Meet our experts

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.”

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!”

Björn Stignor oversees the shipping and logistics of GAR’s products globally.

Björn started his career in 1993 as an officer on ships, sailing on chemical tankers until he became a captain in 2001. He then took up a commercial role in Brostrom followed by Stena. In 2011, he moved to Singapore as the head of Stena Weco, and started the joint venture freight and shipping company between GAR and Stena Weco in 2012.

He currently heads three major logistic companies as a combination of joint ventures and/or fully owned companies by groups: GAR, Stena Bulk (a major ship owner controlling about 130 tankers), and Bay Crest (a professional commercial manager with a strong presence in both Japan and Singapore).

He has extensive experience with chemical tankers, and the shipping of bulk commodities, which is important in navigating the complexities associated with transporting palm oil around the world safely.

Bjorn is a certified Master Mariner and graduated from Sweden with a degree in chemical science.

“At GAR, my responsibility is to ensure we export our palm oil products in a safe and timely manner. The company has invested a lot in making our logistics more efficient, something I have been heavily involved in. My focus now is on the carbon footprint of shipping. Having spent a long time in this industry, I have seen the evolution of palm oil shipments – from small, old, low quality ships to the current modern fleet.

The difference between a 20-year-old vessel and a new one can mean a 25-35 percent improvement of fuel consumption. By lowering the age of vessels we use, and increasing the shipping size we benefit from economies of scale and we also lower the carbon footprint for each tonne of palm oil we move.”

As the Head of GAR’s Group Treasury, Gopul Shah deploys best-in-class treasury, structured finance, risk management and funding solutions to enhance company competitiveness and profitability. He created the company’s proprietary trade structured finance business unit with market coverage of Asia, Europe and the Middle East. He manages relationships with lenders, financial institutions, rating agencies, customers, futures exchange and brokers, regulators, business units and board of directors.

Gopul has more than 20 years of experience in financing and financial services, with particular expertise in international treasury and finance, and business development in trade structured finance.

Prior to joining GAR in 2014, Gopul spent 10 years at Cargill’s proprietary trade structured funding, treasury, emerging markets trading, and risk management group. There, he managed Cargill’s trade and structured finance (TSF) business and India treasury and financial services business.

Gopul graduated with a Master Degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago – Booth School of Business, and has a Bachelor Degree in Commerce from the University of Bombay. He is also a Fellow Member of the Chartered Accountants of India, and an Associate of CPA Australia.

“Passion, integrity, humility, confidence, and courage are the cornerstones of every activity we undertake. I use my passion for business strategy, people, and hunger to apply learnings, to ensure that my work in finance helps build businesses, talent, and communities that thrive in a sustainable way.”

Götz Martin has been with GAR since 2015, leading the company’s sustainability initiatives on the ground. His team focuses on areas such as 1) Forest and Peat conservation, rehabilitation and management, 2) Community Engagement with a focus on participative action and alternative livelihoods, 3) Responsible Sourcing with a focus on supplier engagement and supply chain transformation.

He has 12 years of experience in forest/land use and sustainability-related topics and has spent 11 years in South East Asia. As a leading subject matter expert in his field, Götz sits on various committees: High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA) Executive Committee, High Conservation Value Resource Network (HCVRN) Management Committee, RSPO Peatland Working Group, and the RSPO Biodiversity and High Conservation Value (BHCV) Working Group.

In his previous role at McKinsey & Company, Götz was one of the key authors of the McKinsey Global Greenhouse Gas Abatement Cost Curve, as well as the Indonesian Greenhouse Gas Abatement Cost Curve – the first document published by an Indonesian Government agency (DNPI) which recognized the role of peatlands as a source of carbon emissions. He was also the lead author of the East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan Low Carbon Economic Growth Strategy.

Götz has a PhD and Master Degree in Forestry Science, and a Bachelor Degree in Environmental Management, all from the Albert-Ludwig University of Freiburg, Germany.

“Growing up in a small village in Germany, nature in general and forests, in particular, have always been my favourite place to be. Realising soon during studies on what a downhill trajectory Earth was on, I pursued a career in sustainability. Governments and leading private sectors can turn the wheel and transform the way we all live, while still allowing emerging countries to pursue a growth path to lift millions of their people from poverty.”

Haskarlianus Pasang has been with GAR since 2012 and specialises in translating sustainability policies and standards into practical actions in our operations. His current areas of focus include sustainable certification of food, feed and fuel feedstocks, biodiversity and ecosystem services, waste management, and circular economy.

He has 13 years of experience in the area of sustainability and is currently Co-Chair of the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) Technical Committee in South East Asia.

