Our Team

Frederic was appointed as an independent non-executive Director in March 2013. He is a partner of Oberson Abels SA, a law office based in Geneva, Switzerland. He is a member of the Remuneration, and Nomination and Governance committees.

Stephen was appointed as a non-executive Director in 2021. He previously held positions within the Camellia Group's agricultural and banking businesses. He holds an executive position within The Camellia Foundation, a UK charity whose primary donor of the same name is the ultimate majority shareholder of Camellia Plc. He is also a director of the Camellia Private Trust Company (the trustee of The Camellia Foundation (Bermuda)) and director of Camellia Holding AG.

Alec was appointed as an independent non-executive Director in July 2024. He is a Chartered Accountant and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) with 30 years of experience in the agriculture commodity sector in developed and emerging markets, with significant management experience in the Company’s key markets in Africa and Asia. He holds an executive role at ECOM Agroindustrial Corporation Limited. He is Chair of the Audit and Risk committee.

Alison was appointed as an Senior Independent non-executive Director in November 2024. She has 40 years of international financial services experience, serving 22 years at Standard Chartered Plc, a FTSE 100 bank. Following her retirement in 2022, Alison has since served as a non-executive director of Standard Chartered Bank. She has significant executive experience in a variety of roles, latterly Group Head of Internal Audit at Standard Chartered Plc. Alison holds a Masters of Business Administration and is a trustee of two performing arts charities. She is Chair of the Remuneration committee and the Sustainability and Safeguarding committee, and a member of the Audit committee.

Nischal was appointed General Counsel and Company Secretary in August 2024. Nischal has extensive experience in private practice and in-house legal roles in both India and the UK, including at Freshfields and Allen & Overy in London. His corporate experience includes UBS, Diageo Plc, GlaxoSmithKline Plc and most recently, Redx Pharma Plc, an AIM listed company where he was Interim General Counsel and Company Secretary.

Shaibal has been associated with Goodricke since 1994 and was appointed Managing Director in September 2025. With over three decades of experience in the tea industry, he brings invaluable expertise and insight to the organization.

Mustafizur was appointed as Managing Director of Duncan Brothers in January 2025, having been with the company since 2019. He has held key leadership positions across the organisation, including estate management and oversight of major operational divisions, giving him deep insight into both the strategic and day-to-day drivers of the tea industry.

Chris was appointed Managing Director for Kakuzi Plc in 2013. He holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in agriculture and engineering. He has 25 years experience in agricultural companies across Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda and Kenya. Chris has sat on a number of tea trade and tea research bodies and is also a published writer on tea technical and agronomic matters. 

Matt was appointment Managing Director of Eastern Produce Malawi in August 2024. He studied agricultural management at the University of Kwa Zulu-Natal and has over 20 years’ leadership experience across agriculture, forestry, security, and manufacturing in Africa.

was appointed as Managing Director of the Group’s South Africa operations in January 2006, having joined Sapekoe (Pty) Ltd (now Eastern Produce SA (Pty) Ltd) in 1987. He is a director of Zetmac (Pty) Ltd and Eastern Produce Cape (Pty) Ltd.

Luke was appointed Managing Director of Eastern Produce Tanzania in April 2019. With over 30 years' experience living and working in Tanzania, Luke has a wealth of knowledge from agricultural engineering to corporate agriculture.

Alex was appointed as Managing Director of CC. Lawrie in 2022, having been with the company as Production Manager since 2020. An Agricultural Engineer, he is currently pursuing a specialisation in Plant Physiology and Nutrition, further strengthening his technical expertise in crop performance and agronomic efficiency.

David was appointed Managing Director of AJT Engineering in 2020 and previously held the role of Chief Operating Officer from 2018. His expertise in manufacturing and market development, particularly in energy and marine industries, supports AJT’s commitment to operational efficiency and future-ready products and services.

Melanie was appointed Managing Director of JING Tea in June 2023.