Arlon Group, Continental Grain Company and VR Investments Announce Latin America Advisory Board; Guillermo Bilbao named as a Managing Principal of Arlon

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NEW YORK and SAO PAULO, Sept. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Arlon Group, a global food and agriculture investment firm founded by Continental Grain Company, a 200-year-old global agribusiness company, in partnership with VR Investments, a family owned Brazilian investment company with broad experience in Brazilian businesses, announced the formation of the Arlon Latin America Advisory Board.  The five advisory board members are:

• Pedro Parente, Chairman – Partner at PRADA Financial Advisory Group and former CEO and President of Bunge Brazil, COO of Group RBS - Brazil, as well as government positions as former Minister of Planning and Minister of Energy and Mining and Chief of Staff to President Cardoso
• Bernardo Parnes – CEO of Deutsche Bank Latin America and Chief Country Officer Deutsche Bank Brazil and former CEO of Banco Bradesco BBI SA
• Erik Peek – CEO of Rabobank Brazil and Head of South America for Rabobank and director of Banco Regional in Paraguay
• Antonio Quintella – CEO of Peninsula Investimentos and former CEO of Credit Suisse Americas and Credit Suisse Brazil
• Roberto Rodrigues – President of the Superior Council of Agribusiness of Sao Paulo's Federation of Industries (FIESP) and President of the governing board of the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) and former Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply

"The Advisory Board Members bring significant networks and experience in the food and agriculture sectors as well as Latin American business expertise that will provide valuable perspective and guidance as we explore investments in Latin America. We are thrilled that they have agreed to share their insights with us," said David Tanner, Managing Director of Arlon Group.

Pedro Parente, Chairman of the Advisory Board, said, "Latin America is a critically important center of agricultural production, with growth in the food and agriculture sectors driven by global demand as well as with increases in domestic consumption from the ongoing emergence of the Latin American middle class. Companies in the region will continue to benefit from the significant increases in food and agricultural production, processing and exports, making the opportunity in the sector enormous." Mr. Parente continued, "I look forward to working with my fellow Advisory Board members and the experienced investment team Arlon has in their offices in Sao Paulo and New York to take advantage of this unique opportunity."

Arlon Group also announced the appointment of Guillermo Bilbao to Managing Principal of Arlon Group.  Mr. Bilbao will join the executive leadership team responsible for North America and Latin America investing and will be based in Arlon's New York office. He brings more than 30 years of financial and legal experience to Arlon Group, including 26 years at Rabobank, an international financial services provider and leading food and agriculture bank, with 13 years of regional management in Latin America. Mr. Bilbao received a BA from Princeton University and a JD from Harvard Law School.

About Arlon Group

Arlon Group has approximately $830 million in assets under management and is headquartered in New York, with an office in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which was opened in June 2013. Arlon focuses on identifying middle-market food and agriculture private equity opportunities in North America and Latin America, and Arlon's affiliate in Asia invests in private food and agriculture companies, with a focus on China. Arlon's team brings extensive investment expertise in businesses and deep, local industry contacts as they seek to partner with food and agriculture growth-oriented businesses. Food and agriculture is a global story, and Arlon's portfolio companies benefit from the investment team's shared knowledge of regional and global trends. For more information, visit www.arlongroup.com.

SOURCE Arlon Group