Born and raised on the island of Aruba, Irving left at a young age to be educated in Europe at the prestigious Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and at the EGADE Business School for graduates in Monterrey Mexico. He successfully completed an MScBA with a specialization in Supply Chain Management and Business Information Management.

Subsequently he embarked on a career in FMCG and Agribusiness, with household brand names such as Heineken and ABInbev, but predominantly with international SME’s. The latter would see him working in countries such as South Africa, Angola, Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Russia and Western & Southern Europe.

His 14+ year career has covered numerous leadership positions across numerous disciplines in the Agribusiness/ Perishables sector. To name a few: Managing Director of a production/packing/export company in Southern Africa which exported to 45+ countries and had a turnover over R650 million, Operations Director of an Agri-Finance & Investment company with a book over ZAR500 million under management , Independent Director of an industry body lobbying on behalf of the perishables sector (domestic and international), and IT Executive for a Logistics & Freight management conglomerate.

All the above roles  entailed working in an environment where there is continuous labour and political unrest with frequent strikes, a failing power grid – debilitating business in the country, volatile exchange rates, widespread corruption and an ever-changing populist economic policy landscape where policies are enforced that are not evidence-based, rational nor practical.

Successfully navigating the above mentioned environment while being allocated more leadership responsibilities as his career progressed has allowed Irving to greatly widen his knowledge base, bolster his experience and hone his skills from a very young age.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch for an introductory chat!