ofi, a global leader in naturally good food & beverage ingredients, today announces that Carole Wainaina has been appointed to its Board of Directors (“the Board”) as a Non-Executive Director, effective 1 September. ofi was created in early 2020 following the announcement of the re-organisation within Olam International Limited (now Olam group Limited “Olam Group”) to unlock and maximise its long-term value. ofi intends to seek a primary listing on the premium segment of the London Stock Exchange, and a concurrent secondary listing in Singapore.

Carole Wainaina is currently the Senior Advisor to the CEO at Africa50, an investment fund set up by African governments and the African Development Bank to help bridge Africa’s infrastructure funding gap. Carole was previously the Chief Operating Officer since 2017. Her previous executive appointments include EVP & Chief HR Officer at Royal Philips Ltd, and at the Coca-Cola Company Carole held the roles of Chief of Staff for the Chairman & CEO, as well as HR Director for EuroAsia & Africa. In addition, Carole was Assistant Secretary General for Human Resources at the United Nations. Carole is a Non-Executive Director of Helios Towers Plc.

Carole will join the Sustainability and Governance Committee and the Remuneration and Talent Committee.

Niall FitzGerald, Chair of the Board commented:

“I am delighted to welcome Carole to the Board of ofi. Carole has a truly global perspective gained in both the public and private sectors which will bring significant knowledge and insight to the Board, particularly in strategy formulation and driving organizational change. This appointment completes the building of the ofi Board prior to the planned IPO. We now have an effective, skilled and diverse board which marks an important step in our ongoing preparations for the concurrent listing and demerger of ofi.”

Commenting on the appointment, Chief Executive Officer A. Shekhar said:  

“I am delighted to welcome Carole to ofi. Niall has built a strong inaugural Board for ofi and along with my management team I am looking forward to working closely with all our Board directors as we embark on the exciting next phase of ofi’s evolution to deliver sustained profitable growth and value creation with measurable social and environmental impact.”