Platts Agriculture Week

Daniel is a sugar analyst at S&P Global Platts where his main areas of focus include supply and demand forecasts, tracking global trade flows and other trends in the sugar industry, with a key focus on EU and CIS markets. Daniel has joined Kingsman as a biofuels analyst in June 2011, which has been acquired by S&P Global Platts in November next year. He graduated from University of Lausanne (HEC Lausanne) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Management.

Ms. Nunez is a sugar analyst with Kingsman/Platts since 2011 covering Global sugar markets, Central America, NAFTA and South America except Brazil.

Before  joining Kingsman /Platts, she worked on market research for Cubazucar, was a futures and options trader for 10 years for Caribsugar SA and then worked for Novafin Financiere SA in Geneva  (export finance and country risk).

Ms. Nunez holds a degree in Economic Sciences with a Major in Finance and a Master in International Trade from the University of Havana. She had advanced training in Futures Trading and Options in Sucres et Denrées (SUCDEN, Paris and SUCDEN Financial, London).

Pete Meyer joined S&P Global Platts in 2012 to launch the Agricultural Commodities Service. His career in commodities spans over 35 years, concentrating on agriculture for the past 20. Pete held the position of Agricultural Commodities Specialist at both JP Morgan and Lehman Brothers previously. He also spent 14 years on the trading floors of the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile Exchange trading on behalf of clients as well as proprietarily. Known for his pragmatic approach, he is a long-time crop tour participant who spends more time in the fields than the office during the growing season. Pete often presents at a variety of agriculture conferences and is sought out by members of the media for his opinions. He holds a BS in engineering from Villanova University.

Peter is a Senior Editor for Rice at S&P Global Platts. He joined Platts following the acquisition of the Live Rice Index (LRI) in September 2019.

During his time at the LRI (2015 – 2019), Peter covered rice markets across the globe, spearheading the introduction of both the Japonica Report, which takes an in depth look at this niche sector of the market, and price assessments in Myanmar and Paraguay. He also served as the company’s Internal Audit and Compliance Officer, managing the company’s path towards IOSCO compliance. As a part of S&P Global’s EMEA Agriculture team, he continues to engage with the global rice market on a daily basis.

Peter graduated from the University of Sheffield with a BA in History and Politics and from Aberystwyth University with an MA in International Politics.

Robert is the Associate Pricing Director for EMEA Agriculture at S&P Global Platts. He joined Platts in 2011 from London-based research house BMI, where he was responsible for downstream oil market research. Between 2011 and 2019, he covered the crude oil, residual fuel and Russian oil markets for Platts, becoming Managing Editor for crude oil in 2014 and Associate Director for crude oil and residual fuels in 2016. He joined the EMEA Agriculture pricing team in 2019 and he is now responsible for regional coverage of biofuels, sugar, grains, oilseeds and rice.

Robert graduated from the University of Oxford with a BA in English and an MPhil in Russian and Eastern European studies, focusing on Polish regional economic development during the Polish People's Republic. Robert speaks English, Polish, and Russian.

Victoria is Senior Grains Analyst at the S&P Global Platts Analytics Agriculture team covering supply and demand forecasts for Ukraine, Russia, and the European Union. Prior to joining S&P Global she was a Senior Analyst at Thomson Reuters (Refinitiv) Agriculture Research team modelling and forecasting area, yield and production for various crops across the European Union and the Black Sea. Victoria holds a PhD degree (2014) in Agrometeorology from the Odessa State Environmental University, Ukraine, focusing on modelling of grain crop development. Previous to Thomson Reuters, she conducted market research and financial modelling for a renewable energy firm in London, as well as worked at a grain laboratory of an inspection company in her native Ukraine.

Ivy is from S&P Global Platts Agriculture team, specializing in oilseeds pricing in Chinese Market. Ivy has a strong soybean market background. Before joining Platts, she worked for a state-owned crushing enterprise in a senior role as freight and basis trader. She has a deep understanding of crush margin management, with rich practical experiences in international soybean trading and contact execution. She also worked as an agricultural analyst in a securities and futures company, particularly in research of soybean meals market and trading strategy of soybean meal futures and OTC options.

Karim works on the agriculture desk in London covering EMEA biofuels and was previously covering the Black Sea grains market. He worked as an investment analyst and an equity analyst covering Middle East-listed fertilizers and chemical companies. He holds a BA (Combined Hons) in Economics and International Development from the University of Liverpool, and an MSC (Hons) in Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He wrote his Masters’ dissertation on the impact of agricultural liberalization on the Egyptian wheat market and food security.

Nicolle Monteiro de Castro acts as Sugar and Ethanol senior price specialist for S&P Global Platts covering Brazilian Center-South and Northeast regions. Having started her professional life in the shipping market, focusing on bulk cargoes, she has been developing her career in the sugar and biofuels chain, having more than a decade of experience. Nicolle joined Platts back in December 2014 as the person in charge of the Brazilian sugar pricing coverage and then expanding her pricing activities into the Brazilian biofuel market. She holds a Bachelor's degree in International Affairs', has a Master's degree in Finance with focus in Capital Market from Fundação Getúlio Vargas - FGV, and currently studying her second Master’s program in Agribusiness by FGV school. Nicolle has worked in the anhydrous ethanol assessment for the Brazilian North-Northeast region, the regional benchmark, and started in 2020 to develop the Brazilian biodiesel spot market assessment parameters.

