FOCUS INTERNATIONAL - Key Persons
Expertise: Research & Development; Patents; Technology Due Diligence; Regulatory; TQM
Roger is a UK educated Microbial Biochemist with 35 years' experience in the food industry. He has personal research experience in food raw materials production, ingredients manufacture and food processing, and in finished goods formulations. In a decade with Unilever Research UK, this included oils and fats, emulsions and enzyme technology; in a decade with Cultor in Finland and with its successor Danisco in the USA, this included diverse R&D such as fish feed carotenoids and vaccines for farmed fish, enzyme processing of various food materials and development of antioxidants and antimicrobials.
His last position was VP Global Innovation at WILD Flavors, which included technology evaluations, audits, technical due diligence for acquisitions and patent strategy in the areas of natural extracts for flavors and colors and for functional benefits. A continuing technical theme for 40 years of Roger's career has been industrial fermentation processes for biomass production, enzyme production, specialized metabolite syntheses and bio-transformations.
Roger has extensive work experience in the UK, USA, Finland, Scandinavia, and in China. He has managed multinational projects and is a Certified Project Manager. Roger's contributions at a senior management level include Quality system management (TQM, ISO), GRAS dossier preparation and other Regulatory projects such as safety assessments and toxicology studies, as well as intake estimates. He has also personally performed numerous patent searches and technical reviews for novelty and non-infringement, and developed corporate strategies for protection of IP through patent and trade secret routes.
Expertise: Management Consultant; Market Research; Process Improvment; Business turnarounds, Strategic development.
About Hilary Kevin: Hilary Kevin is the Managing Director of Focus International (Singapore). A specialist in marketing, strategy development, and strategy execution he has led projects across the globe. Recent projects have included primary market research for a food ingredients supplier, customer strategy and market research for a pharmaceutical manufacturer, and a number of business turnaround/process improvements projects including a SME Flavor company in Indonesia. Hilary has also held senior positions in industry leading corporations such as Royal Dutch Shell and UBS. At these companies and others he has experience managing complex processes, budgets and people in projects spanning international and cultural boundaries. Kevin holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from the Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, and a Bachelors of Science degree from the United States Air Force Academy.
Tony Leardi has spent over 30 years the fragrance industry at several leading companies including Takasago International, Givaudan and Hercules…
Job Titles:
- International Growth Specialist - Flavors, Fragrances, Cosmetics and Specialty Food Ingredients
Trevor has 31 years of International business experience in senior leadership roles in the Flavor & Fragrance (F&F) and Specialty Ingredient industries. He has demonstrated success at building businesses and creating shareholder value via organic growth, operational improvement initiatives, strategic initiatives, and acquisitions and integrations in which he has played a leading role in many transactions of varying size and complexity.
Trevor founded Focus International LLC in 2009 to provide Business Advisory services to SME companies looking to expand internationally. Focus is a specialty global consultancy company supported by a network of industry experts who have a deep industry knowledge and track record of success. His overriding vision is to support his clients by providing the resources they need that they don't currently have to execute strategic initiatives or solve operational problems. Focus has worked on projects in Europe, North and South America as well as Asia and South East Asia, covering Market Development, Market and Technical Research, Engineering design, Business turnarounds, Specialist recruiting, Technology transfer and M&A.
Regarding M&A, over the past 3 years Trevor has lead a successful Buy Side project for Bell F&F and 2 sell side transactions in the Aroma Chemical and Cosmetic Ingredients space of more than US$120 million in transaction value. In addition, he has worked with several PE companies to evaluate targets and undertaken targeted searches for strategic players in both the Flavor and Fragrance arena in Asia and the Americas. These activities have allowed Trevor to build a strong network of owners and decision makers across the industry.
Prior to starting Focus International, Trevor was Senior VP International and Finance for Wild Flavors responsible for International business in Asia. Under his management Asia Pacific EBIT in 2008 increased by 75% while at the same time completed a new state of the art, R&D and production facility in Beijing during the Olympics, ahead of schedule and under budget. The establishment of a clear vision and supporting strategies to achieve this vision, led to a sustainable growth trajectory built on executable plans and a culture of accountability.