MEET THE SPEAKERS

Speaker Template

Andy Lu

Goodfarmer

Andy Lu is South-East Asia fruit procurement director for Goodfarmer. He has managed fruit procurement operations in Vietnam and Thailand for more than ten years, focusing on dragon fruit, durian and more recently, fresh coconuts. Additionally, he has handled banana sourcing in Central America (Costa Rica) and South America (Colombia and Ecuador).
Ben Reilly

Steritech

Ben Reilly has led Steritech’s phytosanitary irradiation business for the past decade, rapidly growing it to become a key service for over 80 crops. His international experience in fresh produce fostered a strategic vision that has seen the technology used to create trade security and competitive advantages for the Australian industry.
Benoit Barache

Blue Whale

Benoit Barache is Asia marketing manager for leading French apple exporter, Blue Whale. Based in Singapore, he is responsible for promoting the company’s range of brands across Asia where Blue Whale exports to ten countries or regions. Benoit has been based in Asia for seven years and previously worked as a buyer for Carrefour China and trade marketing manager for Lactalis.
Chinh Trung Bui

Aeon Vietnam

Chinh Trung Bui is general manager of perishable and delicatessen for leading food retailer Aeon Vietnam. He is passionate about customer satisfaction and enjoys turning ideas into clean, impactful and creative results.
Dang Phuc Nguyen

Vinafruit

Dang Phuc Nguyen is secretary general of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association (Vinafruit).
Danny Guo

JWM Asia

Danny Guo is general manager of trade at JWM Asia. Since entering the fresh produce business in 2015, he has progressed through various commercial roles, accumulating extensive experience across Asian markets. Currently, his focus lies in market development and strategic partnerships, where he utilises his valuable insights to drive success throughout the region.
Hai Xuan Nguyen

Klever Fruit

Hai Xuan Nguyen is the founder and CEO of Klever Fruit, a leading premium fruit boutique chain in Vietnam. Under his leadership, Klever Fruit has expanded its retail chain, offering high-quality imported fruits from around the world. His strategic vision focuses on providing customers with the freshest and safest products while continuously improving the shopping experience.
Hannah de Valda

Rockit Global

Hannah de Valda is global brand manager at Rockit Global, where she leads innovative marketing strategies to grow the brand worldwide. With a passion for storytelling and consumer engagement, Hannah drives brand visibility and expansion, delivering fresh, creative campaigns that resonate across diverse markets and elevate Rockit’s global presence.
James Gordon

T&G Global

James Gordon is regional general manager of Asia for T&G Global. He has 30 years’ experience of marketing agricultural products across a broad range of markets. Based in Singapore for the past five years, he has also lived and worked in Thailand, China, India, the UK and the US over his career. James has held various regional leadership roles across Asia-Pacific focused on transforming sales models to become as direct to the end-customer as possible.
James Sexton

Exoriens Fresh

James Sexton is business development manager of Exoriens Fresh. He has extensive experience in sourcing and exporting premium fresh produce from Thailand and Vietnam under the ‘Life’ brand and customer brands. With expertise in maintaining the cold chain and a focus on food safety, he builds trust-based global partnerships for long-term success.
Johann Hall

NielsenIQ

Johann Hall leads the retailer account development team for NielsenIQ Philippines and Indochina. Working closely with FMCG retailers, he is responsible for providing insights that enable retailers’ strategic business decisions. Prior to this, Johann led the retailer team for NielsenIQ in Hong Kong and Singapore. He has also taken leadership roles previously within Coca-Cola and Heineken.
Jose Vottero

Fresh Fruit-X

Jose Vottero is managing director of Fresh Fruit-X, a leading fresh produce company focused on delivering premium fruit to retail markets across Asia. With over a decade of experience in Asia’s fresh produce industry, Jose began his career as a sourcing agent representing several South American exporters. He later founded Palos Verdes in Spain, a company built on close grower relationships and a deep understanding of Asian market dynamics. Palos Verdes eventually merged into Fruit-X, consolidating sourcing and distribution capabilities across multiple origins. Fresh Fruit-X was formed In August 2022 after AMFresh Group acquired a majority stake in Fruit-X, with Jose appointed to lead its expansion and integration as managing director.
Laurent De Smedt

BelOrta

Laurent De Smedt is head of the pomefruit division at BelOrta. BelOrta is a Belgian cooperative with more than 1,000 growers specialising in growing fruit and vegetables. With a production of 190,000 tonnes of pears and 85,000 tonnes of apples, it is the leading cooperative in Belgium.
Mohammed Abbas

Fresh Del Monte

Mohammed Abbas is Fresh Del Monte’s executive vice-president and chief operating officer and has held various important roles at the group during almost two decades with the company. He has more than 20 years’ experience in leadership roles in agriculture, farming, and the fresh produce industry for multinational organisations in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific.
Paul Le

Central Retail Vietnam

Paul Le is vice president of Vietnam trade promotion projects and export division for Central Retail Vietnam. He has 37 years’ experience in key management positions for several multinational corporations in Europe and Asia. Paul began his career in the packaging industry and now works in the retail industry as vice president of Central Retail.
Richard Burrage

Cimigo

Richard Burrage is founder of leading market research agency Cimigo. He has 30 years of experience in market research and consulting. Richard has spent the last 25 years in Vietnam, assisting in developing and building numerous brands to achieve leadership positions. Richard speaks regularly at events on consumer trends, innovation, advertising and customer experience.
Ryan Molloy

RedFern Digital

Ryan Molloy is CEO at RedFern Digital, an award-winning independent brand management agency that develops, manages, and distributes brands across Asia. He is responsible for the strategic direction, growth, and performance of some of the largest and most successful brands in Asia, across a dynamic range of categories, covering branding, strategy, social media marketing and e-commerce.
Siebe van Wijk

The Fruit Republic

Siebe van Wijk is managing director and founder of two Vietnam-based companies: The Fruit Republic and Fresh Studio. The Fruit Republic stands as Vietnam’s premier fruit company, offering unique year-round exotic fruit programes. It holds certifications from GlobalGAP, Tesco Nurture, GRASP, LEAF, ETI-SMETA, BRC, and FSSC 2200. With a dedicated team of over 400 staff, its own extension teams, training farms, packhouses, and distribution centres in Vietnam and the Netherlands, The Fruit Republic ensures smallholder farmers remain included in global fruit value chains.
Thao Nguyen

Hoang Phat Fruit Company

Thao Nguyen is business director at Hoang Phat Fruit Company, one of Vietnam’s leading fresh fruit exporters to global markets. Thao brings expertise in cultivating high-quality produce and extensive experience navigating diverse international markets. Her role involves spearheading the company’s export strategies, ensuring its fruits meet stringent global standards, and fostering strong relationships with partners worldwide.
Will McFarland

SNV / Dutch Fund for Climate and Development

Will McFarland is the regional climate change and agri-food advisor for the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD). DFCD is a €440m blended finance facility initiated by the Dutch government investing in sustainable agriculture and water companies. An economist by background, he has lived in Vietnam for nine years developing private-sector partnerships to promote agricultural development in South-East Asia and beyond.