SPEAKERS | Fresh Produce India

MEET THE SPEAKERS

ALK BRAND

Westfalia Fruit Group

Alk Brand joined the Westfalia Fruit Group as group chief executive in January 2020. Alk’s focus throughout his career has been on business growth and creating operational efficiencies with an in-depth knowledge of agriculture through his global exposure to international markets for more than 20 years. Since joining Westfalia, Alk has promoted a cohesive and inclusive approach to all aspects of the business – from commercial and operational activities to human resources, business systems and communications.

AZHAR TAMBUWALA

Sahyadri Farms

Azhar is co-founder of Sahyadri Farms, a farmer producer organisation supplying a wide range of fresh produce to the domestic international markets. Azhar has extensive experience in the world fruit trade and holds senior positions at other companies in the industry including Seasonz International.

SAURABH RAINA

Reliance Retail

Saurabh Raina is assistant vice-president of fresh for Reliance Retail. He has over 20 years’ experience in fresh food retail and wholesale. Prior to joining Reliance, he was vice-president of sales and marketing for Indian fresh fruit importer NGK Trading. Saurabh has also held management positions in major corporates such as Walmart, Del Monte and Tata Group.

DAVID DANIELS

Citrus Australia

David has a background in foodservice with a formal qualification in food technology. His role at Citrus Australia has recently expanded from market access manager to general manager market development. His role is to engage with the sector and provide technical advice to government to help overcome technical trade barriers in the area of biosecurity, agrichemicals and food safety.

KARTHIK JAYARAMAN

WayCool Foods

Karthik Jayaraman is co-founder and managing director of WayCool Foods. As one of India’s fastest growing food distribution platforms, WayCool leverages innovative technology to scale up and operate a complex supply chain. With a diverse background in engineering, automotive and management consulting, Karthik has built a strong culture of innovation at WayCool.

TARUN ARORA

IG International

Tarun Arora is a director of IG International. Founded over 50 years ago, IG has grown to become one of the largest fresh produce companies in India, with its operation spanning fruit production, imports, exports, temperature-controlled logistics, supply chain management, and distribution. Tarun is the driving force behind IG’s foray into agri-tech services and controlled environment agriculture. He also manages the company’s investment programme, IG Holding.

ZAC BARD

Westfalia Group Global Farming

Zac Bard is the growers and commercial nursery executive for Westfalia Group Global Farming. Zac started his career at the South African Avocado Growers Association after completing his MBL, MLA and MSc Agric, specialising in avocados. He joined Westfalia in 2000 with the establishment of Westfalia Marketing and was involved in taking the company to new territories, such as Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe and more recently Colombia, Burkina Faso, Mozambique and India. Zac was involved in founding the World Avocado Organisation, which aims at increasing avocado consumption in markets outside of the US and currently serves as Chairperson.