Leadership

Mr Verghese began his career as a project manager at Kewalram Chanrai Group from 1986 to 1990 and subsequently served as general manager and director of Chanrai International Ltd from 1990 to 1995. In 1989, he co‑founded Olam Group and served until 2026 as Group CEO and Executive Director, with responsibility for management, strategic planning, business development, and the formulation of financial, operational, legal and compliance policies.

From 2018 to 2021, Mr Verghese was chair of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the global CEO‑led organisation focused on advancing sustainability, and from 2017 to 2023 he was chair of the Human Capital Leadership Institute, Singapore. Since April 2022, he has been chair of GenZero, an investment platform established by Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited to accelerate global decarbonisation.

Mr Verghese has received numerous honours, including Outstanding CEO at the Singapore Business Awards (2007), Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Singapore (2008), and Best CEO of the Year at the Singapore Corporate Awards (2011). In 2010, he was awarded the Public Service Medal by the Government of Singapore. He holds a postgraduate management degree from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, where he was recognised as a Distinguished Alumnus, and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Muthu joined Olam in July 1997 as Finance Manager of Olam Benin. Since then he has held a number of roles including Group Head of IT and Shared Services and Head of Corporate Affairs.

Muthu obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Madras University, India, and qualified as an Associate member of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India. He has also completed the Advanced Management Programme from Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania.

Jayant Parande leads the Finance & Treasury teams, as well as heading Trade and Structured Finance (TSF).

Jayant joined Olam in 1995, as CFO of Olam Nigeria. He was transferred to the Corporate Headquarters at Singapore in 1998 as Co-Head of Corporate Finance and took over his current treasury role in April 2001.

Prior to joining Olam, Jayant worked for an edible oils & consumer products company in Mumbai, India from 1991 to 1995 in the Corporate Finance and Treasury departments.

He is a graduate in Commerce & Economics from the University of Bombay, India and a qualified Chartered Accountant.

Ashok is the CEO of Olam Agri's Fibre, Agri-Industrials and Ag Services.

Ashok joined Olam in 1994 in Benin, West Africa, and went on to lead Olam’s expansion into Southeast Asia. He has been with the company for 28 years and has deep and varied experience across businesses and functions. He has held several different roles, including Country Head for Indonesia, Regional Controller for Southeast Asia, Global Head of Risk Management and Global Head of the Cotton, Edible Oils & Sugar businesses. In his current role, he heads the Cotton, Rubber, Wood Products, Funds and Risk Management Solutions businesses. Ashok is a Director on the Board of the International Cotton Association, a member of the Better Cotton Council and a member of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) Rubber Committee.

Saurabh Mehra is the Segment Head for Food & Feed Processing & Value-Added at Olam Agri. Under his leadership, our Wheat Milling & Pasta business is now amongst the top ten of its kind in the world, the market leader in all our countries of operation, and the largest wheat miller in Africa.

Saurabh joined Olam in 1999 and has held a variety of roles including Country Manager of Ghana, and Cocoa Beans Trader based out of our London office.  He moved to Nigeria in 2009 and oversaw the acquisition of our first wheat mill – Crown Flour Mill, subsequently becoming Managing Director.

Before joining Olam, Saurabh worked at Colgate Palmolive (India) for two years, where he developed his knowledge of front-line sales, managing sales in the states of Punjab and Himanchal.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering – Electronics & Communication – from Delhi College of Engineering, and an MBA in Marketing & Finance from the Management Development Institute, India.

Gurpreet Dhaliwal is the Segment Head for Food & Feed Origination & Merchandising.

Gurpreet joined Olam in 2001 in Nigeria, where he handled Sesame, moving on to Rice Distribution in 2003. In 2005, he relocated to India, where he developed Commodity Financing for ICICI Bank, a leading private sector bank. He moved back to work with Olam in 2007, where he took on responsibility for Timber Marketing in Europe.

He graduated in Management from the Insitute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) India.

Georg has led Continental Farmers Group since 2019, having previously served as Chief Operating Officer. On June 22, 2026, Continental Farmers Group became a subsidiary of Olam Agri.

Under his leadership, the business has continued to strengthen its position as a leading farming operation in Ukraine, with a land bank of over 190,000 hectares producing a diverse range of crops including grains, sugar beet and potatoes. The company also operates extensive inland storage infrastructure, logistics capabilities including trucking and rail, and a grain and oilseed trading business, reflecting its integrated approach across the agricultural value chain.

Georg brings extensive international experience in agriculture, having held roles from Farm Manager to Chief Executive across multiple markets including the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Russia and Romania.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy and a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Göttingen, Germany.