NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rabobank North America Wholesale announced the winners of the 2016 Leadership Awards, created to recognize organizations that embody the spirit of leadership, innovation, and business and environmental sustainability in the food and agribusiness (F&A) industry. Nominations were reviewed by a revered panel of judges made up of experts across industry, academia, and the public sector, and the winning companies were announced at Rabobank’s Annual Client Appreciation Events in New York.
“Each year, I am impressed by the limitless innovation and inquiring minds I see working together to transform the F&A industry for the greater good. Our annual Leadership Awards were created to recognize just that – companies across the world that are pioneering achievements in leadership, innovation and sustainability,” said Rajiv Singh, CEO, Rabobank North America Wholesale. “We are excited to celebrate our 2016 winners and their accomplishments and are thrilled to see all that their futures hold.”
Created to spotlight a trailblazer in the F&A industry, the Rabobank Award for Leadership & Excellence recognizes one company that embodies a spirit of innovation and business sustainability, while also making a visible impact within the industry. This year, Rabobank was pleased to present this esteemed award to AGCO Corporation, a global leader in agriculture technology offering a unique collection of solutions for professional farmers around the world. "As an organization, we are playing a critical role in providing sustainable and inclusive mechanization solutions to boost agricultural productivity around the world. The focus on improving crop and food production around the globe is where Rabobank and AGCO align closely and we are so pleased to have Rabobank recognize our leadership in the agricultural equipment industry," said Martin H. Richenhagen, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, AGCO Corporation. "The Rabobank Award for Leadership and Excellence enhances our position as we work to offer farmers around the world highly productive, efficient and sustainable systems."
The Rabobank Leader in Sustainability Award recognizes an organization that has made significant strides towards business, environmental, social and governance sustainability in the last year. This year Midwestern BioAg, a Wisconsin-based company focused on building soil health to increase yields and profits, took home this coveted award. Founded by the father of biological farming, the company sees soil as farms’ most valuable asset and customizes its solutions to fit specific crops and soil types. In the last year, the company began helping larger partners reduce their climate impacts, initiated new projects to track nutrient use efficiency, and completed a $21 million capital raise to support projected growth across the Midwest.
“We are seeing large food companies asking for more nutritious crops and better environmental outcomes. With our focus on soil health, we can help farmers meet that demand, while also helping those farmers increase their crop yields and profits,” says Anthony (Tony) Michaels, Ph.D., CEO, Midwestern BioAg. “That’s a sweet spot, and we’re grateful Rabobank recognizes it.”
The Rabobank Emerging Leader in Innovation Award is bestowed upon an up-and-coming organization that addresses issues in the food and agriculture space in a new and innovative way. This year’s award was given to San Francisco-based BluWrap. Understanding the fresh versus frozen problem that consumers and suppliers across the globe face, BluWrap provides naturally extended shelf-life technology that has revolutionized fresh protein supply chains worldwide. “At BluWrap, our goal is to use the technology we’ve developed to disrupt the fresh protein supply chain that’s existed for decades, thereby offering unique solutions for producers and suppliers and helping them reduce the growing environmental impact of reaching customers worldwide,” said Mark Barnekow, Chief Executive Officer of BluWrap. “We’re honored to receive Rabobank’s Emerging Leader in Innovation Award, and are excited about how this very technology will continue to transform the $1 trillion global fresh protein industry as we know it.”
For additional information, or to speak with a representative from Rabobank or any of the winning organizations, please contact:
Maggie Kinnealey
VOX Global
Tel: 202-772-5018
MKinnealey@voxglobal.com
Sarah Kolell
Rabobank
Tel: 816-350-4811
Sarah.Kolell@raboag.com
About Rabobank
Rabobank Group is a global financial services leader providing wholesale and retail banking, leasing, and real estate services in more than 40 countries worldwide. Founded over a century ago, Rabobank today is one of the world’s largest banks in the world with over $750 billion in assets. In the Americas, Rabobank is a premier bank to the food, agribusiness and beverage industry, providing sector expertise, strategic counsel and tailored financial solutions to clients across the entire food value chain. Additional information is available on our North America Wholesale Banking website or on our social media platforms, including Twitter and LinkedIn.
