Alliance Grain Traders

Murad Al-Katib – President and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Al-Katib founded Saskcan Pulse Trading in 2001 with Hüseyin Arslan, and continues to lead its expansion as a processor and seller of pulses and specialty crops as the company’s President and CEO. After the amalgamation of Saskcan and the Agtech Income Fund’s then operating company, Agtech, in August 2007, Mr. Al-Katib joined the board of trustees of the Fund, and assumed the role of President and CEO of the Fund’s new amalgamated operating company, Alliance Pulse Processors Inc.  In January 2008, Mr. Al-Katib was appointed Chairman of the board of trustees of the Fund and on the Conversion creating Alliance Grain Traders Inc., he was appointed President and CEO and a director of AGT.

Mr. Al-Katib graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction in Finance and finished his Master of International Management with Distinction from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) in Arizona. In 2005, he was elected to board of directors of the Canadian Special Crops Association (“CSCA”) and Pulse Canada, the national association for the pulses and specialty crops industry.  In 2006, he was elected President of the CSCA and Vice Chair of Pulse Canada.  Also in 2006, Mr. Al-Katib was appointed to the Advisory Board for Small and Medium Enterprise for the Canadian Minister of International Trade. Mr. Al-Katib has also been awarded a number of personal awards.

In October 2004, Mr. Al-Katib was selected as the Prairie Regional Winner of the Ernst and Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the year for 2004. In May 2005, he was named one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 years old in Canada by the Caldwell Partners and the Globe and Mail.  In 2006, Mr. Al-Katib was awarded a Saskatchewan Centennial Medal as an outstanding business leader by Saskatchewan’s Lieutenant-Governor. In 2012, Mr. Al-Katib received  a number of personal awards including the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, BASF’s Pulse Promoter of the Year award as well as being named to PROFITGuide magazines’ Canada’s 30 Most Fabulous Entrepreneurs list. Additionally, Mr. Al-Katib led AGT to a record second Business of the Year award in the 2012 Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, Achievements in Business Excellence (ABEX) award.

Bringing all his varied experience to Alliance Grain, Mr. Al-Katib has repeatedly proven himself to be a strong financial and strategic business thinker, able to anticipate and mitigate the risks in international trading and commodities.

Huseyin Arslan – Executive Chairman, Board of Directors; President, The Arbel Group

In addition to being one of the founding shareholders of Saskcan Pulse, Huseyin Arslan has guided the operations of The Arbel Group for the past 15 years as President and General Manger. In 2008, he was appointed a trustee of the Alliance Grain Traders Income Fund and was appointed to the position of Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of AGTI after the acquisition of The Arbel Group by the AGTIF in 2009. Mr. Arslan holds a Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering from Middle East Technical University in Turkey and has over two decades of experience in the trading of agricultural and food products globally. He is also an elected member of the executive committee of the International Pulse Processors and Exporters Federation.

Ms.  Ireland is a Certified Management Accountant with over 15 years’ experience in Agricultural Accounting.  Lori worked as an Accountant for Heartland Livestock for 3 years managing the implementation and related staff training of the livestock Feeder Finance program through Farm Credit Canada.  Ms.  Ireland spent the next several years in Special Crops Accounting at the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool (Viterra), with duties including all aspects of grain accounting as well as being appointed Project Manager for the implementation of a new Grain Accounting Reporting Package that was designed for the Grain Accounting and Marketing areas of the company.  In 2002, Ms.  Ireland joined Saskcan Pulse Trading as CFO and was named CFO of AGT in 2007, serving in this role to the present.

Ms.  Ireland has also been on contract with the Society of Management Accountants for several years and acts as a Moderator for the Strategic Leadership Program.  This position involves the mentoring of candidates as they learn various areas of management; including strategic planning, human resources management, treasury, decision making and report writing.

Mr.  Bourassa is responsible for all merchandising, plant operations and marketing programs for AGT and all subsidiaries globally.  Mr.  Bourassa brings nearly 20 years of experience in facility management, plant operations and merchandising activities in the global pulse industry.   In 1992, after completion of his business studies,  he joined the marketing team at Best Cooking Pulses, Canada's first pea splitter. Over the next 12 years, Mr.  Bourassa built his pulse industry experience as General Manager of Best Cooking Pulses. In 2005, Mr.  Bourassa joined Saskcan Pulse Trading, assuming the role of Vice President of Marketing and Operations in 2006. In 2009 was named Chief Operating Officer of AGT. Mr.  Bourassa has been a driving force behind establishing AGT as the world leader in split and value-added pulse production and export, overseeing a program of export to over 100 countries globally. He is a proven risk manager, leading the development of new product platforms including faba beans, pulses ingredients and chickpeas.