Sophie heads the growing S&P Global Platts Americas Agriculture pricing team, with a team of 10 full -time pricing specialists that cover the exciting biofuel, sugar, oilseeds and grain markets in North and South America. Sophie started her time at Platts in the London oil team focusing on refined products before transferring to Houston to lead and drive the expansion of Platts Agriculture . Under Sophie’s leadership Platts agriculture coverage has expanded to grains, oilseeds, vegetable oils and renewable fuels. Sophie holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from The University of Nottingham, and a master’s degree in international finance from Kingston University.

Takmila Shahid is an Editor for Wheat at S&P Global Platts. Currently a front-line analyst specializing in index pricing and market intelligence, Takmila examines market-moving trends and ever-changing trade dynamics in the Asian grains market. Prior to this role, Takmila was an Associate Editor in Metals, pricing the global Iron Ore benchmark and analyzing the ferrous market. Takmila started her career with the Commodity Associate Program at Platts, rotating across Metals and Oil products. She holds an MSc in Applied Finance from Singapore Management University and a Bachelor of Economics and Finance from the University of Hong Kong.

Rebecca is a Senior Editor for Rice and Sugar at S&P Global Platts, joining Platts following the acquisition of the Live Rice Index in 2019. As a market reporter, Rebecca has expertise in producing price assessments in historically opaque markets. Following the launch of the first ever cash-settled Thai rice futures contract by CME, which settles against Platts rice price assessments, Rebecca is now focused on developing Platts European sugar price assessments.

Rebecca holds a BA in Anthropology and Sociology from Goldsmiths, University of London and has a keen interest in humanitarian and environmental issues such as food security and environmental sustainability.

Patrícia Luís-Manso has +15 years’ experience in analytical and leadership roles in commodities, investment banking and network industries. In her current role at S&P Global Platts, Patricia is responsible for Agriculture and Metals Analytics, leading a global team of experts in Sugar, Grains, Oilseeds, Biofuels and Metals to generate essential data and intelligence for the Energy and commodities markets.

Prior to this role, Patrícia was Head of Sugar and Ethanol Research at Louis Dreyfus Commodities, where she managed a global team with focus on developing critical market analysis to design trading strategies. Patrícia has also worked at Kingsman SA, now part of S&P Global Platts, for 7 years  as Senior Analyst and Head of Research & Reports.

Patrícia holds a PhD in Regulatory Economics from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, in Switzerland. She also holds a Diploma in Organizational Leadership from Oxford University and a Msc. in Economics from Nova SBE in Portugal.

George Duke joined S&P Global Platts Agriculture as an Associate Editor in September 2019. Based in London, George was responsible for price assessments and market insights on oilseeds in EMEA before moving onto renewable distillates on the Biofuels desk. Prior to joining Platts, George was a Commodity Analyst for an agricultural pricing and analytics company. George holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Southampton.

Loren Puette is a biofuels analyst at S&P Global Platts Loren Puette where he covers Asian ethanol and biodiesel markets, including supply and demand forecast, trade flows and regulatory updates.

Loren is an agribusiness expert with 10+ years of experience conducting economic, trade, and field research in global agricultural markets, authoring agricultural commodity reports for both public and private sectors. He has on-the-ground agricultural market research experience in Russia, Tajikistan, Taiwan, East Africa, and the Middle East. Loren launched and operated ChinaAg.org, a market intelligence web site and contract consulting service, dedicated to providing insights into China’s agriculture sector, including assessing regulatory developments and analyzing market trends within the farming and food industries. Loren holds a Master of Arts in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Baylor University in the US. He is fluent in Russian, French, and Mandarin Chinese.

Josh Pedrick has covered the US biofuels market through Presidential administration change and growing blending mandates. He focuses on domestic markets and policy as well as global trends. Incentives for low-carbon fuels have spurred investment and interest in next-generation products amid global energy transitions, an area in which Josh has analyzed pricing and market development.

Emma is the managing editor for biofuels and sugar on the Platts agriculture pricing desk for the EMEA region. Emma previously worked in the EMEA middle distillates pricing team, specialising in jet fuel, while also reporting on the emergence of Sustainable Aviation fuel and the wider aviation sector.

Anu das covers the Asian palm oil markets, with a focus on Malaysia, Indonesia, India and China. She monitors and reports on price movements in Crude Palm Oil, Refined Bleach and Deodorized Palm Stearin and Palm Fatty Acid Distillate, in addition to providing market Insight and commentary on these products. Anu’s background includes shipbroking in the palm oil space, as well as research and analysis in the tanker market, where she covered movements in vegetable oil, petrochemical and clean petroleum products. She joined S&P Global Platts as a credit risk analyst for bunker fuel, where she studied the operations of shipping companies ranging from tankers and dry bulk carriers to cruise lines and heavy lift carriers, to ascertain credit worthiness for bunker fuel purchases. Anu holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government, International Relations and History from the University of Sydney.