As a global company, ED&F Man Commodities understands the importance of a diverse and experienced leadership team. These are the people driving ED&F Man Commodities‘ work on a day-to-day basis.
Phillip Murnane
Phillip joined the Group in September 2021 bringing twenty years’ experience as a finance executive in the commodity trading sector, having worked in management roles at Glencore, Noble and most recently as CFO as Nasdaq-listed Ferroglobe. During his time at Noble, Phillip worked in various roles including as Chief Operating Officer based in the US, where he led the company’s restructuring of its Global Oil Liquids and its North American Gas & Power businesses. He has also worked for Glencore in senior finance roles at subsidiaries in Switzerland, Africa and the US. Phillip brings a combination of financial expertise and operational leadership to ED&F Man.
Alexandre Bauche
Alex began his career in 1996 as a brokerage clerk at the international brokerage division of ED&F Man Services Limited, before moving to the sugar logistics department in New York until 2000. He returned to Europe and joined his family-owned commodities trading firm which mainly dealt with white sugar trading and fertiliser distribution. Alex and the company traded in various commodities, such as bioethanol, robusta coffee, rice and fertilisers mainly distributing in Africa and with an annual turnover of circa $1bn, but his key focus always remained on sugar trading. Alex was actively involved in developing bioethanol trading before merging the business with Green Energy, a major UK fuel distributor and former client. He re-joined ED&F Man Sugar division with his team in December 2012, after the family-owned white sugar trading desk was acquired by the Group. With 23 years’ experience in the sector, Alex has wide expertise in finance, risk management and logistics along with a deep knowledge of the overall sugar trading activity with particular emphasis on key destinations in the frontier markets such as Africa.
Trishul Mandana
Trishul has been Managing Director of Volcafe Limited since 2015. Established in 1857, Volcafe is one of the largest coffee traders in the world with its headquarters in Winterthur, Switzerland. Trishul has over 25 years’ experience in coffee. After completing his masters in agricultural commodities at the University of Illinois in the US in 1992, he joined Louis Dreyfus as a coffee trader. During his tenure with the global agricultural merchant, he was Head of EMEA for Coffee from 2000, Head of Global Physical Trading for Coffee from 2006 and became Managing Director of their Coffee Division in 2008, when he also joined their Senior Executive Committee. Under his leadership Volcafe has focused on its reputation for quality, reliability, sustainability and client partnerships with the vision of becoming the ‘world’s best coffee partner’. Trishul plays a leading role in the wider coffee industry, driving sustainability and campaigning for fair farmer income. The Volcafe Way programme, where over 250 agronomists work with farmers to improve skills and profitability, is now established in nine origins.
Arie van der Spek
Arie is Managing Director of ED&F Man Liquid Products (MLP). He oversees molasses trading, feed distribution, beet pulp trading, storage and other related activities. Arie originally joined ED&F Man in 1995 as part of the coffee business and was located in Asia and London before returning to The Netherlands. After leaving in 2001 to work for a mineral oil trading company, he re-joined ED&F Man in 2007 as senior molasses trader for the Far East based in Amsterdam. Arie was promoted to Managing Director Europe, Far East & Africa in 2012 and assumed global responsibility for the overall business unit in December 2016.
Colin Iles
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“I have been working for Volcafe for over a decade now, and what I value the most is the relationships you build, not only with teammates around the globe, but also within your community and how connecting the supply chain can make a positive impact on farmers lives”
“As a company, ED&F Man values employees’ work-life balance and promotes a holistic approach in motivating their best work. ED&F Man / Volcafe offered me the opportunity to work with extremely smart people and perform challenging work. There has never been a time when I have been disappointed. A unique aspect of ED&F Man is the level of talent combined with a willingness to share and learn from each other’s expertise. ED&F Man is a company I am really proud of and great place to work. Because of the company’s culture and values, we as employees feel passionate about our careers and grow professionally. The last 7 years have been awesome in the company, and I look forward to working for many more years to come.”
“If you’re intellectually curious, up for a challenge and self-directed in your approach you will thrive in this diverse and multicultural business where no two days are ever alike and you really do have the opportunity to shape the future in a fascinating, global business.”
“No day is the same working in such a dynamic industry and entrepreneurial environment. With our global presence, career opportunities are endless. ”
“With a diversity of clients spread across different regions, working with ED&F Man Sugar will allow you to visit, trade, and understand various regions within the soft commodity world; all the while allowing you to display your entrepreneurial skills when the opportunity arises.”
