Leu – AGRO Management: Together Ahead !!!
Martin Leu
Project Owner, CEO / COO
Founder and the CEO of the Leu AGRO Project. A hands-on COO responsible for “on-the-ground” management, implementation and profitability of agricultural projects. Brings with him 30 Years of large-scale farming expertise, including experience in faming under extreme climatic and economic conditions. Received higher education at the Technical Schools HF Wood / Civil Engineering, affiliated to the Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland.
Previously managed western Canada’s grain farms. Later he has built and managed large-scale custom farming business in the entire central USA and Pacific North West. As a technical manager, he was responsible for controlling and organizing operations.
Since 2009, he has been managing large-scale farming operations in the Black Earth Region of the Russian Federation. He has been in charge of farming and agriculture operations in excess of 100K ha, for companies like Agro Invest (BEF – Lipetsk and Tambov Region) and Olam / Rusmolco (Grain and Dairy Operation in Penza Region).
Martin currently resides in Switzerland and Russia
Zorigto Sakhanov
Head Administrative Affairs
Zorigto has a relevant experience in agriculture, including in executive positions (AGRO-Invest Group).
Zorigto is equipped with the expertise and logistics capability to successfully coordinate with government and regulatory agencies, e.g. negotiations, acquisition of license (subsoil) and other permits, approvals for transactions involving the foreign investors in entities with strategic importance.
He has been an adviser to many Russian, Japanese, European and American companies such as: IHI Corporation, NIKKO Cordial Securities, SUMITOMO, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, IRENA, RERI, Vostok Nafta Investments AB, Fortress Minerals, Mayekawa, Freeport McMoRan Copper&Gold.
At present, Zorigto is a shareholder and a member of the Board of Directors of IG Copper – the majority shareholder (51%) of Amur Minerals LLC (Khabarovsk, Russia) – discoverer of the Far East’s largest deposits of gold and copper Malmyzh. The Malmyzh project is recognized as the best exploration project of the year in Russia according to Russia Mining 2015.
He was ranked in the annual rankings of “Top 1000 Russian Managers” in category “Top 100 leading business lobbyists” according to “Kommersant” – leading economic publishing house in Russia (2013-2015).
Zorigto holds a PhD in Economics from European Academy of Economics and MBA from The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
Dangina Sakhanova
Head Legal Affairs
Dangina is Lawyer with more than 7 year’s extensive experience in litigation, real estate sale and purchase transactions. She is regularly involved in due diligence matters, with extensive know how and experience in transactions involving factories and infrastructure projects.
As Senior Lawyer Dangina worked for Companies like Legal Bridge Consulting Group, SOGLASIE Insurance Co. Ltd. and IHI Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) where she was drafting general contracts, including service and consulting agreements. Advising Russian and foreign clients on various issues, including land, real estate, corporate and commercial law, including cross-border and complex cross-jurisdictional matters and Business Development.
Dangina represented Clients in litigation both in Russian arbitration courts and courts of general jurisdiction. Conveying legal due diligences, reviewing documents, identifying risks. Drafting and negotiating contracts and corporate documents in Russian and English Language.
Dangina holds Specialist Law Degree from the National research university Higher school of economics. She Participated in legal seminars for lawyers at the headquarters of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, France).
Dangina is fluent in Russian and English language.
Alexander Gorelov
Project CFO / Head Financial Planning
Alexander brings with him more than 7 years’ experience in finance industry, were he has started as an auditor and later management consultant in EY, working in Russian companies like RZD, Togliatti Azot, Rostec. Among the initiatives provided, was the optimization of business processes and cost cutting.
Alexander worked with budgeting at SIBUR subsidiary, Russian largest petrochemical company, preparing and consolidating budgets of several refining plants. Later he has been CFO at Gazprom Bank where he was working in the Investment Banking, with responsibilities in cash flow planning, projects development and taxes. Parallel to his role as CFO he also participated in Revision committees of several Gazprom Bank’s subsidiaries.
Alexander has earned a master’s degree of the Financial University under the Government of Russian Federation (specializing in international accounting and auditing), and a Bachelor of Economics of Lomonosov Moscow State University. He also possesses Diploma in Management accounting of CIMA certification.
Alexander is fluent in Russian and English Language.
Robert Nilsson
COO Cattle and Milk Production
With over 20 years of cattle management, livestock, dairy and production audits experience in Russia.
He has been serving as a CEO of Prokorov, a Russia – based cattle management company and as CEO of Agrokultura Livestock, (Voronezh, Russia) a company with a livestock herd of more than 15’000 cows.
Before relocating to Russian, Robert has worked as a production director, consultant and an auditor for large agricultural Beef Projects in Northern Europe, such as Hkscan and Fivestar LLC
He has graduated from a Higher School of Farm and Cattle Management in Önnestad Sweden.
