SINGAPORE – Olam International Limited has appointed Niall FitzGerald as the Chair of the Board of Directors for its operating group, Olam Food Ingredients (“OFI”), effective 9 September 2021.  

OFI was created in early 2020 following the announcement of the re-organization of Olam to unlock and maximize its long-term value.  

FitzGerald’s appointment comes as OFI seeks a primary listing on the premium segment of the London Stock Exchange, and a concurrent secondary listing in Singapore in H1 2022.  

Niall FitzGerald commented: “It is an honour to be invited by the Olam Board to become the first Chair of the Board of OFI. I am delighted to join this exciting business which is right on trend through its natural ingredients portfolio which has a huge growth potential across the world.” 

Niall is a widely respected and experienced business leader with an executive career spanned 37 years, including 18 years as an executive board member of consumer packaged goods giant Unilever. 

He served as Unilever’s Finance Director, Foods Director, and Detergents Director until his appointment as Chair and CEO in 1996; a position he held for 8 years until 2004.  

Niall has chaired a broad range of companies and public bodies including Reuters, Hakluyt, Brand Learning, British Museum, Nelson Mandela Legacy Trust, International Business Council and the Advertising Association.  

He has also served on several Boards, including Bank of Ireland, Ericsson, Merck, Prudential Corp, the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, International Policy Council for Agriculture and Trade and was President of South Africa’s International Advisory Council.  

His current engagements include Chair of The Leverhulme Trust, Chair Hakluyt International Advisory Council and Patron British Irish Chamber of Commerce.  

His highly successful and distinguished international business leader has therefore earned him a spot as the first Chair of the Board of OFI.  

“I am confident that Niall will build and lead an effective Board for OFI, which will provide stewardship for sustained profitable growth and value creation with best-in-class governance for all its stakeholders, said,”  Lim Ah Doo Chairman of Olam’s Board of Directors.  

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