Calavo Growers Adds Farha Aslam as Independent Director to Board of Directors
SANTA PAULA, CA - There’s a new Board member on the block at Calavo Growers as the global avocado industry leader announced its latest appointment. Farha Aslam will join its Board of Directors, effective January 3, 2021, and will serve on the company’s Audit Committee.
Farha Aslam is Founder and Managing Partner at Crescent House Capital, an investment and strategic advisory firm that focuses on the agriculture, energy, and food processing industries. Earlier, she was a Managing Director at Stephens Inc. where she led the firm’s food and agribusiness equity research team and built a top-tier research franchise that spanned the grain, ethanol, protein, and packaged food sectors.
She also successfully positioned several lead-managed equity offerings and debt financings. Prior to Stephens, Aslam was a Vice President at Merrill Lynch and a Risk Management Advisor at UBS, according to a press release.
Aslam currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Pilgrims Pride, a leading poultry processor; PSSI, a company focused on food safety; and Saffron Road, a natural food producer and marketer. She is also a nonprofit board member at Developments in Literacy. A graduate of the University of California, Irvine, with a BA, Economics, she also holds a Master’s of Business Administration from Columbia University.
“We are very excited that Farha is joining our Board of Directors. Her extensive experience in the capital markets and the food industry is ideally aligned with our goals to accelerate future growth and profitability,” said J. Link Leavens, Chairman of the Board. “Our board and management team look forward to her leadership and contributions.”
The company also announced that long-standing Directors Egidio “Gene” Carbone, Jr. and Dorcas Thille have decided they will not stand for re-election at Calavo’s 2021 annual meeting of shareholders.
“Gene and Dorcas have been outstanding members of the board for many years, and I believe their contributions will benefit our company for years to come,” said Leavens. “They have played incredibly valuable roles, helping to guide Calavo through opportunities and challenges. On behalf of the entire Board, we express our sincere gratitude to Gene and Dorcas for their counsel and service.”
Following these changes, Calavo’s Board will be comprised of 12 directors, seven of whom will qualify as independent directors under the independence standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market.
Congratulations to Farha Aslam on this exciting appointment!
