– BRAZIL, Belo Horizonte – Verde AgriTech Plc (TSX: NPK | OTC: AMHPF) today announced the appointment of Founder, President, and CEO Cristiano Veloso to the additional role of Chairman of its Board of Directors alongside Michael St Aldwyn as Lead Independent Director.
The Board is composed of five independent directors with Mr. Veloso as sole executive director and is committed to applying a robust corporate governance framework, drawing on its collective experience stewarding successful businesses in Brazil and internationally.
The Board members are:
- Cristiano Veloso (Chairman),
- Alysson Paolinelli,
- Getúlio Fonseca,
- Michael St Aldwyn,
- Paulo Sérgio Machado
- Renato Gomes.
“Mr. Veloso has been essential in bringing the Company to its current stage of production and potential expansion, thanks to his vision, competence, and in-depth understanding of the agricultural market and mining sector. This was clearly witnessed when Mr. Veloso successfully reinvented the Company twice when it faced some of the world’s worst recent crises, both times at a significant financial and personal sacrifice in favor of the Company and its shareholders. Therefore, it stood to reason that all five independent directors would unanimously select Mr. Veloso to serve as Chairman. On a personal note, over my 40 years career, seldom have I witnessed this level of leadership and accomplishment demonstrated by Mr. Veloso when faced with economic adversities.” said Michael St Aldwyn, Lead Independent Director.
Mr. Veloso commented: “On behalf of management and our shareholders, I congratulate the Board on its excellent choice of Mr. St. Aldwyn as Verde’s Lead Independent Director. In this position, he will add even further oversight and efficiency to corporate strategy and governance. As for my election as Chairman, it is an honor to continue to serve the Company and its Board in this position. Though it will not carry any added voting power nor remuneration of any sort, I will apply all my competence and best efforts to serve as Chairman and sole member of Verde’s management on its Board.”
About Michael St Aldwyn
Michael St Aldwyn was selected based on the exceptional breadth of his professional and corporate governance experience, as well as his strong connections in global investment markets and his long success record in Latin America and Brazil. Mr. St Aldwyn has served as a Director on Verde’s Board since 2018.
As Lead Independent Director, Mr. St Aldwyn will assume the duties and responsibilities of that position, appraising the performance of the Board Chair, serving as an intermediary between the Chair, the Board, and Verde’s stakeholders.
Mr. St. Aldwyn will also oversee the best practices of corporate governance at the corporate and Board level.
“I gratefully accept the choice of my fellow independent directors to serve as Lead. I look forward to representing the interests of all stakeholders as our Company moves forward at an ever-accelerating pace”, said Mr. St Aldwyn.
Mr. St Aldwyn worked in Brazil from 1973-1979. Between 1979-1989, he was responsible for Latin American markets when at the New York office of ED&F Man and moving to London from 1989-1994 still with ED&F Man, an agricultural commodities trader with over 7,000 staff spread across 60 countries started in 1783. Mr. St Aldwyn then established his own company, 1994-2010, dedicated to the promotion of hedge funds. He also served as Chairman of the Anglo Brazilian Society from 1996-2002 and as a Director of BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust from 1996-2017. He is currently Chairman of Itacaré Capital Investment Ltd. He is fluent in Portuguese and in 2017 he completed a master’s degree at King’s College London in “Brazil in Global Perspective”.
About Cristiano Veloso
Mr. Veloso earned a certificate in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School (USA), he holds a Master’s Degree from the University of East Anglia (UK) and a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil). Cristiano has nearly two decades of experience and knowledge in the agricultural and mineral sectors. Cristiano leads Verde as an innovative company which seeks to revolutionize the global production of food through sustainable technologies.
About Alysson Paolinelli
Mr. Paolinelli is the President of the Brazilian Association of Corn Producers (“Abramilho”). Mr. Paolinelli held positions such as the Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, President of the National Confederation of Agriculture, President of Minas Gerais State Bank, Congressman, Secretary of Agriculture for Minas Gerais State, and Professor and Dean of Lavras University. In 2006 he was awarded the World Food Prize. Mr. Paolinelli has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.
About Getúlio Fonseca
Mr. Fonseca is a senior economist with over 40 years of government and consulting experience in the Brazilian resource, electrical, and power generation sectors. Since 1990, Mr. Fonseca has been employed by GL Consultoria Ltda. as a consultant to the Brazilian resource, electric, and power generation industries. In that role, Mr. Fonseca has assisted businesses such as Bank of Montréal, Samarco Mineração S.A., Klabin S.A., Alcoa Inc., KLM Aerocarto B.V., Construtora Norberto Odebrecht S.A., Acesita S.A. and Dow Corning Corporation with major projects in Brazil.
About Michael St Aldwyn
Mr. St Aldwyn worked in Brazil from 1973-1979. Between 1979-1989, he was responsible for Latin American markets when at the New York office of ED&F Man and moving to London from 1989-1994 still with ED&F Man, an agricultural commodities trader with over 7,000 staff spread across 60 countries started in 1783. Mr. St Aldwyn then established his own company, 1994-2010, dedicated to the promotion of hedge funds. He also served as Chairman of the Anglo Brazilian Society from 1996-2002 and as a Director of BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust from 1996-2017. He is currently Chairman of Itacaré Capital Investment Ltd. He is fluent in Portuguese and in 2017 he completed a master’s degree at King’s College London in “Brazil in Global Perspective”.
About Paulo Sergio Machado
Mr. Machado was a former executive at Vale and has spent his career developing and operating large mining projects. From 1988 to 2002, Mr. Machado was the General Manager of Vale’s Igarapé Bahia Gold Mine, at the time the largest gold producer in Latin America, where he was responsible for implementation, operation, and decommissioning. Between 2002 and 2006 Mr. Machado was the Director for all iron ore mines in the central region of Minas Gerais state, overseeing management and operations of mining activities, plants, and railway terminals. Mr. Machado was also a director of CEMIG, one of the largest power generators and distributors in Brazil and Subsecretary of Mines and Energy for Minas Gerais state from 2007 to 2014.
About Renato Gomes
Mr. Gomes is co-Founder & President of Pix Force, ranked as Brazil’s number one artificial intelligence startup, He is also co-Founder and a Board Director of Graphite Company of the Americas, which is developing a graphite mine and processing plant in Brazil. Mr. Gomes holds a degree in electronics and a law degree both from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil), a master’s degree from the London School of Economics (U.K.), and a doctorate from Georgetown University (U.S.A.). Mr. Gomes is a qualified solicitor in New York, Portugal, and Brazil.
About Verde AgriTech
Verde AgriTech promotes sustainable and profitable agriculture through the development of its Cerrado Verde Project. Cerrado Verde, located in the heart of Brazil’s largest agricultural market, is the source of a potassium-rich deposit from which the Company intends to produce solutions for crop nutrition, crop protection, soil improvement, and increased sustainability.
For more information: https://verde.ag/
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