Sunny Verghese is the Co-founder & Group CEO of Olam International Limited, a leading food and agri-business, headquartered in Singapore and ranking among the top 30 largest primary listed companies in terms of market capitalization on SGX-ST. In 2016, Fortune magazine recognized Olam at #23 in its ‘Change the World’ list.
In 30 years, Sunny and his team have built this business to S$33 billion in sales revenues for FY2019. Today, Olam operates in over 60 countries, delivering various agricultural raw materials and food ingredients to around 25,000 customers worldwide and employs around 87,600 people.
Sunny is currently the Chairman of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Chairman of the Board of the Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI), Singapore, Chairman of JOil (S) Pte Ltd and also serves on the Board of Trustees of Singapore Management University.
Previously, Sunny served on the Board of International Enterprise Singapore from 2002 to 2013 and was its Chair from 2008 to 2013. Sunny also served as Chair of CitySpring Infrastructure Management Pte Ltd from 2006 to 2010 and was on the Board of Trustees of National University of Singapore from 2009 to 2013. He also served as Commissioner of the Business & Sustainable Development Commission (BSDC).
Sunny was awarded the Best Chief Executive for large cap companies in the Singapore Corporate Awards (SCA) in 2011 and was named ‘Outstanding Chief Executive for 2006’ in the Singapore Business Awards (SBA) and Singapore’s Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008. He was also conferred The Public Service Medal by the Government of Singapore in August 2010.
Sunny holds a post graduate management degree from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) and has also completed the Advanced Management Program (AMP) from the Harvard Business School.
“Nowhere is the interconnectedness of food waste, food security and poverty more acute than in developing countries where more than 40 percent of food is lost during harvest, drying, and pre-consumption storage and transport. Working with 4 million smallholders, Olam invests in farmer training and infrastructure such as solar dryers, warehousing and roads, helping farmers to get the full value for their crops. Investment in processing units close to growing regions is also critical, not just for reducing food losses but for job creation and poverty alleviation. The ripple effect of tackling SDG 12.3 is obvious and we encourage more businesses to become Champions.” — Sunny Verghese