Over the past five years, my journey in commodity trading has taught me something very important: You cannot build meaningful opportunities alone. Commodity trading is already a relationship-driven business. But when opportunities become larger, more complex and more strategic, I believe the importance of having the right people around the table becomes even greater. This is how my China Strategic Team came together. Today, I work with Michael Leung and Hary Mak as my strateg

I met Ben Ng through Captain Mohammed, who is based in Dubai. At the time, I did not know that our paths would eventually cross in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The trip in June 2026 was originally planned for a different purpose. I was travelling to Ho Chi Minh City for a seller meeting with Alice Stambuli and her group from Malawi. The purpose was to meet the seller in person, discuss the Urea 46N transaction, and explore how we could move the opportunity forward. But internat

One of the things I have come to appreciate most about commodity trading is that the relationships you build can sometimes become more valuable than the transaction itself. Alice Stambuli and Me | Shot at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam I met Alice Stambuli in September 2021 through an Agricultural Fertiliser transaction. At the time, we were simply two people connected by a commodity deal through Isak Jakob. We were discussing Urea 46N, sellers, spec

My Sustainability Project | Bio-Leather Handbags The reason I entered commodity trading is rooted in a difficult and unexpected chapter of my life. In the second half of 2020, I needed startup capital for my sustainability business. I had personally invested US$200,000 as pre-seed capital, and I needed another US$800,000 to complete the R&D of my bio-leather project before moving into pilot production. This project was deeply meaningful to me. It grew out of my final assignme