Mission Produce announces European hire

Oxnard, Calif.-based Mission Produce has appointed Sean Bagheri to commercial director of Mission Produce Europe.

In the company’s new position, Bagheri will be responsible for growing European business and establishing direct-to-retail channels by delivering profitable sales growth for customers and maintaining year-round customer service, according to a news release.

"Sean was a strategic hire to unite our global sourcing and European sales teams in order to maximize profitability for both our growers and our customers,” Paul Frowde, managing director for Mission Produce U.K. and EU, said in the release. “With the potential market growth for avocados and mangos in Europe, we’re advancing our teams to elevate our ability to deliver high-quality fruit year-round and strengthen Mission Produce’s market share.”

Bagheri’s responsibilities will include sales and sourcing operations development, customer relationship management, and supply chain process advancement with a goal to identify new business opportunities and execute revenue-generating strategies in the European market, the release said.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to leverage Mission Produce’s market leadership, global network, and vertical integration to improve the customer experience and drive consumption of ripe avocados and mangos across Europe,” Bagheri said in the release. “My goal is to demonstrate how we align our targets to those of our customers and market the fruit in a sustainable way while respecting the needs of our growers. I look forward to implementing strategic synergies throughout our business to strengthen Mission’s leading position as the go-to supplier for avocados and mangoes.”

Bagheri’s hire comes ahead of anticipated facility developments that aim to establish the company’s direct-to-retail service, the release said. Mission Produce is vertically integrated in South America and South Africa, with additional sourcing capabilities across premium growing regions, to promote a reliable supply of fruit to service European customers year-round, according to the release.

Bagheri brings more than 10 years of experience in sales strategy development and execution, with a background in produce sales, specifically for avocados and mangoes. Bagheri holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with a technical breadth in technology management, according to the release. His additional competencies include entrepreneurship, economics and finance.