SINGAPORE — Tejinder Singh Saraon has been named managing director and chief executive officer of ofi’s cocoa business, effective May 8. He will succeed Gerard Manley, who will retire at the end of June.
Mr. Saraon has been with ofi’s parent company Olam International since 1997 and is currently chief operating officer of the cocoa business. He headed the company’s cocoa operations in Togo and Côte d’Ivoire for more than 10 years and also managed the company’s global cocoa beans and products business. He was instrumental in leading the integration process following the acquisition of ADM Cocoa in 2015.
Mr. Manley will retire following a 40-year career in the cocoa industry and 25-year career at ofi and Olam International. He was a member of the Olam Group Executive Committee (ExCo) and is currently a member for the ofi Corporate Leadership Team (CLT). Under his leadership, the cocoa business grew from being a small exporter of cocoa beans from West Africa and Asia to becoming a leading supplier of cocoa beans and value-added cocoa ingredients to the chocolate, confectionery and wider food and beverage sector globally, with a particular focus on traceability and sustainability, according to ofi. He also was instrumental in the acquisition and integration of ADM Cocoa and played a key role in developing and leading the company’s sustainability efforts and footprint across the cocoa supply chain.
Following the reorganization of Olam, Mr. Manley was named chief sustainability officer.
“As a senior leader, Gerry’s passion for our people, for the smallholder farmers, and our business will be very much missed,” said A Shekhar, CEO of Olam International. “His achievements have been significant, and this includes building a deep leadership pipeline that enables us to make a smooth transition at the helm of the business. Through Teji’s considerable experience, he is well prepared and a natural fit for the role. We look forward to strengthening our partnerships with customers and other stakeholders through his leadership.”
