Corporate Leadership Team

Shekhar Anantharaman, Executive Director and CEO at ofi

A. Shekhar

Executive Director & CEO

Shekhar was appointed CEO of ofi in January 2020 upon its creation following the reorganization of the Olam Group. Shekhar joined Olam in 1992 and has been an Executive Director and a member of the Group Board since 1998. Shekhar held a variety of roles in the Olam Group, he was previously Group Chief Operating Officer, Executive Director – Finance and Business Development, and prior to this he incubated and managed various global businesses including the Nuts, Spices and Packaged Foods businesses, where he led many of the Company’s organic and inorganic growth initiatives. 

Rishi Kalra, Executive Director and CFO at ofi

Rishi Kalra

Executive Director & CFO

Rishi was appointed CFO of ofi in January 2020 upon its creation following the reorganization of the Olam Group. Rishi began his career with Olam in 2000 and during this period has served as CFO India, CFO West Africa, and President and Global Head of Corporate Finance. He is a founding member of the first Circle of Practice in Asia of The Prince of Wales Charitable Project, Accounting for Sustainability (A4S). A4S inspires action by finance leaders to drive a fundamental shift towards resilient business models and a sustainable economy.

Profile shot of Ashok Kristen, Managing Director and CEO, nuts

Ashok Krishen

Managing Director & CEO, nuts

Ashok is a management graduate with almost 30 years’ experience. He has been with Olam since 1992 and is the Global Head of the nuts business which includes almonds, cashew, hazelnuts, peanuts, pistachios and walnuts. He is also Chairman of the Executive Human Resource and Compensation Committee.

Profile shot of Prakash Jhanwer, Global Head - Sales and New Channels

Prakash Jhanwer

Managing Director and CEO, Spices

Prakash joined Olam in 1998, taking responsibility for coffee operations in Uganda. He moved into the risk function in 2001 and relocated to Vietnam in 2007 to take on the role of Country Head, extending to a regional role in 2010.

 

Since 2016, he has been responsible for Olam’s Southeast Asia and China operations, which he continues to manage today. His key markets include China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and Thailand.

 

Prakash is a Graduate of Commerce and holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management. He was recently awarded the prestigious Young Alumni Achiever Award by his alma mater for Corporate Leadership.

Profile shot of Vivek Verma, Managing Director & CEO, coffee

Vivek Verma

Managing Director & CEO, coffee

Vivek joined Olam in 1992 to head operations in India. He is currently responsible for the Coffee and Commodity Financial Services businesses. Originally trained as an engineer, Vivek has over 30 years’ agri‑commodities experience.

Profile shot of Sandeep Jan, Managing Director and CEO, diary

Sandeep Jain

Managing Director and CEO, Dairy and Global Head of Sales

Sandeep adopted the responsibility for nuts and cocoa operations in Indonesia in 1998, when he joined Olam. He moved into the coffee business in 2003 and relocated to Singapore. In 2004 he started ofi’s dairy business. Today, Sandeep leads ofi dairy globally and is also responsible for driving growth and synergy for ofi across Asia Pacific.

 

Sandeep is a Graduate of Commerce and holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.

Profile shot of Tejinder Singh Saraon, Managing Director, cocoa

Tejinder Singh Saraon

Managing Director & CEO, Cocoa

Teji joined Olam in 1997 and went on to manage ofi’s cocoa business in Togo, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Singapore. He moved to London in 2009 to manage the company’s global cocoa beans and products business, returning to Singapore in 2019.

 

He was integral in the integration process following the acquisition of ADM Cocoa in 2015. He is an expert in cocoa trading and origination, and previously served on the Board of Cocoa Association of Asia.

Briony Mathieson

Chief Marketing Officer

Briony joined the Olam Group in 2011 as part of the global sustainability team, becoming Global Head of Group Communications in 2012. She was responsible for promoting and protecting Olam’s reputation across all stakeholder groups, including employee communications and engagement. In 2020 she took on the role of CMO to ofi, encompassing customer marketing, employee engagement and reputation management.

Ian Haslegrave

Group General Counsel and Company Secretary

Ian joined ofi in January 2022, taking responsibility for the global legal, compliance and company secretarial teams.

 

Ian has over 30 years of experience working in both private practice and global FTSE listed companies across a diverse range of sectors including food, media and distribution. He has significant commercial, M&A and management experience with previous roles including executive management responsibility for HR, information security, indirect procurement and risk at a global level.   

