Asian Development Bank executive tops list of key speakers at Global AgInvesting Asia

Martin Lemoine, unit head of food and agribusiness investment for the Asian Development Bank, tops off a list of notable speakers at HighQuest’s sixth annual Global AgInvesting (GAI) Asia Seminar in Japan.

This premier educational seminar, which will take place at the Hilton Tokyo Odaiba 13-15 September 2016, will bring together an international gathering of investors who view agriculture as a significant asset class.

Other speakers joining Lemoine at Global AgInvesting Asia include:

• Tomas Franzén, chief investment strategist at the Second Swedish National Pension Fund (AP2), one of Europe’s largest pension funds managing over US$35 billion. At the seminar, Franzén will present The Role of Agriculture Investments in Long-Horizon Portfolios.
• Philippe de Lapérouse, managing director at HighQuest Partners, a leading consulting firm for the agricultural sector and the organizer of the event. Lapérouse advises executive teams of major strategic and financial investors on making informed decisions regarding resource allocation, new business opportunities and developing investment strategies to address the challenges facing global agriculture. At the seminar, he will discuss The Evolution of Agriculture as an Asset Class – Examining Recent Capital Deployments by North American and European Institutional Investors.
• Randal Linville, former CEO of The Scoular Company, will address Infrastructure Investment Opportunities Driven by Structural Deficits and Supply Chain Deficiencies. Linville has over 35 years of experience and success as a commodity market trader, international business executive, and corporate board leader in the agriculture and commodity industry.
• Michael Whitehead, director of Agribusiness Research at ANZ Bank, will speak on The Implications of China’s Outsized Agricultural Demand on Global Investment and Trade. In his role at ANZ, Whitehead focuses on mapping industry-based trends and analyzing the impact of these sector changes and dynamics on stakeholders across the agribusiness sector.

“I am pleased to continue as a speaker with GAI as it heads to Tokyo, because in all of my years participating I have found it to provide the most informative, relevant and comprehensive information on investing in this growing asset class,” said Whitehead, noting that his presentation would address the confluence of factors impacting the rapidly changing marketplace, and what this means for value opportunities in the sector.

Other panel discussions and presentations will highlight opportunities to invest in agricultural private equity and infrastructure in India, North and South America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Active global investors will evaluate responsible investment strategies in timber, animal protein production, including aquaculture, and new agriculture technologies.