Philipp Saumweber is an experienced principal investor and operator in food, beverage and agriculture, which he has worked in for over a decade and has deployed capital across the food and agribusiness value chain in Europe, North America and Australasia.

While at Sunridge Partners, Philipp was also the interim CEO for one of its portfolio businesses.

Previously, Philipp was an investment professional at King Street Capital, a large hedge fund, where he led investments in real asset sector throughout Europe.

Philipp began his career at Goldman Sachs, where he advised public and private companies in European real estate, lodging and gaming sectors on strategic and financial matters.

Philipp holds a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Hugues Marchand is an investment professional with more than 15 years of principal investing experience, primarily food, agriculture and infrastructure sectors across Europe, North America and Africa.

At Sunridge Partners, Hugues has also been CFO of a portfolio business.

Previously, Hugues was a principal investment professional at GDF SUEZ, leading transaction in LNG, infrastructure and power projects globally. During his time at GDF SUEZ Hugues was also divisional CFO in Turkey.

Hugues holds a BEng in Applied Maths from the Universite Catholique de Louvain, an MSc in Financial Economics from the University of London, a PhD in Operations Research from the Centre for Operations Research and Econometrics (UCL) / Columbia University and attended INSEAD’s General Management Program.

Michael is seasoned food and agribusiness investment and business development professional with more than a decade of experience.

Michael was a business development director for one of Sunridge Partners' portfolio companies.

Previously, Michael was an investment professional at RJI Capital, a boutique private equity and strategic advisory firm.

Michael began his career in commodities trading at Dominion Resources, one of the largest physical and financial traders of natural gas in the US.

Michael holds a BSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MSc with Distinction in Shipping, Trade, and Finance from Bayes Business School.

Ian is a food and agriculture executive with 35 years of experience in primary production and downstream food processing and distribution across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the US.

Previously, Ian was the CEO Elite Agro, the Food and Agriculture division of Yas Holding, and was responsible for 20 companies located in the UAE, Serbia, Morocco, Mauritania, Ethiopia and Bahrain spanning fresh produce, arable land, dairy, and distribution. Additionally, in this role, he managed two large acquisitions. Prior to his time at Elite Agro, Ian was the CEO at Langmead Group and before that Natures Way Foods both in the UK.

Ian holds a degree in Agricultural Marketing and Business Administration from Harper Adams University in the United Kingdom and has completed an Executive MBA at INSEAD.

Lukas is an investment professional and leads and supports business development, portfolio company management and other high impact projects.

Previously, Lukas worked at Teneo, focusing on strategic and organisational transformations as well as projects requiring advanced data analytics. He was previously also a consultant for Bayer Crop Science and BASF Agriculture in Seeds and Traits with a focus on wheat.

Lukas holds an MA in Natural Sciences, an MPhil in Management, and a PhD in Plant Sciences from the University of Cambridge.

Ben is an investment professional who supports business development, portfolio company management and other high impact projects.

Previously, Ben spent three years working with Boston Consulting Group in London and Melbourne. He specialised in product and growth strategy projects within the consumer and food space. Ben also has experience working in the investment banking division of Credit Suisse’s general industrials team.

Ben holds a BComm in Economics and Finance with first class honours (Dean’s list) from the University of Melbourne and a BCompSc in Computer Science with first class honours from Monash University.

Gonzalo is an investment professional who supports business development, portfolio company management and other high impact projects.

Previously, Gonzalo worked at Arthur D. Little as a Manager, focusing on strategic consulting in the consumer, food and agriculture sectors. Prior to this, he worked in consulting at Kearney in their Madrid office.

Gonzalo holds an BA in International Business Administration from ICADE and Lancaster University, and an MBA from HEC Paris.

Theranjit supports the financial organisation of Sunridge Partners and its portfolio companies.

Previously, Theranjit worked within Accenture’s Strategy and Consulting division, focussing on strategic data transformations and analytics projects for large financial services clients. Theranjit also has experience helping early-stage start-ups develop their go to market strategies within Accenture’s Fintech incubator.

Theranjit holds an MEng in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Imperial College London.

Muriel provides executive assistant support to the Sunridge team.

Muriel started her career in the US as an Executive Assistant at Fox International Channels and then spent 14 years as an Executive Assistant working with a large team at Eurostar International.

Most recently, Muriel started and successfully built her own hospitality business.

Muriel holds a degree in Administration.

Carol provides administrative support to the team covering office management, and ensures that the office runs smoothly.

She commenced her career working administratively for an American oil company until it was bought by BHP Billiton, where she continued as Executive Assistant running the London office of the Chairman & CEO.

Carol holds a BA (hons).

Kyle is the Owner-Chef of SingleThread Farms. SingleThread holds three Michelin Stars and a Michelin Green Star. Kyle is also contributor to the "Modernist Cuisine" series, a co-developer of the Culinary Science Bachelors Degree program for the CIA, and an author. In 2014 Kyle co-founded the culinary development firm Pilot R+D.

Dave is the former Head of the Global Food and Beverage Team at Kearney. Currently, Dave is a Partner Emeritus at Kearney and Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University in Chicago, an investor and an active speaker on innovations in the food and consumer products industry. He has over 40 years’ experience working in consumer products, retail, in both executive positions and consulting roles.

Charles is the Director of the Oxford Martin School and Hope Professor of Zoology at Oxford University. His research focuses on the global food system and how it will need to adapt to 21st century challenges, sustainable intensification, and the relationship between food production, ecosystem services and biodiversity. He is the former chair of DEFRA’s Science Advisory Council and is a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Jesper was until recently the CEO of Lidl International, one of the largest international chains of grocery stores. Currently, Jesper is a senior advisor at McKinsey & Company, and also acts as chair of The Meatless Farm and as board member at nemlig.com

Kip is the former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agriculture and Food Agencies, the World Food Program, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Development Law Organization, International Finance and Development, and the Organization for the Unification of Private Law in Rome, Italy. Prior to his service as Ambassador, he served in various roles in the family’s agribusinesses involved in production operations in the US and Latin America, grain trading and processing and investing in agri-food technologies. He has also been involved in global agriculture development and consulting.

Ann is the former United States Secretary of Agriculture and a strategic adviser and board member to a range of food and agriculture and related companies.

Ann is a former Nestlé Board Director, Executive Director at UNICEF, former California Secretary of Food and Agriculture, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a former member of the Trilateral Commission Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Centre.