WHY WE EXCEL IN AGRI TECH: BEST IN CLASS, MULTI- AWARD-WINNING COMPANY

Our team has decades of experience involved in building, financing and operating companies dedicated to agriculture, water lentil production and technology.
Aside from winning multiple global agri-tech awards in 2023 alone, including the UN World Food Prize for Innovation, Better Nutrition, the Southern Africa Start Up of the Year and the Global Food Tech Challenge, Sustainable Planet is proud to be working with a number of the world’s best agricultural universities on nature-based and sustainable integrated food solutions. 

Our talented & experiencedTeam

Sven Kaufmann

Sven Kaufmann

CEO

Over 25 years as a tech entrepreneur with strong experience in building and supporting companies. 100% committed to combating climate change and providing solutions in food production through project development in the sustainable protein sector and in plant medicines.

Susan Payne

Susan Payne

COO

30 yrs Finance & Project Management

Financier, lawyer, and emerging markets specialist with 20 years of experience at top investment banks and hedge funds focused on emerging markets trading, structuring, and marketing. Dedicated to food security for over a decade, operating large-scale food and land projects across sub-Saharan Africa, including in Mozambique, taking greenfield and distressed sites to profitable enterprises. Previous member of World Bank and FAO committees addressing global agriculture.

Jakobus de Klerk

Jakobus de Klerk

Chief Agriculture Officer

30 years Agriculture Expert

30+ years of experience in African agriculture, having part-owned one of Zimbabwe’s most extensive horticultural operations. His current focus is on Zambia, South Africa and Mozambique. Jakobus has excellent experience in project planning and enterprise implementation, having run several agri-businesses as a business development manager and operations manager.

World-class Advisors

Cyrill Hess, MS

Cyrill Hess, MS

Switzerland Environmental Science ETH

Jakobus De Klerk

Jakobus De Klerk

Zimbabwe Chief Agri Officer Holistic Investments

Amaya Dresner

Amaya Dresner

Water Conservationist Expert

Dr. Walid Darwish

Dr. Walid Darwish

Belgium Political and Business Expert

Michael Guffanti

Michael Guffanti

Switzerland Sales & Finance Expert

Benjamin Bartle, MA

Benjamin Bartle, MA

Australia Climate Finance Access Network Rocky Mountain Institute

Atehnkosi Peter, MD

Atehnkosi Peter, MD

South Africa Emerging Market expert

D. Ingrid Van der Meer, Ph.D.

D. Ingrid Van der Meer, Ph.D.

Netherlands Molecular Genetics Wageningen University

Dr. JJ Mes , PhD

Dr. JJ Mes , PhD

Netherlands Molecular Biologist Wageningen University

Dr. Paul Fourounjian, Ph.D.

Dr. Paul Fourounjian, Ph.D.

USA Moleculare Bioscience Rutgers University Director of the Lamna Association

Dr. Klaus Appenroth

Dr. Klaus Appenroth

Germany Plant Physiologist Jena University

 Thavrak Huon Ph.D.

Thavrak Huon Ph.D.

Cambodia Vice Rector Royal University of Agriculture