Grow Asia appoints Beverley Postma as Interim Executive Director

Singapore, 8 November 2021 – Grow Asia, a multi-stakeholder platform that builds action-oriented partnerships for more inclusive, resilient and sustainable food systems in Southeast Asia, announced today that Beverley Postma has been appointed as Interim Executive Director with immediate effect.

Postma, an experienced CEO and strategist, will bring her unique blend of non-profit and corporate experience to Grow Asia, drawing on her career spanning 30 years in the agriculture, food and international development sectors.

Most recently, Postma was CEO of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) where she led a team of 112 and worked with the Board to develop an ambitious new five-year strategy to make certified sustainable palm oil the norm. Prior to this, she was CEO of HarvestPlus, working with smallholders in 30 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America to improve the nutrition of staple crops. Postma has also served as the Founder and Executive Director of Food Industry Asia (FIA) and has held senior corporate affairs and marketing roles with Kellogg’s and Syngenta.

“Grow Asia works with diverse multi-sectoral partners to build more resilient and sustainable food systems that are fairer for all,” said Sarita Nayyar, Managing Director; Chief Operating Officer, USA, World Economic Forum. “We welcome Beverley Postma’s substantial knowledge of agribusiness, policy and international development as she takes on the critical role of leading Grow Asia’s continued impact in Southeast Asia.”

"I am honored to be joining the Grow Asia team at such a pivotal time,” said Beverley Postma. “The organization plays a crucial role in supporting inclusive and sustainable food systems in Southeast Asia by bringing together diverse groups of governments and solution providers. By brokering these impactful partnerships and overcoming the region’s complex challenges, I am confident that Grow Asia will continue to drive vital and timely initiatives that support resilient food production, improved nutrition, and a climate positive future for all.”

Grow Asia currently engages over 580 partner organizations through its Country Partnerships in Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Viet Nam, reaching over 2 million smallholder farmers through 44 commodity and issue-based working groups. As an Entity Associated with ASEAN, Grow Asia works closely with the ASEAN Secretariat, which expressed its continuous support for the partnership platform. “Grow Asia has demonstrated real impact – both at the ground level and as a resource for expertise and regional knowledge exchange. We are looking forward to working closely with Beverley Postma to maintain this momentum and realize the ASEAN Community Vision 2025,” said Pham Quang Minh, Head, Food, Agriculture and Forestry Division, ASEAN Secretariat. 

Speaking on behalf of the Grow Asia Business Council as its Co-Chair, Jens Hartmann, Head of Commercial Operations Asia Pacific, Bayer Crop Science said, “The common thread to all Grow Asia’s work is collaboration - we know that one organization alone cannot transform our agriculture systems. Public-private partnerships, holistic solutions and innovative market mechanisms are all needed to address our sector’s challenges at scale. Beverley Postma’s expertise in developing and leading organizations operating in every one of these spaces assures us that she is well-equipped to lead Grow Asia in its next phase of growth and success."