AB Agri has recruited business development specialist Graham Wong to head up operations in Southeast Asia, as part of plans to significantly increase its market share in the region.

Wong, whose new remit as head of South East Asia includes recruitment, technical development and innovation, joins the business having spent more than a decade in the animal nutrition sector, most recently as managing director, Southeast Asia in Nuscience of the Royal Agrifirm Group. Wong’s appointment follows that of Visiel Tolentino, who joined the company as head of strategic marketing for Asia last year. 

“With a rapidly increasing population and higher levels of disposable income, the scope for growth in Asia is considerable,” explained José Nobre, AB Agri’s chief executive officer. “Strengthening our presence in the region with key appointments such as Graham and Visiel, as well as growing the team more widely, will give us the strong foundation we need to achieve our ambitious commercial targets. Graham has a fantastic track record in developing commercial businesses and is a real asset to our team.”

“We have some very large customers in Asia and our expansion plans will help us serve them even more effectively, as well as giving us scope to bring new customers on board. Our distribution partners will continue to play an important role as we grow our businesses together,” said Wong. “With 9% of the world’s population in Southeast Asia, there is a huge opportunity for us to significantly contribute towards meeting the growth of animal protein demands, sustainably and responsibly.” 

AB Agri plans to recruit for more roles in the region in the coming months including technical support and commercial colleagues who will work alongside well-established local teams from its animal nutrition divisions AB Vista, AB Neo, Premier Nutrition, and new alternative protein specialist, Livalta.