Directors and Management

Marcos Haaland is the chairman of Lavoro’s board of directors upon the Closing of the Business Combination. Mr. Haaland was appointed as the Operating Partner at Patria starting February 2023. Prior to that, Mr. Haaland was a Managing Director for Alvarez & Marsal Brasil Participações Ltda for over 10 years from May 2012 to January 2023, most recently leading the Agribusiness business unit. He was also a board member and chairman at certain periods at Affinity Petcare, trademark of Mogiana Alimentos S.A. from July 2013 to August 2021 and board member and chairman at certain periods for Guabi Nutrição e Saude Animal S.A. from May 2010 to December 2019. From April 2006 to July 2011, Mr. Haaland was General Manager at Nutriplant Industria e Comercio S.A., a specialty fertilizer company, leading its IPO in 2008. He was also General Manager at Mogiana Alimentos S.A., a feed and pet food company, from February 1995 to April 2003. He was also a consultant with Booz, Allen & Hamilton from March 1990 to February 1995. Mr. Haaland holds a bachelors’ degree in mechanical engineering from Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil, a MSc from University of Illinois, USA and a MBA from INSEAD, France. He is a certified board member from the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance. We believe Mr. Haaland is well qualified to serve as director due to his extensive business management experience.

Ricardo Leonel Scavazza is a member of the Lavoro board of directors. Mr. Scavazza is a Managing Partner of Patria and is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investments Officer of Latin American Private Equity. Mr. Scavazza is responsible for all Latam Private Equity strategy at Patria. Before taking over as CEO and CIO for Private Equity Latam, Mr. Scavazza served as the Head of Private Equity Strategy in Brazil. Mr. Scavazza joined Patrimônio in 1999, became a Partner in 2005, and has worked on several new investments and acquisitions for the portfolio companies of Private Equity Funds I, II, III, IV and V. Mr. Scavazza held operating roles in several investments, including a tenure as Chief Executive Officer at Anhanguera between 2009 and 2013. He was Chief Financial Officer at DASA in 2001 and at Anhanguera Educacional from 2003 to 2006. Mr. Scavazza holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) and the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Scavazza also holds a Master’s in Business Administration and Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Daniel Fisberg is a member of the Lavoro board of directors. Mr. Fisberg is a Managing Director & Investment Leader at Patria Investments and has been part of the Private Equity team since 2017, focusing on Agribusiness. Mr. Fisberg was Lavoro’s Chief Investment Officer, a position he held from August 2017 to January 2022, where he led more than 20 acquisitions, Prior to joining Lavoro, Mr. Fisberg was the head of M&A and corporate development for Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM:US), a Fortune 50 agribusiness powerhouse, in South America. From 2012 to 2014, Mr. Fisberg served as head of M&A for Cielo (CIEL3), a leading financial services company in Brazil. Mr. Fisberg also acted as a management consultant for Roland Berger, a world-renowned consulting firm, with strategic assignments on three continents. Mr. Fisberg holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Universidade de São Paulo and an MBA from London Business School. Mr. Fisberg also spent a semester at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, focusing on venture capital and private equity investments.

David Friedberg is member of Lavoro’s board of directors.  Mr. Friedberg has served as the Chief Executive Officer of The Production Board since 2015. In his role at The Production Board, Mr. Friedberg is also the founder and sits on the boards of several private companies. From September 2006 to October 2013, Mr. Friedberg founded and was the Chief Executive Officer of The Climate Corporation, an agriculture-focused weather insurance and software company acquired by The Monsanto Company in 2013. Mr. Friedberg was also the founder of Metromile, a pay-per-mile car insurance company (“Metromile”), and served as the Chairman of Metromile’s Board of Directors from January 2011 to December 2021. Previously, Mr. Friedberg worked in Corporate Development and Product Management at Google. Mr. Friedberg holds a Bachelor of Arts in Astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley. We believe Mr. Friedberg is well qualified to serve as director due to his role as the founder of TPB, his executive leadership experience, and his service as a director at numerous companies.

Michael Stern is a member of Lavoro’s board of directors. Dr. Stern head of Digital Farming for Bayer Crop Sciences (Bayer) from August 2018 to April 2021 and a member of the Crop Sciences Executive Team from August 2018 to March 2021. Before joining Bayer, Dr. Stern had a 30-year career at Monsanto Company from December 1988 to June 2018, where he was the CEO of the Climate Corporation, a member of Monsanto’s executive team. In addition, Dr. Stern served in a variety of leadership roles at Monsanto, including leading their Row Crop Business across the Americas, Vice President of U.S. Seeds and Traits, President of American Seeds, CEO of Renessen LLC, a biotechnology joint venture with Cargill, and Director of Technology for Agricultural Productivity. Dr. Stern also serves on the board of directors of Aquabounty Technologies Inc (AQB). Dr. Stern received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Princeton University, a Masters in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Denison University. We believe Dr. Stern is well qualified to serve as director due to his extensive agribusiness and investment experience.

