Three new members, each with deep commodity supply chain and technology experience, will support CEO Michael Chrisment with the business’ expansion following its recent $9 million funding round 

farmer connect^®, the global supply chain software provider that enables fair, sustainable and traceable agriculture, has announced a new board comprised of Dave Behrends, Souleïma Baddi, Stefano Rettore, Filippo Catalano and Nicolas A. Tamari.

The board will be responsible for ensuring the $9 million series A investment round supports the continued development of the strategy, new products and services. The focus will be in ESG and SDG tracking, and the recruitment of sector-specialist teams across the world in industries that impact small holder farmers, such as coffee, cocoa, tea, spices and fragrances.

The three new board members are:

Souleïma Baddi

An experienced business leader and board representative, Baddi is a former banker and ex-head of trade finance for Societe Generale in Geneva. Since 2018 she is the CEO of Komgo, a global software development and IT services company, offering digital network and workflow solutions for the trade finance industry.

Stefano Rettore 

Rettore is a senior leader and an investor in the agrifood sector. He is also a Non-Executive Director of Deoleo, the world’s leading olive oil company. He was previously President at ADM Global Origination and was a member of the company’s Executive Council. Rettore will join farmer connect^® as Vice-Chairman.

Filippo Catalano 

Catalano brings a great deal of experience in emerging technologies, innovation and CPG business models. His previous roles include Global CIO at Nestlé and Digital Innovation at P&G. Starting from April 1st, he will be the EVP Chief Information and Digitization Officer and executive board member at Reckitt.

These three will join the following existing board members:

Dave Behrends 

Behrends founded farmer connect^® in 2019 with the vision to humanise consumption through technology and will assume the company’s Chairman position. He is also Managing Partner and Head of Trading at Sucafina SA.

Nicolas A. Tamari

Tamari is Chief Executive Officer of Sucafina SA, a founding partner of farmer connect^® and contributor to the series A round announced earlier this month.

Stefano Rettore, farmer connect^® board member, commented on their appointment: ““I am passionate about the need to move from more food to better food, whether that is through improving products or developing more sustainable and effective supply chains. farmer connect^®’s visionary approach is bringing end-to-end benefits, from consumers who increasingly want to know where and how their products have been sourced to financially supporting the farmers that grew them. I look forward to supporting the management team in delivering and scaling its mission.”

He continues: “Under Michael Chrisment’s leadership, farmer connect^®’s client and revenue growth in 2020 was exceptional. My role is to ensure this continues across all key markets.”

farmer connect^® Chief Executive Officer Michael Chrisment commented: “With the support and experience of this board, we will rapidly grow to meet market demand and deliver on our promise to enable industry transformation.”

The farmer connect^® software builds and expands on IBM Blockchain Transparent Supply, adapting it to the needs and business models of the supply chain and adding new features, such as the ability for farmers to participate directly in the data sharing and control.

About farmer connect^®

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Switzerland, farmer connect^® is a global industry-led company with the vision to humanize consumption through technology. Its cutting-edge software promotes fair, sustainable and traceable agriculture, enabling an inclusive and efficient supply chain from farmers to consumers. Built on emerging technologies, such as blockchain, self-sovereign identity, and artificial intelligence, the agritech ecosystem allows safe and private business data storage and sharing, as well as the exchange and tracking of information and payments. The initiative is supported by industry leaders who recognize digitalization, transparency and sustainability as powerful trends in the agriculture sector. At this stage, farmer connect^® is focused on coffee and cocoa, with ambitions to cover other agricultural commodities in the near future.

 For more information about farmer connect^® visit: https://www.farmerconnect.com