Kamesh Ellajosyula

Chief Innovation & Quality Officer

Kamesh joined Olam in 2010 and held various senior manufacturing, innovation and quality roles. In 2020 he became Chief Innovation & Quality Officer at ofi, overseeing a global network of Innovation centers and driving quality and food safety across 100+ food ingredient manufacturing plants.

 

Kamesh holds a Master’s degree in Food Science from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York.

Dan Turney

President & Global Head of Operations

Dan joined ofi in January of 2022, bringing with him 35 years of FMCG food industry experience. His industry experience includes many iconically branded food companies, several private label manufacturing entities as well as multiple private equity portfolio companies. Specializing in end to end operations and supply chain disciplines, Dan’s focus is delivering the ‘one-ofi’ business for all stakeholders across a balanced scorecard of performance. As the global, functional lead for operations, Dan is responsible for aligning and realizing successful, holistic results for ofi across more that 115+ facilities around the globe.

Sathyamurthy Mayilswamy

President – LatAm region & Cocoa Americas

Sathyamurthy (Satya) joined Olam in 1996 to manage Sesame and Cashew operations in Nigeria, before moving on to lead Cocoa and Cashew operations. He moved to Cameroon as Country Head in 2001 before taking the role of Country Head – Nigeria & Benin in 2004. He then established the business across South America in 2007. In 2020 he began his current role at ofi as Regional Head for Latam and head of Cocoa Americas  

 

Satya has over 30 years of international industry experience. He is an agricultural Engineering Graduate from CAE, TNAU (India) and holds an MBA from IRMA.

Yusuke Kurosaki

Senior Vice President, CEO Office

Yusuke joined Olam in 2016 and has worked across a wide range of initiatives, including corporate strategy, re-organization & re-structuring, operational excellence and customer excellence.

 

He has been in the food & beverage industry for over 15 years and has held various positions within the sector from supply chain & procurement, international sales & marketing, to business development and M&A.

 

Yusuke holds an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business.

Usha Kakaria-Cayaux

Chief Human Resources Officer

Usha joined ofi in September 2022, taking responsibility for driving the company’s one-ofi strategy and amplifying its unique entrepreneurial culture leading global diversity, inclusion and equity, organization effectiveness and global talent management.

 

With over 25 years of professional experience across a diverse set of industries and iconic brands, she has expertise across finance, sales, marketing, project management and strategy. Usha has worked across all areas of HR – leading HR strategy, talent management, organization transformation, leadership development and succession. 

Steve Byers

Chief Digital and Information Officer

Steve joined ofi in September 2022, taking responsibility for expanding ofi’s leadership position on sustainability by digitizing traceability, supply chain delivery, and social impact transparency.

 

Steve has over 30 years of experience, which includes working at blue chip global listed companies across a diverse range of sectors including distribution, consumer goods and food ingredients. He holds significant experience in Information Technology (IT) management and leading large-scale digital transformational initiatives.

Shekhar Anantharaman, Executive Director and CEO at ofi
A. Shekhar
Executive Director & CEO
Rishi Kalra, Executive Director and CFO at ofi
Rishi Kalra
Executive Director & CFO
Profile shot of Ashok Kristen, Managing Director and CEO, nuts
Ashok Krishen
Managing Director & CEO, nuts
Profile shot of Prakash Jhanwer, Global Head - Sales and New Channels
Prakash Jhanwer
Managing Director and CEO, Spices
Profile shot of Vivek Verma, Managing Director & CEO, coffee
Vivek Verma
Managing Director & CEO, coffee
Profile shot of Sandeep Jan, Managing Director and CEO, diary
Sandeep Jain
Managing Director and CEO, Dairy and Global Head of Sales
Profile shot of Tejinder Singh Saraon, Managing Director, cocoa
Tejinder Singh Saraon
Managing Director & CEO, Cocoa
Briony Mathieson
Chief Marketing Officer
Ian Haslegrave
Group General Counsel and Company Secretary
Kamesh Ellajosyula
Chief Innovation & Quality Officer
Dan Turney
President & Global Head of Operations
Sathyamurthy Mayilswamy
President – LatAm region & Cocoa Americas
Yusuke Kurosaki
Senior Vice President, CEO Office
Usha Kakaria-Cayaux
Chief Human Resources Officer
Steve Byers
Chief Digital and Information Officer