Lauren StClair is a member of New Lavoro’s board of directors upon the Closing of the Business Combination. Ms. StClair has served as NerdWallet’s Chief Financial Officer since December 2020. Prior to joining NerdWallet, Ms. StClair served as Chief Financial Officer, North America at eBay Inc., a position she held since June 2019. Prior to June 2019, Ms.StClair served as Chief Financial Officer, International at StubHub, a position she held since February 2017. Prior to February 2017, Ms. StClair served as Director, Investor Relations at eBay Inc. Ms. StClair holds a Bachelor of Science from Stanford University and Masters of Business Administration from Duke University. We believe Ms. StClair is well qualified to serve as director due to her extensive business experience.

Eduardo Daher is a member of Lavoro’s board of directors.Mr. Daher has been an Executive Director at Associacao Brasileira do Agronegocio (ABAG) since February 2020. From April 2010 to April 2016, Mr. Daher took over as Executive Director of the Brazilian Crop Protection National Association (Andef). Mr. Daher was a founding member of the Brazilian Association of Rural Marketing and Agribusiness. Mr Daher also held a seat on the Superior Council for Agribusiness (Cosag) of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp) and advisor to Fiesp at the Foundation for the Development of Agribusiness Research (Fundepag). From October 2003 to April 2010, Mr. Daher was an Executive Officer of the Brazilian National Fertilizer Association (ANDA). Mr. Daher holds a bachelors’ degree in economics and business administration and management from Universidade de São Paulo and Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) respectively and a master’s degree in marketing from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV). We believe Mr. Daher is well qualified to serve as director due to his extensive agribusiness experience.

Ruy Cunha has served as Lavoro’s Chief Executive Officer, a position he has held since February 2022. Mr. Cunha joined Lavoro in January 2018, having served as Chief Transformation Officer of Lavoro Group until December 2019 and Chief Operating Officer until January 2021. Prior to joining Lavoro, from January 2013 to December 2017, Mr. Cunha was president of Santal Equipamentos S.A., and managing director for sugar cane equipment at AGCO Corp., a leading global manufacturer of agriculture equipment. From August 2010 to December 2012, Mr. Cunha served as director of strategy and integration for AGCO in South America. Prior to joining AGCO, Mr. Cunha was a management consultant at Booz & Company, an international consulting firm, and led the process engineering teams at General Motors of Brasil from 1997 to 2004. Mr. Cunha has a bachelor’s engineering degree from Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia, a specialist degree in business from Fundação Getulio Vargas and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Gustavo Modenesi has served as Lavoro’s Chief Strategy Officer, a position he has held since February 2022. Mr. Modenesi has been working in Lavoro since its inception, having served as Chief Transformation Officer of Lavoro from June 2019 to January 2022. Prior to joining Lavoro, from 2015 to 2017, Mr. Modenesi worked at Patria, one of the leading firms in alternative asset management in Latin America, leading the transformation programs at Patria’s invested companies, as well as developing a new investment thesis for the agricultural sector. From 2007 to 2015, Mr. Modenesi worked at The Boston Consulting Group Company, a leading management consulting firm, with his latest role being the project manager. Mr. Modenesi holds an industrial engineering degree from the Universidade de São Paulo and an MBA with distinctions from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Julian Garrido Del Val Neto has served as Lavoro’s Chief Financial Officer, a position he has held since May 2023. Prior to joining Lavoro, from 2018 to 2023, Mr Garrido served as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Investor Relations at Alpargatas S.A., a large Brazilian manufacturing company. Mr. Garrido has held CFO and senior finance roles at SKY Brasil from December 2014 to August 2018, General Electric Healthcare from March 2011 to December 2014, and Andritz Hydro Inepar, from January 2009 to January 2011. Mr. Garrido holds a Business Administration degree from Fundação Getulio Vargas, Brazil, and completed Management and Leadership programs from Harvard University and the GE Management Development Institute – Crotonville.

Marcelo Pessanha has served as Crop Care’s Chief Executive Officer, a position he has held since April 2022. Mr. Pessanha joined Lavoro in November 2019, having served as Crop Care’s business officer from November 2019 to April 2022. Prior to joining Lavoro Group, from June 2010 to November 2019, Mr. Pessanha served in various capacities at UPL Brasil, an agricultural solutions and agriculture technology company, including serving as Head of Business Unit F&V, Citrus and Coffee from April 2019 to November 2019 and Head of Business Unit Centro from April 2018 to November 2019, among other positions held at the company. Mr. Pessanha holds a degree in agronomy engineering and agriculture from Faculdade Dr. Francisco Maeda – FAFRAM (2007), an MBA from Fundação Dom Cabral (2017) and an MBA in marketing from Fundação Getulio Vargas (2012).

