Bakersfield, Calif.-based Sun World International LLC has appointed two global licensing directors to lead the company’s commercial activities and staff, as well added three new regional managers to its team. These appointments will help support Sun World’s expanding portfolio of premium fruit varieties and licensed producers, according to a news release.
“As our momentum grows worldwide with breeding innovations, the launch of new fruit varieties and brands along with the rapid expansion of our family of licensees, we remain committed to providing our customers with access to our table grape and stone fruit varieties and the accompanying support our local managers offer,” Sun World CEO David Marguleas said in the release.
These changes include existing team members expanding into new leadership roles along with the hiring of new licensing managers who bring decades of experience to the field, he said.
Meet the directors leading global licensing
Pablo Ramirez and Petri van der Merwe have been promoted to global licensing director roles. Ramirez is slated to lead South America, Europe and China, and van der Merwe will be responsible for for North America, South Africa, Israel, Australia and North Africa regional territories, according to the release.
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These new management roles are designed to bring a focus on the supply of premium products and solutions to meet the industry needs, while taking Sun World to the next level in service of more than 2,000 licensed producers around the globe, the release said.
Ramirez and van der Merwe were previously responsible for Sun World’s South American and North American regions, and in their new roles both will report to Marguleas. These director roles will extend responsibilities to developing and onboarding grower relationships in new territories, according to the release.
Get to know the three new managers joining Sun World
According to the release, three new licensing managers will spearhead Sun World’s global variety development and licensing business initiatives.
Ben Taieb — licensing manager for North Africa and selected new territories
Born in Tangier, Morocco, and raised in Antwerp, Belgium, Taieb has worked in the fruit industry for more than 30 years. He has deep post-harvest expertise in a broad range of produce and has accumulated great commercial knowledge and many global connections involved in the retail, distribution and exporting of fruit, the release said. Through all these experiences, grapes were and still are the commodity he is most passionate about, according to the release.
Taieb’s objective is to further grow the Sun World business alongside its world class licensees in North Africa and Middle East and develop business opportunities for new products and territories using his accumulated global knowledge about the fruit industry, the release said.
Daniel Lopez — licensing manager for Peru
Lopez has professional experience in business development, with a focus in recent years in agribusiness in Mexico, Chile and Peru. His objective with Sun World is to strengthen relationships with Sun World’s licensees in Peru, maintaining promising growth for the industry and the development of new products and opportunities for their licensees and for the industry in Peru, according to the release.
Zach Cason — licensing manager for North America
Cason previously worked with an agricultural biotech startup working with growers and packers throughout California to efficiently run operations. A Bakersfield native, he has an agricultural business degree from California State University Chico, where he discovered his passion for sustainable farming and agriculture technology, the release said.