In his previous role as Country Manager of US company AES AgriVerde, Haskar introduced renewable energy and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) through methane capture and composting for the palm oil industry in Indonesia.

Haskar has a PhD and Master in Environmental Engineering from the University of Melbourne, Australia, Graduate Business Administration Programme at the Darden Business School, University of Virginia, USA, and a Bachelor Degree in Conservation and Management of Natural Resources, IPB University, Indonesia. He recently completed the Circular Economy and Sustainability Strategies Programme at Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, UK.

“Sustainability is a journey. It is a journey to create a responsible business while maintaining a delicate balance between economic, social, and environmental priorities to achieve long-term, sustainable development. The only way to get there is to work together with our people, our customers, our suppliers, and the industry.”

Ian Suwarganda manages the company’s international advocacy efforts to ensure access to markets for commerce and investment. He formalises a policy agenda, develops positions, and implements strategies to address relevant policy threats and opportunities, as well as legislation and regulations influencing the organisation. In his role, he engages with stakeholders from policymakers to non-profit representatives about responsibly produced palm oil.

He has over eight years of experience in sustainability topics. Prior to joining GAR in 2014, he was with IDH The Sustainable Trade Initiative as a programme manager in the pulp and paper sector. He worked closely with producers, industry associations, NGOs and relevant government agencies, developing and co-investing with them in sustainable forest management projects in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Ian represents GAR at High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA), International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System (ISCC), and District Collaborative Forum to Achieve Sustainable Development in Indonesia.

Ian has a Master Degree in Business Administration from INSEAD.

“In my current role, I am advocating with the European Union for European buyers and member states to invest in the sustainable livelihoods of small-scale farmers and their local communities in Indonesia’s rural areas. To fight climate change, protect forests while alleviating poverty, stakeholders have yet to implement solutions for rural farmers and communities, at scale.”

Jean-Pierre Caliman heads SMARTRI, the upstream research and development arm of GAR focused on improving agronomic practices.

With 38 years of experience in oil palm cultivation, Jean-Pierre’s expertise extends from soil fertility to the mineral nutrition of oil palms. He is involved in studies related to the agro-physiology of oil palms, aimed at building a mechanistic model of how oil palms function – from light capture and photosynthesis to the allocation of the carbohydrates and the yield.

He started his career in West Africa, Ivory Coast in 1983 with CIRAD, a research organisation set up by the French government dedicated to tropical agriculture, as a research agronomist on oil palm. From 1991 onwards, Jean-Pierre was posted by CIRAD to several places in Indonesia, starting at the IOPRI (the National Research Centre in Indonesia). He was finally posted to PT SMART in 1996 as a scientific advisor and expert in oil palm fertiliser management, to build collaboration between CIRAD and the private sector.

His engagement to the development of ecological intensification of oil palm cultivation has been recognised in Science magazine, which is edited by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of two highest ranking scientific magazines in the world.

He has contributed to the creation of ICOPE, the International Conference on Oil Palm and the Environment, and has been the Chairman of ICOPE since 2010.

Jean-Pierre has a PhD in Soil Sciences from the University of Burgundy, France. His thesis was on soil physical fertility in oil palm plantations. He also has a DEA diploma in Agronomy (equivalent to Master Degree) from the Montpellier High School for Agronomy in France, with a specialisation in tree crops.

“I believe agriculture and environment are highly compatible and should be integrated, and among all the agricultural crops, oil palm has one of the highest ecological potentials. I am passionate about discovering new technologies and approaches that support the ecological intensification of oil palm cultivation, through enhancing ecosystem services within plantations. This work could help ensure a steady supply of vegetable oil to the people, while protecting the environment.”

Khoo Kok Yeow leads our IT and digital teams in GAR, managing around 230 employees. Since joining the company in 2017, Kok Yeow has re-organised the teams, allowing deep domain expertise to be nurtured internally. Kok Yeow is currently operating IT in two tracks – one focuses on traditional IT, and the second focuses on innovative digital agenda: cloud, remote sensing, internet of things, machine learning, artificial intelligence, etc.

He also heads the Corporate Functions Shared Services, driving cost efficiency, operational excellence and a continuous improvement mindset in his team. Building on the motto of ‘repeatable, predictable and measurable operations’, his focus here is on value-added services such as machine learning and artificial intelligence-based analytics.

Prior to GAR, Kok Yeow was with Accenture for 23 years. Over the last 20 years, he has been involved in a large number of transformation engagements, as well as other strategic consulting initiatives, predominantly with resources industry clients. Kok Yeow also has extensive Finance and Accounting, HR and IT shared services operations and governance experience, having architected, designed, transitioned and operated shared services (for these functions) at various large multi-nationals.

