Experience and expertise inform every step of our business, from seed-to-shelf. Hear from our technical experts and leaders in the fields of agronomy, sustainability, food and nutrition, trading, shipping, commercial and consumer products.
Alex Kurniawan joined the company in 2017 and currently leads our consumer products division in Indonesia. Products under his care include household names such as Filma, Kunci Mas, Pristine, and Groovy. Alex has grown the business, increased market share and improved overall profitability. He plans further expansions, strengthen brand equity in the company’s products and establish a robust distribution network with a rigorous channel focus.
Alex has 20 years of experience in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector with companies such as Mead Johnson, Reckitt Benckiser, Loreal, and PepsiCo. Before joining GAR, Alex was a Marketing Director in PT Kino Indonesia.
He has a master’s degree in Management from Prasetiya Mulya Business School, Indonesia.
“Besides providing products of the highest quality, what we’re trying to do is give consumers the most value – products that they need, supplied conveniently. It might sound like a tall order, but I believe where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Fransisca Tedjo heads GAR’s National Quality Food Safety department. She oversees all aspects of food safety and quality, including improvement projects to enhance quality processes, and ensures all our products meet industry food safety standards.
She has over 20 years of experience in the quality assurance & food safety field. Prior to joining GAR, she worked with PT Danone Dairy Indonesia, a dairy business unit of Danone Group, and PT Netania Kasih Karunia, a milk powder producer. Her extensive experience in quality management and food safety across multinational companies brought her to GAR.
Since joining the company in 2010, Fransisca has brought GAR’s quality control across all refinery units to a higher level. She believes in data-based decision making, enabling her to establish a robust risk management strategy. Her present focus involves transforming our refinery operations into a fully integrated, digitalised system, and positioning our company at the forefront of Industry 4.0 innovation.
Fransisca graduated with a Bachelor degree in Food Science & Technology from Widya Mandala University in 1998 and holds a Master in Management from Universitas Pelita Harapan in 2018.
“I believe that food quality assurance and safety is paramount – not only it does it reflect our commitment to excellence, food safety practices also ensure the well-being of people worldwide. After all, food is something each and every one of us consumes every day.
My goal is to tap on technology to improve GAR’s quality control and food safety further, and empower people to be able to enjoy their food with peace of mind.”
Eva Ramli has been with GAR since 2013 and oversees our margarine and shortening sales business in Indonesia, along with her team of 40.
With more than 20 years of experience in the food trading scene, Eva’s expertise extends from export and import marketing to food sales. Her passion for the food industry and a keen eye for business dynamics have cemented her position as a seasoned professional in this ever-evolving industry.
She has established a solid reputation in food marketing and trading, backed by a track record of successful strategic initiatives. Her ability to adjust to market trends and seize emerging opportunities has led to impressive accomplishments – such as attaining the highest margarine and shortening trading volume in GAR’s history during 2022 and pioneering the launch of GAR’s industrial bulk business in the East Indonesia region.
Prior to GAR, Eva held managerial roles in several food and beverage trading enterprises, including her tenure at McCain International Inc, where she single-handedly oversaw the sales management of their Indonesian business.
Eva graduated from Trisakti University in 1997, majoring in Economy Management.
“I find it particularly rewarding to work in the dynamic food industry, especially amidst challenges like the pandemic, as it centres around fulfilling one of the most fundamental human needs – food.
At present, I’m focused on cultivating connections with customers, enhancing our innovative solutions, and fostering loyalty among our customers and consumers.”
Juan joined GAR in 2017 as a Senior Trader and a founding member of the company’s Iberian operations. He helped to establish GAR’s palm oil imports into Spain and has developed the office from an outpost of four people to a hub for the region with over 20 employees operating across the food, feed, industry and energy sectors.
Today, Juan leads operations and growth strategy for the company’s palm, oleochemicals and sugar offerings in the Spanish market as Regional Manager for GAR in Iberia.
Juan started his career as a lawyer, graduating from the Universidad Villanueva de Madrid before moving into trading in 2009, inspired by his work with agri-commodities clients. He has spent almost 15 years in the industry, supplying alcohols for oleochemicals and biodiesel customers at Spanish trading house ALGETESA before spending six years at ED&F Man, a global soft commodity provider, where he focused on expanding import and distribution operations and increasing profitability for the palm and molasses trade in Spain.
He mixes attention to detail with an eye for the bigger picture, with a focus on building long-standing relationships that can deliver products and services tailored to evolving customer needs.
“What we do at GAR goes beyond moving commodities from A to B; we’re building partnerships that help businesses to realise value in a fast-moving world.
“In Europe and globally, growing regulation and changing consumer demands are placing more pressure on our customers. My role is to understand these needs so we can find solutions and create differentiated products that deliver on specific requirements for sustainability, quality and cost.”
Andrew Perkins leads GAR’s global customer and destination shipping programmes for tropical oils. He is responsible for building long-term partnerships and providing supply chain solutions that meet global customer requirements.
Andrew works closely with customers to understand their requirements. GAR, with a fully integrated supply chain, is well-placed to handle the development of these demands. He plans to differentiate and expand the business by focusing on the company’s sustainability credentials and strategic development of future products.
