Sati announces departure of CEO AJ Griesel

The South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) has announced the resignation of its CEO, AJ Griesel in a brief statement. Griesel joined the organisation two years ago as replacement for previous CEO Willem Bestbier, who retired.

Board chairman Anton Viljoen said SATI has already started the processes to replace Griesel, who will remain with the organization until the end of May.

SATI said Griesel had been instrumental in implementing numerous projects and initiatives in support of maintaining South Africa’s position as a preferred global supplier.

“The SATI Board thank him for his contribution and dedication to the organisation and wishes him well in his new ventures. He will remain an active member of the SATI team until the 30 of May 2024. He will manage the execution of key projects such as the submission of the SATI levy application, the initiation phase of developing a predictive logistics model, market development initiatives and other projects where applicable,” the organisation said.

In a simultaneous statement WinField United South Africa (WUSA), a supplier of holistic agricultural solutions to the South African industry, announced that Griesel will join the company in June of this year.

WUSA was formed from the 2021 merger of two local companies, Villa Crop Protection and InteliChem Group, with WinField United, the crop protection business of the Land O’ Lakes Group in America.

Griesel’s new role will be as managing director of InteliGro Crop Solutions.

Louise Duminy, group brand manager at WUSA, said the company was pleased to welcome Griesel as a seasoned operational and commercial executive with a well-developed strategic mindset and extensive experience in the South African agricultural sector and the food value chain.

“He has a dedicated background and respected presence in the agricultural industry. His professional experience in the South African agricultural industry spans more than 20 years,” she said.

SATI plans to have its new CEO in place for the new season. “We had a good season, with generally good markets and a good crop. There were challenges, mostly logistic, but we managed to find solutions to ensure a successful season,” Viljoen said.