Robert is fluent in Russian, English and Swedish
Sture Gustavsson
Head Agronomist
Sture is an agronomist with over 20 years of experience. He has developed innovative farm practices and technologies that boost economic crop yields, control pests and weeds.
He has been an adviser to many European and Russian farmers, companies, and others members of the AG community to implement the latest methods and tools for growing crops profitably and sustainability.
Since 2012, he has been running Sture Gustavsson Management AB, where he has been consulting internationally within the agriculture sector. Previously, he has served as a CEO and a chief agronomist at Black Earth Farming, which was among the first foreign-financed companies that undertook investments in the Russian agricultural sector. He also was a managing director of Mellersta Sveriges Lantbruks AB – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Investment AB Kinnevik, which operates farms in Sweden and Poland.
Sture has a degree in farm management from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Alexander Kassl
Head of Soil Science and Internal Research (R&D)
Alexander brings 40 Years of Agriculture Science and Research with him to the Project, Consulting Farmers in Europe and CIS Countries on Crop Production with Focus on Soil Cultivation, Fertilization and Chemical Application.
He has been advising Farmers in the CIS Countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan sins 1992 when he was working for Companies like AGRO-Linz Austria, Sandoz AGRO and Novartis AGRO Switzerland.
Later he has developed and managed the Agriculture Trial-Site Station for Syngenta Switzerland / Russia based in Krasnodar, working with the University of Kuban on Crop Production, and supporting Farmers in Krasnodar and the Southern Region of the Russian Federation.
After he was the Developing Manager based in Lipetsk for the Main R&D Trial Site in Lipetsk for Syngenta Russia, supporting the Central Black Earth, Volga Delta, and the Ural Region of Russia. The Trial Site is focusing on Soil Science and Biology, Sustainable Soil Cultivation Practices, Demonstration-Trail and the use of Herbicide, Fungicide, and Insecticide. Additionally he was Focusing on Seed Variety Trails on all Black Earth Region Crops like Winter and Spring Wheat, Barley, Grain-Corn, Sugar beet, Soybean, Canola, Sunflower, Potatoes and Vegetable.
The Trial Site was introducing new Crop Varieties and Crop Programs to agriculture Holdings and Farms under his Leadership – New Innovation in Crop Production including “No-Till” Farming was introduced on the Site for demonstration.
Alexander earned a Diploma Ing.Agr., Agriculture Engineering, Dr.rer.nat.techn. with a Thesis in Biology / Herbicides from the University of Agriculture, Vienna (Austria)
Alexander is Fluent in German, Russian and English Language
Thomas Lange
Head Technical Planning
Thomas brings with him 10 years of agriculture experience, technical planning and management in Grain and Row Crop Farming.
He has been working at the Family Farm back home in Germany. Parallel to his Study at the University of Applied Sciences Anhalt Bernburg (Germany) he was working different internship’s at Companies like H.R.D. Agriculture Holding GmbH Nörten-Hardenberg Kaliningrad, Farming Company OOO Druzhba Kaliningrad and EKONIVA-Agro Holding Voronezh Region Russia.
After finishing the master’s degree his has been General Director Farming Operation at S.C. TOMICOM PLUS S.R.L and S.C. LINOC AGRO S.R.L Agriculture Company in Romania.
Thomas has earned a Bachelor of Engineering, (Crop and Animal Production, Agronomy and Business Management), and Master Degree (Agriculture Economics and Vertical Integrated Business Development) at the University of Applied Sciences Anhalt Bernburg (Germany).
Vladimir Diveev
Head of Infrastructure and Facilities Development
Vladimir has over 25 years of experience in agricultural production and construction.
For the last 18 years, he has held top management positions at international companies based in Russia, such as NovaTech (the largest in Russia importer of agricultural equipment).
CEO at Hydrotron LLC, (the company constructs livestock facilities, warehouse storage and processing to the vegetable industries and irrigation development for agricultural companies). Agro-Nova, as well as Agrifac-Rus (both importer of western agriculture technologies) .
Vladimir has earned a degree in engineering from Russian State University and the Management Academy Sachsen – International (Germany).
Roman Huerlimann
Head of Telematic
Roman is an Agriculture Engineer with more than 15 years experience . He developed innovative Telematic System’s for the European Farming Industry.
He has been working for such companies like Grimme Germany (Potatoes and Sugar Beet Equipment), Vaderstad Sweden (Seeding and Cultivation Equipment) were he has executed Telematic and Educational Work for different Agriculture Companies in Central Europe and Russia.
Roman has earned a degree from the Swiss Agriculture Engineering School in Weinfelden and from the Swiss Business and Management School Strickhof Lindau Switzerland.
