Carlo Van Dee

Experience

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  Florensis

  Mar 2002 - Sept 2006

  Crop specialist

  At Florensis, I acquired skills and knowledge in carrying out work for different departments in developing skills to be able to work with high quality seedling and cuttings of different ornamental plants. I was in charge of overseeing the training and construction of facilities in remote site in Koka, Ethiopia, assisting for three months as an assistant manager and overseer of start-up activities. I was sent to assist there for 3 months with the target of training the labourers and help out with the day- to- day organization of the new farm. I engaged in R&D methods to create more groundbreaking products that will ultimately bring more revenue to the company. Lastly, I carried out trials on unrooted cuttings with different hormone treatments and cultivation methods to improve the final quality of the product and lower the production costs whilst overseeing set up of climate control settings and irrigation systems. Show less

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  Dekker Chrysanten BV

  Oct 2006 - Feb 2009

  Farm Manager

  • Started building work on new greenhouses 2006 after a 2 months training period in greenhouses in Brazil.• Presided over the management of the PSOM project sponsored by the Dutch Government as a foreign aid program.• Effectively managed and oversaw farm operations as manager for 46000 square meters greenhouse, yielding 120 million cuttings for the Dutch and South-American market• Managed job delegation and rostering for 140 people that were working in the farm to produce 120 million export quality cuttings annually• Trained first staff in the basics of work instructions pursuant to the protocols of the company, including quality control and establish report lines; carried out knowledge transfers in Training sessions. • Successfully organised the first export of the perishable Chrysanthemum cuttings to locations in Holland and Brazil.• Took the operations into full production and catered to export demands from locations abroad.• Managed the training of all Bolivian employees and supported the development of the company’s structure and organisational framework. • Presided over the set up of the MPS-GAP certification and registration procedures. Show less

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  ALBANI VINCENZO E RUGGIERI ITALINA SS AGRARIA

  Feb 2009 - Nov 2010

  Production manager

  • Orchestrated technical support and project management work in different locations, including Italy, Morocco, Ethiopia, and Kenya. • Travelled frequently to various work locations to attend to the critical moments during the build-up of mother plants. • Maintained weekly contact and correspondences with the locations and team managers to oversee issues remotely, monitoring for performance and production issues such as disease control, climate, fertilisation, URC quality and the application of plant growth regulators. • Led a robust team of well-trained staff in producing an annual yield of 30M rooted cuttings of mainly Chrysanthemum, Poinsettia, Pelargonium and Impatiens from different varieties and tray types.• Managed the long-term planning of all mother stock in collaboration with the production director.• Engaged in climate control management via Hortimax climate computer, and presided over the operations concerning water management. • Efficiently managed all daily work related to the production in the propagation area. Show less

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  Dümmen Orange

  Dec 2010 - Jun 2012

  Production Manager

  Fides is a company that is specialized in breeding and propagation of cut Chrysanthemums, pot Chrysanthemums, Kalanchoe, decorative Kalanchoe (Calandiva®), Pelargonium, Osteospermum, Impatiens New Guinea, pot dahlia, Multiflora, Petunia, Nemesia, Calibrachoa and pot Aster.At Fides, I was in charge of carrying out long- and short-term planning for crops cycles and production schedules, considering various complex factors such as the seasonality of plant stocks, supply and demand dynamics, and other facets of cultivation. I oversaw communications with stakeholders and team members in various corporate locations such as the Netherlands and other abroad locations, co-ordinating activities with production managers and technical advisors. I also efficiently performed duties as production manager for 18,5ha greenhouses, producing primarily Chrysanthemum cuttings and later on included Dahlia, Osteospermum, Impatiens, Lobelia and Nemesia. I also managed the expansion for the production of pot plants (hydroponically grown) for export to Europe and USA, as well as the construction of the proprietary Elite (EE) house for Pot Plants, training the staff on Elite Hygiene procedures. In terms of my role highlights, I was instrumental in overseeing the production chain yielding an approximate annual crop of 450million Chrysanthemum and 18 million Pot Plants cuttings. I performed administrative tasks and managerial duties concerned with staff training, hygiene implementation, crop protection (PGR), irrigation (soil and hydroponics) and quality control. Lastly, I practiced high level of compliance to hygiene and phytosanitary standards to enable growth of export-oriented plant stocks. Show less