“In challenging times, I hold dear this quote from Margaret Mitchell’s novel Gone with the Wind – ‘Life is under no obligation to give us what we expect’. So no matter the trial, we must face it without fear, and work hard to adapt and change for the better.”

Lim Shu Ling has worked with GAR since 2015. She oversees the preparation and publication of the company’s annual Sustainability Report. She also handles GAR’s ESG disclosures and reporting on various international platforms including DJSI, FTSE4Good, CDP, Sustainalytics, SPOTT and others. She works closely with Investor Relations and Finance in briefing financial stakeholders on GAR’s ESG performance.

Shu Ling began her career as a journalist and has worked with various media organisations including the BBC’s Business News Division. She has also gained expertise in Indonesian and external stakeholder relations from her work on a UNDP project in Indonesia. Shu Ling has a Master Degree in Asian Politics from the School of Asian and African Studies (University of London).

“ESG reporting is not only about dry figures and data; increasingly and in the post COVID-19 world, ESG performance and reporting on that performance will be what distinguishes companies who will win out and stay in business in the long term from those who don’t.”

Paul Wassell spearheads the company’s work in food technology and innovation, leading a team of more than 40 in New Product Developments (NPD), applications, nutrition, compliance for specialty fats, margarines, shortenings, chocolate and non-dairy. He has over 39 years of experience in the field, and is a specialist in edible fats and oils application, particularly for baking and confectionary.

Prior to joining GAR in 2014, Paul worked with palm oil in Malaysia, DuPont (Danisco) in Denmark and ADM Pura Foods in UK. Paul has extensive knowledge in NPD, and has led the development of palm oil based solutions for multiple food applications. He is currently a member of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS).

Paul received first-class honours with his Bachelor Degree in Product Management and Baking Technology at South Bank University, UK in 1997. He then completed his PhD in Biological Sciences at the University of Chester, UK in 2013. His thesis was titled: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Structuring in Reduced Triacylglycerol Based Systems.

“My journey in the food industry has often taken me into new specialisations and I have always enjoyed new challenges – especially when others say something cannot be done. The phrase ‘adapt and overcome’ is continuously expounded to my R&D colleagues. Yes, I am an idealist, and that is probably why I love to innovate – to put conceptual thinking into practice, but always, within commercial reality.

Understanding what people want and predicting future consumer desires, requires a lot of emotional intelligence. I passionately believe that people are important, and I enjoy people learning and developing new skills. During my time in Indonesia, it has been my proud privilege to support and lead a world class team, which is successively innovating a new, and more sustainable future.”

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.”

Vidia Paramita leads GAR’s community development programmes. Vidia believes GAR’s goals as a responsible agribusiness can best be achieved through collaboration with local communities and stakeholders. That means thriving together with them, creating decent work and livelihood, respecting community rights and cultures, and sharing resources and knowledge about the palm oil industry.

Vidia and her team oversee the developmental needs of the communities through community consent (FPIC), grievance management and Corporate Social Responsibility programmes using Social Impact Assessments. She is currently actively involved in ensuring all new planting activities respect the rights of our local communities.

Before joining GAR in 2015, Vidia was a management consultant in PwC. She worked on sustainability issues such as helping companies structure their sustainability strategy, reporting and disclosure, and conducting Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) audits. She has also worked on projects on renewable energy, such as biogas from palm oil mill effluent.

Vidia received a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas in 2009. She later obtained a master’s degree in Chemical & Environmental Engineering from University of Cornell in 2011.

“The world is changing at an extremely fast pace and it is also facing pressing issues such as the pandemic, climate change, and many more. These are challenges we should not face or try to solve in isolation but with the community at large. Only through collaboration and meaningful relationships with our communities and stakeholders can we find sustainable approaches to solving problems.”

Wong Hong Zhou focuses on transformation topics for the company, particularly in Business Intelligence and Governance Ecosystem Transformation. He led the design of GAR’s Central Business Services model and facilities, which streamlines the company’s functional processes such as finance and governance. With over 60 employees in his team, he is responsible for innovating GAR’s practices in control and compliance, data governance, operation and financial planning, statutory and management performance reporting.

He has over 20 years of experience in Finance and Controllership, Merger, Acquisition and Divestment turnaround, high stakes project delivery and SAP implementation.

Prior to joining GAR in 2016, he worked for Shell in Oman, UAE, Greater China and Malaysia, as Finance Director and Country Controller.

Hong Zhou has an Master Degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago – Booth School of Business, and a Bachelor Degree in Commerce (Finance and Marketing) from the University of Adelaide, Australia.

“The most critical ingredient of transformation is positivity. It attracts creativity, fun and passion, and excites people to come up with wonderful new initiatives. Great things can happen when one starts believing.”