Riaan Herselman

Senior agricultural and sustainability leader with 25+ years' international experience in agriculture, agronomy and sustainable farming, working extensively with smallholder farmers and agricultural supply chains across East and Southern Africa. Agronomist by profession with an MBA in Leadership and Sustainability, combining deep technical agricultural expertise with strategic leadership, farmer development, ESG, environmental sustainability, supply-chain due diligence and large-scale programme delivery. Experienced in translating agricultural research, technical knowledge and sustainability principles into practical farming systems that farmers can understand, adopt and replicate.

Strong believer in the principle that "seeing is believing" and in the value of demonstration, field-based learning and peer-to-peer knowledge exchange in accelerating adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. Heavily involved in the development and implementation of the Integrated Production System (IPS) in Malawi, a practical system designed to streamline grower contracting, delivery of Good Agricultural Practices, access to crop inputs and production requirements to enable farmers to produce high-yielding, compliant and increasingly sustainable crops. Most recently served as Head of Agronomy at Premium Tobacco Malawi Ltd, leading agricultural strategy and farmer development across a network of 10,500 contracted smallholder growers, supported by 8 direct reports and approximately 65 field staff.

Achievements include approximately doubling unit-area yields over six years, reducing fertiliser requirements and production costs by approximately 15%, developing traceability and digital grower systems, and leading ESG, supply-chain due diligence and environmental initiatives. Brings a valuable international perspective on sustainable farming systems, with experience adapting agricultural approaches to different environmental, economic and social contexts. Now seeking to apply this experience within the UK agricultural sector and contribute to the development and adoption of Integrated Farm Management, regenerative and environmentally positive farming practices.

Head of Agronomy at Premium Tobacco Malawi Ltd (2016-06 – 2026-04)

Senior leadership role responsible for agricultural strategy, agronomy, grower development, crop production, sustainability, ESG, supply-chain due diligence, stakeholder engagement and delivery of agricultural programmes across a large smallholder farming network.

• Led agricultural strategies designed to improve productivity, sustainability, compliance and long-term farmer viability across a network of 10,500 contracted smallholder growers.
• Applied practical, field-based approaches to help farmers understand and adopt improved agronomic and sustainable production practices.
• Developed farmer training and community engagement programmes supporting the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices and improved production methods.
• Worked closely with field teams and growers to identify production constraints, develop practical solutions and translate agronomic recommendations into actions that could be implemented at farm level.
• Achieved approximately doubling of unit-area yields across the smallholder grower base over a six-year period.
• Led a fertiliser optimisation programme which reduced fertiliser requirements and contributed to approximately 15% lower production costs.
• Supported agricultural approaches that balanced productivity and profitability with environmental, compliance and resource-efficiency objectives.
• Heavily involved in the development and implementation of the Integrated Production System (IPS) in Malawi, designed to bring together the key components required for successful smallholder production.
• IPS streamlined the contracting of growers, delivery of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), access to crop inputs and production support, creating a more integrated system for producing high-yielding and compliant crops.
• Worked across agronomy, grower management, field extension, input supply, financing and compliance to ensure that farmers had access to the knowledge, resources and systems required to achieve improved production outcomes.
• Used field-level implementation, farmer engagement and practical demonstration to support adoption and improve consistency across the grower base.
• Developed an understanding of the importance of integrating technical recommendations with the commercial and practical realities faced by farmers.
• Led and oversaw ESG, Supply Chain Due Diligence (SCDD) and Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) requirements.
• Oversaw implementation of Good Agricultural Practices, Sustainable Tobacco Programme and Agricultural Labour Programme requirements.
• Developed and implemented traceability systems supporting compliant and sustainable supply chains.
• Developed a digital grower information platform to improve grower data, monitoring and supply-chain visibility.
• Contributed to compliance improvements associated with a Withhold Release Order (WRO).
• Led and supported environmental initiatives including forestry, indigenous tree planting, renewable/solar lighting and fuel-efficiency projects.
• Contributed to programmes resulting in the planting of more than 2.5 million indigenous trees and 120,000 bamboo plants.
• Worked to integrate environmental sustainability, agricultural productivity and supply-chain requirements within practical farming programmes.
• Developed an in-house GIS-based data-gathering application to improve agricultural information collection and decision-making.
• Developed a digital grower information platform supporting traceability, grower management and supply-chain visibility.
• Used field data and grower information to identify production challenges and inform agricultural strategy.
• Supported the use of technology to improve communication, monitoring and implementation across geographically dispersed farming communities.
• Built and maintained relationships with 10,500 growers, Growers Associations, government ministries, regulatory authorities, financial institutions, suppliers and commercial stakeholders.
• Worked closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Tobacco Commission and other industry stakeholders.
• Developed strong relationships across different stakeholder groups, balancing farmer needs with commercial, regulatory, sustainability and supply-chain requirements.
• Represented agricultural interests within complex stakeholder environments and supported collaborative approaches to solving sector challenges.
• Managed 8 direct reports and approximately 65 field staff, providing strategic direction and developing team capability.
• Led geographically dispersed agricultural teams responsible for farmer extension, agronomy, production, compliance and sustainability.
• Managed departmental financial planning and budgeting, including approximately USD 6 million of crop input programmes.
• Coordinated agricultural input financing arrangements with commercial banks and other financial stakeholders.
• Mentored managers and field teams and developed systems to improve accountability, performance and delivery.

Multiple Senior Agricultural Leadership Positions at Multiple Organizations - East & Southern Africa

Progressed through increasingly senior agricultural, operational and commercial leadership roles, reaching Director level by age 32 within a multinational organisation.

• Led agricultural and smallholder development programmes across East and Southern Africa.
• Developed and implemented the Integrated Production System (IPS) for smallholder farmers, integrating grower contracting, agronomy, GAP, crop-input access and production requirements.
• Built and scaled agricultural departments, including expanding one function from 23 employees to 168 team members.
• Led large field teams responsible for farmer extension, agronomy, production, compliance and sustainability.
• Developed field-based farmer training and knowledge-exchange programmes.
• Worked extensively with smallholder farmers to improve productivity, production practices, market access, compliance and long-term viability.
• Developed practical agricultural strategies linking farmer productivity with commercial and supply-chain requirements.
• Negotiated crop-input supply contracts and financing arrangements with commercial partners and financial institutions.
• Managed budgets, forecasting, input procurement, distribution and cost control.

MBA in Leadership and Sustainability