BAKERSFIELD, CA - New appointments are taking place at Sun World International. Gerardo Lugo will be the new Chief Commercial Officer, and the company has promoted Global Licensing Directors Pablo Ramirez and Petri van der Merwe to Vice Presidents of Global Licensing.

Gerardo Lugo brings three decades of agricultural experience to Sun World, primarily with Monsanto and Bayer’s row crop and vegetable seed businesses where he held numerous senior commercial and strategic roles.

These promotions and new appointments were triggered by Sun World’s acquisition of Biogold, and reflect the growth and opportunities taking place at the company.

“It’s a cause for celebration in any organization to announce the promotion of not just one, but two valued team members,” said Bernardo Calvo, President and Chief Operating Officer. “But also adding Gerardo, who I’ve long known and deeply respect, reflects our collective optimism at Sun World. These three exemplary professionals are more than ready to hit the ground running on day one in their new positions, which is essential as there are many growth opportunities to be maximized.”

Vice Presidents Pablo Ramirez and Petri van der Merwe have not only already worked together to enhance Sun World’s geographic footprint, but they have also collaborated to add invaluable system-wide processes and discipline that allow the company to more effectively align with and serve their licensees.

Ramirez and van der Merwe join recently appointed Vice President of Global Licensing, Viresh Ramburan.

Here is a breakdown:

First, the tremendous progress made by Sun World scientists and agronomists has yielded an extraordinarily robust pipeline of new, high-quality table grape and stonefruit offerings that customers have responded to very positively. This expansion takes the form of replacing older or public varietals with these superior new genetics, as well as with plantings in existing and new geographies.

Second, the 2024 acquisition of South Africa-based Biogold, significantly increased Sun World’s portfolio to include the company’s leadership in citrus, mangos, and eventually, avocado genetics.

Lastly, foundational to Sun World’s growth is the degree to which the company has leaned into emerging discoveries in artificial intelligence, breakthroughs in science, and the potential for the smart use of data and analytics.

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