People

People

Håkon Reistad Fure stepped down from Yara International’s board of directors in mid-November due to new professional commitments, the company has announced.

Rohit Bhardwaj and Paul Householder joined the board of directors of Ag Growth International (AGI) in early November. Paul’s directorship follow his appointment as AGI’s new president and CEO at the end of September. He was previously the COO of the company.

Commenting on the appointments, AGI’s chair Bill Lambert said: “We are thrilled to have Rohit and Paul join our board. We are confident they will provide valuable perspectives as we continue to execute our strategy, drive organic growth, and enhance value for AGI shareholders.”

Paul Householder joined AGI in 2019 as International EVP with responsibility for leading all aspects of AGI’s businesses outside of North America. Paul’s responsibilities later expanded to include AGI’s North American business when he was promoted to EVP for Global Operations in 2020. Mr Householder subsequently become AGI’s COO in 2021, providing day-to-day strategic, organisational, and administrative leadership. He finally became the company’s president and CEO in September 2022.

Prior to AGI, Paul spent 28 years at Air Products and Chemicals where he held several executive positions. These included general management and global leadership roles – with a focus on continuous improvement, business development, sales, and engineering. Paul holds a BSc degree in mechanical engineering from Lafayette College and an MBA from Lehigh University. He has also completed Harvard’s Executive Leadership Program.

“Paul’s recent appointment as president and CEO of AGI demonstrates the confidence that our board has in his ability to lead AGI through our next phase of growth,” said Bill Lambert. “His extensive operating experience will provide valuable insight to the board and further strengthen our ability to accelerate execution of key growth objectives.”

Rohit Bhardwaj has more than 25 years of business experience in listed multinational companies. Rohit is currently the CFO of Chemtrade, having joined the company in 2006, where he oversees the finance, information technology, investor relations, corporate development, and legal departments. He previously held several executive positions at Inscape Corporation.

Rohit is a Certified Management Accountant (UK), a fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (UK) and a Certified Public Accountant (CGA). He has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University) and the Schulich School of Business (York University).

“Rohit is a seasoned executive who will contribute significant experience in managing international operations in addition to providing strong financial oversight,” said Bill Lambert. “These are key board skills that will help enable AGI to deepen the level of integration and optimization across many of our businesses.”