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  ALBANI VINCENZO E RUGGIERI ITALINA SS AGRARIA

  Jun 2012 - May 2013

  Production Manager

  • Orchestrated technical support and project management work in different locations, including Italy, Morocco and Kenya. • Travelled frequently to various work locations to attend to the critical moments during the build-up of mother plants. • Maintained weekly contact and correspondences with the locations and team managers to oversee issues remotely, monitoring for performance and production issues such as disease control, climate, fertilisation, URC quality and the application of plant growth regulators. • Led a robust team of well-trained staff in producing an annual yield of 30M rooted cuttings of mainly Chrysanthemum, Poinsettia, Pelargonium and Impatiens from different varieties and tray types.• Managed the long-term planning of all mother stock in collaboration with the production director.• Engaged in climate control management via Hortimax climate computer, and presided over the operations concerning water management. • Efficiently managed all daily work related to the production in the propagation area. Show less

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  Lynch Group

  May 2013 - Dec 2019

  The Lynch Group is recognized as world leaders in floral innovation, research and development.Our pool of internationally respected industry experts ensure that our design standards are parallel with overseas trends and that we continue to be seen as leaders in floral quality control and post-harvest techniques.We are specialists in exporting Australian Wildflowers throughout the world.The Lynch Group is the only national floral marketers in Australia with ISO & HACCP Quality Standard accreditation.Our team of technicians ensure that the Lynch Group is always at the leading edge in respect to the adoption of the latest postharvest techniques, to provide maximum value for our customers.Lynch has the capability to deliver its products fresh to just about anywhere in Australia from its operations in all the major cities of Australia with sales offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Show less General Roles and Responsibilities• Managing OPEX and CAPEX of the farm operation, full P&L responsibility. • Co-managed the application of R&D and Product development grants (successfully obtained 2018)• Farm management of the Sydney farm operation producing Culinary herbs for the major supermarkets in Australia • Expert input on a wide array of operational procedures, systems, and technologies.• Facilitated development of new knowledge with research & development practices geared at creating more sustainable, lucrative, and resilient crops. • Coordinated development of supplies and plant stocks that are up standard and are in compliance of targets in yields and labour. • Accommodated internal and external support issues, conducting technical investigations, visits, and assessments to arrive at educated and evidence-based decision making. Technical support of farm managers in Australia.• Accreditation of all farms, SQF, HARPS, SEDEX• Periodically performed project management tasks Show less

  • General Manager Farming

    Jul 2018 - Dec 2019

  • Farm Manager - Horticultural Consultant

    May 2013 - Jun 2018
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  Esperanza Consulting

  Jul 2019 - now

  Co-Owner & Consultant

  At Esperanza Consulting , our mission is to help businesses achieve sustainable growth and success by providing them with expert business and management consulting services.

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  Terviva

  Jan 2020 - Nov 2023

  Founded in 2010, Terviva is a food and ag innovation company partnering with farmers to grow pongamia, a climate-resilient tree which produces abundant, protein- and oil-rich legumes.Pongamia is uniquely suited to meet today’s environmental challenges. It sequesters carbon, improves soil health and water quality while growing on land where other crops can’t grow. This helps to avoid deforestation and revitalize agricultural lands and communities around the world.After more than a decade of innovation, we’ve developed a way to harvest and transform pongamia beans into healthy and delicious food ingredients called Ponova™. From tree to plate, our transparent and equitable supply chain spans wild harvesting, non-GMO beans in India to regenerative land stewardship in Hawaii, Florida and Australia.We believe there’s a better way to feed the world’s growing population and that local impact can drive global change. Show less

  • Senior Director - Trees & Impact

    May 2023 - Nov 2023

  • Director - Trees & Impact

    Jan 2020 - Apr 2023
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  Lynch Group

  Nov 2023 - Apr 2025

  Head of Australian Farms

  Lynch is a vertically integrated wholesaler and grower of flowers and potted plants in the Australian and Chinese floral markets.Lynch is a 3rd generation business with over 100 years of experience built from farming, the passion and pride of our people, our deep longstanding relationships with growers and customers and our innovation.Lynch is an international leading integrated grower, wholesaler and retailer of fresh-cut flowers and potted plants, with unparalleled scale and capability.Lynch operates growing facilities in Australia and China with state of the art cool chained production facilities.We have been supplying Australian supermarkets with flowers since 1979 and operating in China since 2002.The Lynch Group is the only national floral marketers in Australia with ISO & HACCP Quality Standard accreditation. Show less