Andrew has more than 26 years of experience dealing with global commodity markets. He started his career in Cargill on a graduate recruitment scheme in 1995. For the first 13 years, Andrew worked in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands before moving to Singapore in 2000. He specialised in trading and risk management in Cargill, predominantly in tropical oils and subsequently the global energy markets. Andrew joined Morgan Stanley in 2008, where he built their agricultural trading and derivatives desk in Asia. He later led their global trading team and became a member of the global commodity management committee during his tenure at the Wall Street bank.
Andrew graduated with first-class honours in Rural and Environmental Economics (Bachelor of Science degree) from the University of Newcastle in 1995.
“Understand what your customers value. Never lower your price. Always increase your value!”
Richard Fung leads GAR’s Investor Relations department, and is responsible for driving engagement with our analysts, investors, and shareholders. He works closely with senior management to provide timely and accurate information to investors, and reflecting stakeholder feedback to the board of directors – elements critical in achieving value for the company.
He has been with the company since 2008, and has more than 20 years of experience in Finance, particularly in the area of corporate finance.
Before joining GAR, Richard held leadership positions at Sampoerna Telecom, AcrossAsia Multimedia, and UBS Warburg. He has been involved in various capital market transactions including M&A, IPO, equity and bond issuance, and bank financing.
Richard has a Master Degree and PhD in Business Administration from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
“My focus is on providing investors with the best possible insight into the strategy, operations and performance of GAR. My passion is to make investors aware of the many benefits palm oil has to offer, not in the least that it can be produced in a sustainable manner.”
Tony Liwang leads our Plant Production and Biotechnology division, which looks into the biotechnology of oil palm, and carries out research activities to improve planting material and seed stock.
He has been with GAR for over 21 years, holding various research and development roles within the company. He was previously the Head of our SMART Research Institute.
Tony has more than 30 years of experience in agriculture-based technologies. He was part of the founding committee of ICOPE, the International Conference on Oil Palm and the Environment, serving as its first chairman in 2009.
Tony received his PhD from the Bogor Agricultural Institute, Indonesia. He also has Master and Bachelor Degrees in Agricultural Technology from Wageningen Agricultural University, the Netherlands.
“Many people have a perception that farming and agriculture, being more to do with nature, has no relation to technology. However, that is not that case. As a company we are highly driven by research and technology. In fact, biotechnology for oil palm has seen rapid development, especially in the last five years in which we have identified its whole genetic map.”
Imran Nasrullah is Golden Agri-Resources’ Managing Director for Business Development in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
A fluent Bahasa Indonesia speaker with nine years of on-the-ground experience in Indonesia, including three years as CEO and President of Louis Dreyfus, Imran has a deep understanding of the country’s palm sector, backed up by extensive experience connecting Indonesia with markets across Asia. His current focus is on unlocking opportunities for growth in diverse and dynamic markets through strategic partnerships and new sector opportunities in the agriculture and food sectors.
Imran spent more than 20 years with Cargill, most recently as Group Director of Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain Asia Pacific and CEO of Cargill Pakistan. In Pakistan, Imran led the trading and industrial teams and ran the government and public relations for the organisation. In addition to supplying palm oil and oilseeds to the market, he oversaw the development of new logistics, animal feeds and downstream businesses in this dynamic, growing territory.
Imran is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and holds an MBA from Imperial College London. He has held positions with the Partnership for Indonesia Sustainable Agriculture (PISAgro), contributing to the palm oil and coffee working groups, the Grow Asia Forum, the World Economic Forum’s Asia chapter and the Responsible Business Forum. He is a long-term advocate for gender diversity within the industry, having led the gender empowerment in agriculture initiative for Indonesia during his time at the Grow Asia Business Council.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to serving the needs of a region as varied as the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. I’m focused on making connections that serve the specific requirements of partners in this region, leveraging GAR’s scale and expertise to make a positive impact. Whether sharing agribusiness best practices to accelerate efficiency and innovation or helping to advance food safety and security for partners, I believe GAR has a valuable role in the region while harnessing growth opportunities.”
For almost a decade, Maarten has played an integral part in GAR’s European operations, overseeing significant growth and diversification of GAR’s business in Europe, Latin America (LatAm) and the USA. Starting with a team of only two people in 2015, Maarten has guided the transformation of the business from a commodity supplier into a dynamic, multinational team of more than 80 specialists offering a fully-integrated distribution platform covering the food, feed, industry and energy sectors.
He got his start in the vegetable oils trade at Nidera Handelscompagnie BV (now part of COFCO) in Rotterdam in 2005 before moving to Southeast Asia, where he specialised in tropical oils across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Prior to joining GAR, he was a senior trader for the Louis Dreyfus Company in Geneva, specialising in the palm & lauric oil trade for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Maarten graduated with a BSc in International Technology Management from the Hanze University of Groningen, the Netherlands, in 2003 and holds a MSc in Management and Entrepreneurship from Napier University Scotland.
“Our business at GAR Europe is built on long term relationships that prioritise understanding and addressing our customers’ needs to offer consistent, reliable and sustainable offerings across a range of sectors.”
“GAR has given me the trust and support to develop these new opportunities and expand into uncharted territory. I’m proud of what our dedicated and committed team has achieved so far, and as we continue to expand operations in LATAM and the USA, with new products and service offerings in the oleochemical and sugar spaces, it’s my goal to continue championing quality above all else for our customers and partners.”