We combine international expertise with local African know-how and a long-term vision with a sustainable approach.
Amatheon Agri is an agribusiness and food company headquartered in Berlin and operating in Sub-Saharan Africa – in Zambia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
With over EUR 200 million invested in its operations since 2011, Amatheon believes that the key to unlocking Sub-Saharan Africa’s vast agricultural potential is combining world-class farming techniques, partnerships with smallholder farmers, and vertical value chain integration.
Amatheon Agri is equipped with fertile land for development and expansion, access to both local and European markets, and can leverage these factors to increase growth and margin potential.
With population in Sub-Saharan Africa growing from 1.2 to 2.4bn by 2050, most food production is still done by smallholders with average crop yields of 2t/ha for maize, compared to 8 to12t/ha in EU and USA. Considering the risk of an additional 227m ha of rain forest being cleared by 2050, we see improvement of crop yields in Africa as the most effective way to fight the looming global food insecurity.
Amatheon Agri combines African and German know-how in international business development expertise, and cutting-edge farming to develop a unique Farm-To-Table business model that derives revenue from crop and food sales, both domestically and internationally. With integrating smallholder farmers in our value chain through outgrower programmes and farm extension services, neighboring communities learn how to double their yields by using right techniques in farming methods.
In addition to the expansion of existing activities in Zambia, the strategic partnerships with the government in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as the government in Zimbabwe are expected to make a significant contribution to revenue and earnings.
As a triple-bottom-line company, Amatheon acts as an anchor investor in rural areas to uplift neighboring communities economically, socially, and environmentally. Its combination of international expertise with local Africa know-how, and a long-term vision with a sustainable approach as well as partnerships with key crop off-takers and excellent network at the highest level of governments in sub-Saharan Africa, makes it set in securing a position of a leading player in the African agricultural sector.
Chief Executive
Officer
As Chief Executive Officer of Amatheon Agri Holding N.V., Max Sturm combines a wealth of experience in senior operational and financial roles with a solid background in various sectors, including agriculture. Responsible for the strategic and operational direction of the company, Max, an Austrian citizen, holds a law degree and a B.Com in Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management. With over 30 years of in-depth knowledge and practical experience, particularly with listed international companies, he brings a unique perspective to the leadership role.
Director of
Operations
Herwig Tilly is the Director of the Farming Division at Amatheon Agri Holding NV. After working in the agribusiness sector for more than 15 years and heading several large-scale farms in Germany, Herwig brings extensive knowledge on agricultural processes and international farm management. Before joining Amatheon Agri in 2012, he directed Farming Operations in Chile and led a large-scale operation growing both traditional and specialised crops.
Director of International
Sales & Marketing
Victoria Cavanagh is responsible for planning and implementing Amatheon Agri’s sales, marketing and product development activities, and positioning the company as a leading food supplier for clients worldwide. She brings over 10 years experience in international development and strategic communications across both public and private sectors. Prior to joining Amatheon, Victoria worked for the United Nations in Rome and was responsible for marketing UN logistics and supply-chain services to international organisations and governments.
Head of Sales
DACH Region
Carsten is an experienced Sales Manager, who started his career at Köln Flocken and Schwartauer Werke and held management positions at Ostfriesische Teegesellschaft, Schneekoppe, Block House, all well-known companies in the European food markets.
As Head of Sales for the DACH Region Carsten is responsible for the ZUVA sales rollout to German, Austrian and Swiss retailers and also supports and establishes Amatheon’s herbs and spices plans towards wholesalers and spice industry offtakers in the same region.
General Manager
Zambia
Carlos Eduardo Kich, the General Manager at Amatheon Agri Zambia, brings over fifteen years of experience in tropical agriculture across Brazil and Africa. A graduate in Agronomy from Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil, his expertise encompasses crop production, process management, and quality assurance. Carlos’s career trajectory is marked by significant contributions to agricultural operations, including precision agriculture and effective team leadership. His accomplishments in advancing agricultural practices and optimizing team dynamics have earned him multiple industry awards. At Amatheon, Carlos continues to drive innovation and sustainable growth in the agricultural sector.
General Manager
Uganda
Prosper Maposa is the General Manager of Amatheon Agri Uganda with over 15 years of experience in large-scale agriculture, poultry and beef operations in Southern and Eastern Africa. He has strong experience in special food production, agricultural development as well as rural development activities. Before joining Amatheon Agri Zimbabwe in 2014 and transferred to Amatheon Agri Uganda in 2015, Prosper was working in one of the leading agricultural sector companies in Zimbabwe as Operations Manager.
CEO of the
Real Meat Africa Group
Robert Mwale is a Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant (FCCA) with over twenty years’ experience in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) business. Robert also holds an MBA from Oxford Brookes University UK. He has worked for multinational companies in East, Central and Southern Africa in senior finance & commercial leadership positions streamlining value chains, driving strategic growth and change initiatives. Robert also has extensive experience in the foods industry including dairy and meat processing and in a cross section of agri-businesses including tea production in Kenya. Most recently, Robert was the CFO of the Real Meat Africa Group.
Group Legal
Counsel
Ariella Todesco is the Legal Counsel for the Group, overseeing and advising on a wide range of corporate, commercial and operational matters locally and in country. Ariella was legally trained at one of the big five law firms in Africa and brings vast knowledge of Sub-Saharan Africa and the legal challenges it poses. She has worked in legal roles in Germany where she worked internationally with lawyers in the USA, Netherlands and the UK. Ariella is admitted to the bar of the High Courts of South Africa.
Supervisory Board Chairman
Tarek Malak studied economics at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and started his career at N.M. Rothschild & Sons where he worked in the bank’s Financial Advisory Group, specializing in M&A and debt restructuring transactions for large and mid-cap clients. Since 2011, Tarek Malak has been employed by the Tennor Group. Mr. Malak is a member of the Supervisory Board of Wild Bunch AG (Chairman) and Hertha BSC GmbH & Co. KGaA.
Supervisory Board Member
Stefan Kindler is a qualified lawyer, certified accountant and tax consultant. For over 18 years he held many senior positions at HLB Stueckmann & Partner, Bielefeld, Germany working with clients in agriculture, the food industry, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Mr. Kindler was a member of the Supervisory Board of the Company in 2019/2020. He has served on the Supervisory Board of Hertha BSC GmbH & Co. KGaA since July 2019 and since August 2020 as the Vice-Chairman. At present, Mr. Kindler is a Director at Tennor Holding B.V.
Growing Value.