titles:
- Director, Legal Affairs and Compliance Officer
Prior to joining Conti, Sean was Legal Head, Northeast Asia with Baker Hughes in Beijing. Previously, he was Senior Legal Counsel of Nestle (China) Ltd, Legal General Manager of Olympus (China) Investment Co Ltd, and a Senior Legal Counsel of DSM China. He received his Bachelor Degree in Economics from the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Bachelor Degree in Law from the Beijing Union University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Tax
Shaun Ehrhardt leads Conti's tax department. Shaun has been with the Company since 2001. Prior to coming to Conti, Shaun was an outside consultant to Conti though his partnership Gross & Ehrhardt, CPA's. Shaun is a graduate of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Siwei joined Conti Asia's Investment team in Beijing as an Investment Associate in 2022. Prior to joining Conti, Siwei was Investment Manager with Guangdian Capital in Beijing. Before that, she was Senior Associate with Deloitte China in Beijing, focusing on M&A transaction service advisory. Siwei received her Master Degree in International Economics and Finance from the Brandeis University in the US. Before that, she obtained her Bachelor Degree in Financial Engineering from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. Siwei was born and raised in China, and she is fluent in English and Mandarin.
Steven has been with Continental Grain Company since 2015. From 2013 to 2015, he was an Analyst in the Diversified Industries Investment banking division of J.P. Morgan Chase. In 2012, he was Summer Analyst in the same division. Steven received his BS in accounting and business with special attainments in commerce from Washington & Lee University.
Job Titles:
- Director, Office Operations
Susan McIntyre has been with Continental Grain Company since 1996. Prior to that, she was Manager of Operations for several oil trading companies and refiners - overseeing all foreign and domestic crude and petroleum products operations.
Susan received her Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and spent her junior year abroad in Fribourg, Switzerland.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- in 2022 As a Senior Associate
Suyash Bulchandani joined Conti in 2022 as a Senior Associate on the Ventures team. Before joining Conti, Suyash worked for Viking Global Investors, where he most recently was an Alternative Data Investment Analyst. Prior to his time at Viking, Suyash worked at Bridgewater Associates. Suyash holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Dartmouth College.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Vice President, Information Technology
Tatyana Dukhvalov is Vice President, Information Technology. Tatyana has worked for the Company since 1997 including her tenure at ContiFinancial Corporation as Senior Systems Analyst. Prior to that, she was with Automated Management Systems as a Senior Programmer, having started her career as a Programmer for McGrath & McNeill. She received her Master's Degree in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics from the Belarusian National Technical University, having graduated second in her class.
Yin Chen - Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Head of Asia
Yin Chen is the Head of Asia for Conti and is responsible for the growth and development of Conti's portfolio in Asia. Prior to joining Conti, Yin was a Partner with Bain & Company in Shanghai, where he worked with Fortune 500 multinationals and private equity firms on commercial due diligence on China assets, commercial excellence and route-to-market redesign, M&A strategy, and post-acquisition value creation for PE-owned portfolio companies. Yin graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with BS in Business Administration and a BA in Political Economy of Industrial Societies. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.