Pranav Garg, strategy and M&A expert, joins agribusiness advisory firm HighQuest Partners

DANVERS, Mass., Oct. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- HighQuest Partners ("HighQuest") today announced that it has appointed Pranav Garg as managing director and co-head of the firm's consulting practice, effective immediately. The appointment of Garg, a former management consultant and agribusiness industry executive, signals HighQuest's continued commitment to its strategic and M&A advisory business.

In his new role, Garg will bring thought leadership and industry experience to client management teams, helping them capture value by developing and executing growth, performance improvement, and turnaround strategies. Garg will report to HighQuest's CEO, Greg Mellinger.

"Pranav has a solid track record of creating value at leading agribusiness companies, both as an industry executive and a management consultant. His connections in the industry, and his clarity of the economic drivers of performance will be a significant benefit to industry and private equity managers seeking higher growth and performance at their companies," said Mellinger.

Bill Devens, co-head of the consulting practice, said, "I have known Pranav for many years, before and during his time at Bunge. His appointment has come at a great time as we look to strengthen and expand our business. I look forward to working with him to generate exceptional value for our clients."

Garg said, "I am delighted to join a company that is unique in its commitment to the agribusiness and food industry, with a history of over 200 consulting engagements for financial, industry, and public sector clients."

Most recently, Garg was at Newpoynt Partners where he focused on market entry strategies and M&A deal strategy, valuation, and due diligence for strategic and private equity clients. Prior to Newpoynt, Garg led divisional strategy, finance and M&A functions at Bunge, developing growth strategies for Latin America and a market entry strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa. As Bunge's CFO and strategy head for a $2bnLatin America division, Garg led a successful strategic and financial transformation, delivering growth rates and returns on invested capital that are among the highest in the global agribusiness industry.

Prior to Bunge, Garg was a management consultant at Arthur D. Little and Charles River Associates, where he established a more effective capital allocation model and identified $300 million in productivity improvements at a leading agribusiness company, and also developed a profit improvement strategy for a leading crop science company.

Garg is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi, and of Tufts University.

ABOUT HIGHQUEST PARTNERS
HighQuest Partners, headquartered in Danvers, Mass., is a globally recognized strategy consulting, conference, and media company serving agriculture, agribusiness, grains, oilseed, food, and biofuels markets. Founded in 2000, HighQuest has worked with hundreds of public and private sector organizations in over 100 countries as it helps to satisfy the world's growing need for agriculturally-based resources by providing information, cultivating relationships, and supporting its clients.  The firm also organizes the premier Global AgInvesting conference series in New York, Singapore, London and Abu Dhabi as well as the annual Oilseed & Grain Trade and co-located Women in Agribusiness Summits. For more information, visit www.highquestpartners.com.

CONTACT: Michelle Pelletier Marshall                                                          
PR/Media Manager, 978.887.8800, x117
mmarshall@highquestpartners.com

SOURCE HighQuest Partners