Karen Christiane Ramirez Chaves de Mello is Lavoro´s Chief Human Resources Officer, a position she has held since February 2022. Before joining Lavoro, from 2020 to 2021, Ms. Mello was the business strategy, people, and culture director at Hospital Sírio Libanês, a healthcare company. From 2016 to 2020, Ms. Mello served as HR Director of Philip Morris International (PMI), a consumer goods/tobacco company. Before joining PMI, Ms. Mello was organizational and development head at Pepsico do Brasil Ltda., a consumer goods/foods company. Ms. Mello has a business administration degree from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais MG and a master of arts from London Metropolitan University.

Gustavo Ocampo Duran has served as Head of Lavoro Latin America, a position he has held since August 2017. Prior to joining Lavoro, from 2005 to 2017, Mr. Ocampo was chief executive officer of Agrointegral Andina S.A.S., an agricultural input retailing company, belonging to Grupo Gral (which was acquired by Lavoro in 2017). From 2000 to 2005, Mr. Ocampo served as marketing manager of Syngenta, an agricultural science and technology company. Previously, from 1983 to 1990, Mr. Ocampo was the commercial manager of Procampo S.A., an agribusiness company. Mr. Ocampo holds an agricultural engineering degree from Universidad de Caldas and a business management postgraduate degree from Universidad de Los Andes.

Marcos Strobel has been Lavoro’s Chief Digital Officer since December 2021. He has over 34 years of experience in Technology and Digital Transformation, having worked in different segments such as Industrial Production, Consulting, Airlines and Retail. Prior to joining Lavoro, from 2020 to 2021, Mr. Strobel was Executive Director of Technology at DIA Brasil, a food retail company. In 2019, he worked at VIA, a non-food retail company, composed of the companies Casas Bahia and Ponto Frio, holding the position of Executive Director of Technology. From 2015 to 2018, Mr Strobel was Technology Director of Grupo Pão de Açucar, a food retail company. Additionally, he was Technology Director at Editora Saraiva between 2013 and 2015, and a long stint at LATAM Airlines between 1999 and 2013 as Head of Technology. Marcos Strobel holds a degree in Technology and Data Processing from Unesp/Fatec-SP, a Business Administration Certification from INSPER-IBMEC and a Digital Council from HSM Singularity.

Luiz Henrique Spinardi has been Lavoro’s Head of M&A, since January 2022, he joined Lavoro’s M&A team in September 2018. Mr. Spinardi has more than 17 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions having participated in more than 30 transactions in various sectors. He started his career at DGF Investimentos (2005), an alternative investment fund manager, where he was responsible for several direct investments and divestments in several sectors. Additionally, Mr, Spinardi worked at HSBC Investment Bank (2012), where he was involved in mergers and acquisitions, and equity and debt offerings. Prior to joining Lavoro, Mr. Spinardi worked at VGL Finanças (2014), an M&A boutique, where he led several transactions in the healthcare, food, and other sectors. Mr. Spinardi holds a degree in Business Administration from Fundação Getúlio Vargas and an MBA from the London Business School and a specialization in Private Equity and Venture Capital from the University of California, Berkeley.

Rafael Ughini Villarroel has served as Lavoro´s Business Unit Brazil President, a position he has held since November 2022. Mr. Villarroel joined Lavoro in April 2021, at that time as Head of Business Unit East in Brazil. Prior to joining Lavoro he was CEO of Oceana Minerals from 2019 to 2021, a key player in the seaweed business for plant and animal nutrition. From 2017 to 2018 Mr Villarroel acted as CEO of Rural Brasil, a leading regional distribution player in the Cerrados area. From 1996 to 2016 Rafael Villarroel held several leading positions as Supply Chain Director, Strategy VP, COO and CEO within Bayer, located either in Brazil, Germany or Central America. Mr. Villarroel has a bachelor´s engineering degree from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and MBA degrees in Finance & Administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas and in Strategy & Marketing in Fundação Dom Cabral / Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Mr. Rizk has served as Lavoro´s Chief Legal and Compliance Officer since February 2023. Prior to joining Lavoro, he was CLO of Grupo BIG from 2019 to 2022, a key retail food and non-food player in Brazil. From 2016 to 2019, Mr. Rizk acted as CLO of TOTVS, the largest technology company in Brazil. From 2004 to 2016, he worked at Grupo Pao de Açucar (GPA), retail food and non-food player, serving as CLO of GPA and its subsidiary Via Varejo. Mr. Rizk has a bachelor´s law degree from FMU and a bachelor´s economy degree from FAAP, and pos graduation in corporate and contractual law from FGV.