KOLTIVA Appoints Joe Keen Poon as Executive Chairman, Signaling a New Chapter of Global Leadership in Sustainable Supply Chains

In a major move underscoring its growing global presence in sustainable agriculture and supply chain traceability, the Indonesia-Swiss-based, venture-backed AgriTech firm KOLTIVA has named Joe Keen Poon as its new Executive Chairman.  Announced earlier today, the appointment marks a strategic milestone in KOLTIVA’s continued international leadership trajectory. 

This pivotal leadership marks a defining moment in KOLTIVA’s journey as the company accelerates its mission to build inclusive, deforestation-free, and fully traceable supply chains—aligning with emerging global regulations such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), CSDDD, CSRD, and other rising demands for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) compliance. 

The appointment of Joe Keen Poon as Executive Chairman reinforces KOLTIVA’s unwavering commitment to sustainability, transparency, and innovation in agriculture. A seasoned global executive, Joe brings over 30 years of experience scaling purpose-driven technology and sustainability ventures. His leadership credentials span top-tier organizations, including Microsoft, Deloitte, Surbana Jurong, and, most recently, as Group CEO of the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM).  

The Executive Chairman will play a central role in strengthening governance, unlocking investment pathways, and ensuring that KOLTIVA’s solutions remain scalable, secure, and rooted in impact. His appointment signals KOLTIVA’s next chapter: leveraging advanced analytics to deliver not just transparency — but foresight and resilience — in agricultural supply chains. 

Founded in 2013, KOLTIVA has rapidly evolved into one of the most trusted technology partners in agriculture, working with over 1,9 million producers across 65 countries. Its integrated ecosystem—ranging from traceability platforms, capacity building as an extension services with in person field-training through its extensive agronomist network and digital payment tools to smallholder training programs—has become vital to agri businesses, enterprises and suppliers navigating today’s complex sustainability challenges. 

As Executive Chairman, Joe will help KOLTIVA sharpen its long-term vision, deepen its impact across supply chains, and shape future partnerships that align with its triple-bottom-line: People, Planet, and Profit. “KOLTIVA is uniquely positioned at the intersection of agriculture, climate action, financial inclusion and digital transformation,” said Joe Keen Poon. “Joining this team is not only a professional honor—it’s an impact-commitment to reshaping how the world sources its food and raw materials, while supporting the rural smallholders who grow them.” 

Joe Keen Poon will collaborate closely with the CEO and Co-Founder, Manfred Borer and the broader leadership team to strengthen KOLTIVA’s presence across key regions—including Indonesia, Asia-Pacific, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, and Africa—strategic markets essential to the future of sustainable sourcing.  

“We’ve built a strong foundation rooted in data integrity, human-centered technology intelligence, field operations, and client trust,” said Manfred Borer, CEO of KOLTIVA. “Now, we’re scaling. With Joe Keen Poon on board, we gain a partner with the global foresight and experience to guide us through this next chapter—one that will see us expand across continents while remaining deeply connected to rural farming communities.” 

While the appointment brings fresh global perspectives, it also underscores continuity in KOLTIVA’s mission and values. The company remains deeply focused on enabling ethical sourcing, smallholders inclusion, and climate resilience through technology and on-the-ground presence. KOLTIVA’s approach remains unique in its integration of field expertise and digital traceability—a model that has won recognition from global enterprises, government institutions, public-private partnership, non-government organization to climate-impact driven investors. 

“As regulatory landscapes shift, particularly with the introduction of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), companies across the globe are under pressure to verify the legality and sustainability of their raw material sources. KOLTIVA has been at the forefront of this movement, enabling full end-to-end traceability and polygon-based geospatial verification for commodities including palm oil, rubber, cocoa, and coffee.” Joe Keen Poon. “What drew me to this role was not just the technology, but the company’s relentless focus on empowering producers and building trust between stakeholders. That’s where true sustainability begins.”