Read ofi news

Articles Nov 28, 2023

Cultivating the next generation of process engineers

For over a decade, ofi has developed the next generation of process engineers and technical excellence in the Netherlands in partnership with Food & Process Tech Campus of Regio College in Zaandam. Tijmen Hoeve, ofi's Training Coordinator, shares three reasons why we invest in internships and how they add value to our operations and the wider society:

 

Developing in-demand skills

 

It all started with a skills gap in the industry. In the Netherlands, we have a shortage of technical skilled occupations such as engineers, ICT, and technicians, and the Covid pandemic hasn't helped the situation either. European Commission reported that in 2022, there is still a shortage of engineers. And to highlight the labor issues on the continent, it announced 2023 as the European Year of Skills. 

 

This challenge also requires long-term support and investment to make a difference. The internship ofi offers, which has been running since 2012, is connected to the Food & Process Tech Campus program. The four-year course, aimed at 17-21year olds, gives students a mix of theory and practical experiences in a real-life setting. Over four years, students can apply their technical understanding in our facilities in Koog aan de Zaan or Wormer. 

 

Investing in the future

 

Equipping students with the right skills to enter the workforce is a way to help future-proof the industry. Since 2012, ofi has given 5,000 euros annually to the college, which has helped to fund its practical room and the necessary safety equipment and contributed towards the teacher's salary. In some cases, we've even employed some students who have come through the program. It's a great way to develop talent that deeply understands your business.

 

Giving back to the community

 

I started my career in the food industry, working in various roles in food engineering. After 12 years of food tech, I channeled my passion into training the next generation of process engineers. Teaching is in my blood. My grandfather was a headmaster, and my father was a teacher, as is my brother, so I felt like a natural next step in my career. 

 

When I moved into education, I helped develop the curriculum for the Food & Process Tech Campus course and have previously worked at the college itself, so I have a strong understanding of what the students need to be successful in the course and to transition into the industry. I'm proud we support a local college, within walking distance of our facility in Koog aan de Zaan. Hear from Zlatan what it's like to be an intern at ofi.

Press Release Nov 16, 2023

ofi expands manufacturing capacity with opening of new dairy facility in New Zealand

ofi (olam food ingredients), a global leader in naturally good food and beverage ingredients, is celebrating the official opening of the first phase of its new, state-of-the-art dairy processing plant located in the dairy heartland of New Zealand – the Waikato region in the north island of the country. The facility will produce dairy ingredients like whole milk powder to meet growing demand, targeting key customer applications in dessert, bakery, beverage, and confectionery categories.

 

Sandeep Jain, Managing Director and CEO, Dairy, at ofi commented: “As we continue to expand our dairy manufacturing capabilities and innovation infrastructure, the new Tokoroa plant will become part of a global network that spans major milk consumption markets, such as South-East Asia, China, the Middle East, and Africa. The new plant also complements a suite of enhancements made to ofi’s dairy production facility and Ingredient Excellence Centre (IEC) in Johor, Malaysia back in September – which combined with our Customer Solutions Center based in Singapore, enables us to co-create bespoke food and beverage solutions for our customers. Our dairy business is well positioned to serve increased demand from our global customer base and co-create innovative applications at scale – driving additional focus on the value-added capabilities within our portfolio.”

 

The Tokoroa dairy ingredients forms part of ofi's much wider natural ingredients portfolio which includes cocoa, coffee, nuts and spices, ideal combinations with dairy for customized products such as yogurts, protein bars and ready-to-drink tea, coffee and cocoa beverages. The new facility also complements ofi’s existing global footprint, driving stronger partnerships with its customers and strengthening its co-creation capabilities across the region.

The next stage of investment will see further capability added to the facility to develop high value dairy ingredients, expanding the range of ofi’s offering. It will also enable ofi to look at ways to grow the value of its milk, generating better returns for its farmer partners while delivering on its ambition to produce ingredients in a way that is socially responsible and environmentally sustainable. 

Articles Nov 16, 2023

Back to school: 3 ways to help children in cocoa communities access education

As autumn started, children worldwide returned to school, and those in cocoa communities were no exception. As part of our Cocoa Compass sustainability ambition, we're working with our customers and partners to ensure that all children of cocoa farmers in our supply chain can get an education by 2030. Not only is this a human right, but it's also a key driver for tackling child labor.  

Contact form call to action with the words want to talk, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch today

Want to talk?

We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch today.