AGRO Merchants Group
Management team
The AGRO Merchants executive leadership team is well recognized throughout the global cold chain industry for their extensive design, build, management, and operational expertise that spans North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Carlos Rodriguez
Chief Executive Officer
Elizabeth Gildea
Chief Financial Officer
Elizabeth joins AGRO Merchants Group with more than 16 years of international leadership experience in a variety of industries, geographies, and Finance roles which include business transformation, restructuring, business process improvement, and integration. She has extensive experience in manufacturing and distribution businesses including Infrastructure, Building Materials, Commercial and Retail Solutions and Telecommunications. Prior to joining AGRO Merchants Group, Elizabeth was Vice President of Finance for CRH Americas Construction Accessories and also held leadership roles at CRH within Europe and North America. Elizabeth is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner in the United States and holds an MBA from Georgia State University.
Dave Moore
Chief Operating Officer
Dave joins AGRO Merchants Group with more than 25 years of leadership experience in supply chain and operations. Most recently, Dave served as Vice President, Operations – Inbound to Manufacturing at DHL Supply Chain, where he led all aspects of regional business operations. Prior to that, Dave was Regional Vice President at Americold with overall responsibility for 36 locations in the Central United States. Dave also held leadership roles at Ryder Logistics and Daimler Chrysler. He earned his Bachelor in Arts in Materials and Logistics Management from Michigan State University, an MBA from the University of Detroit, and was a faculty member at the IARW.
Hans Kroes
President Europe
Hans joined AGRO in July 2017 as Managing Director, Iberia and in July 2018 was promoted to President, Europe. In addition to logistics and operations, Hans brings to the team a wealth of business integration and human resources expertise. Prior to joining AGRO, Hans was CEO of Kloosterboer, a cold storage and logistics provider. Professional experience during the last 25 years also includes COO and other positions in several multinational companies. Hans earned a degree from Haarlem Business School has held Board positions with Nekovri and the GCCA. Achievements include representing the Dutch swimming team in the Olympic games in 1984 and 1988.
Colin Smith
Chief Transformation Officer
Colin leads the AGRO project management office, which coordinates AGRO’s value creation initiatives across integration, business transformation, organic growth and continuous improvements of the existing platform. Colin also serves as a Managing Director at Oaktree Capital Management and Head of their Portfolio Transformation Team. Prior to joining Oaktree in 2014, Colin led large-scale value creation and growth programs for multiple companies across a variety of industries. Colin earned his B.A. with honors from Queen’s University, and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.
Mike Bender
General Counsel
Mike is the General Counsel of AGRO Merchants Group with global responsibility for legal and compliance matters. Mike has more than 20 years of in-house and law firm experience across a range of industries with a focus on M&A and complex corporate transactions. Prior to joining AGRO, Mike was General Counsel and head of Corporate Development for Hanley Wood, a leading B2B media and information services company that is owned by affiliates of Oaktree Capital Management. He also worked at Latham & Watkins, and prior to that Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. Mike received his BA in Philosophy from The University of Chicago and his JD with honors from Columbia Law School.
Chad Reuschel
Chief Information Officer
Chad joined AGRO Merchants Group in 2015 and has global responsibility for Information Technology. Chad brings some 25 years experience in IT and Systems within the manufacturing and supply chain industries. This includes a number of leadership roles with global scope, previously served as Senior VP of Information Technology at Americold, VP of Applications at Syncreon and several Managerial positions at Magna Donnelly. Chad holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Hope College.
Monique Bakker
EVP Human Resources
Monique joined AGRO in February 2018 and is since July of that year a member of the executive team with overall responsibility for the company’s Human Resources function and bringing new strategies and best practices to the organization. Monique brings to AGRO more than 25 years of HR management experience. She has worked in a wide range of industries across multiple countries and regions, these include cold storage, retail and FMCG. Monique’s expertise includes change management, talent development, and integration. Monique earned a BA degree in Management, Economics and Law, and an MBA in Marketing and Sales.
Adam Rushby
EVP Engineering & Solutions
Adam joined AGRO in November 2013 and is responsible for AGRO’s Engineering and Solutions function. His focus is on facilities maintenance, regulatory compliance, energy management, logistics solutions, capital projects and industrial engineering. Adam brings with him more than 18 years of Engineering, Solutions Design & Commercial experience in the logistics sector and has previously worked within Automotive contract logistics and in the Cold Chain, where he was responsible for the Supply Chain Solutions team at Americold. Adam earned his BA (Hons) degree in Business Studies at The Nottingham Trent University.