Asians in Tech welcome Indian ’40 under 40′ Leader Toshan Tamhane
The Top 100 Asians in Tech 2024 launch event welcomed Toshan Tamhane, Group COO of UPL Group, and one of India’s ’40 under 40′ high potential leaders to give a keynote address on ‘Innovation: Scaling for Impact‘ which was the theme for this year’s list and awards.
Keynote speaker Toshan Tamhane, Global Chief Operating Officer (COO) for UPL Group, the world’s 5th largest agro-chemicals & the world’s most valuable seeds player with annual revenue exceeding $5 billion, spoke about the impact of agriculture on the tech sector. UPL’s robust portfolio consists of biologicals and traditional crop protection solutions with more than 13,600 registrations. With a presence in more than 130 countries and more than 10,000 colleagues globally, it reaches more than 90% of the world’s food basket. “Without food, there is nothing” he said, “and what I have learned over the years with UPL is that farmers are the entrepreneurs of the agricultural sector; often investing a third of their income on seeds, fertilisers and other products with no guarantee of ROI for many months. They are in many ways the ultimate risk takers and have to be aware of myriad of things from climate change to the financial markets“.
Toshan Tamhane keynote speaker at the Asians in Tech 2024 Launch with Lopa Patel MBE, Jon Gill and Ramesh Vala CBE.
About Toshan Tamhane
Toshan is the Global Chief Operating Officer (COO) for UPL Group, the world’s 5th largest agro-chemicals & the world’s most valuable seeds player with annual revenue exceeding $5 billion. UPL’s robust portfolio consists of biologicals and traditional crop protection solutions with more than 13,600 registrations. With a presence in more than 130 countries and more than 10,000 colleagues globally, it reaches more than 90% of the world’s food basket.
Toshan’s mandate covers:
- Direct P&L accountability for the Group’s growth platforms across Crop protection, Seeds, and Specialty chemicals (top-line of ~USD 5.5 bn+ and EBITDA of ~ USD 1bn)
- Turnaround of under-performing businesses (e.g., Nurture, UPL’s Ag-Tech venture in India that was burning ~USD 40 mn annually in 12 months; Put Decco, UPL’s post harvest business that was de-growing, on a 20%+ growth trajectory
- Fund-raising, restructuring & investor management (e.g., USD 300 mn from KKR for Advanta seeds, ~USD 200 mn raised from TPG, Brookfield, and ADIA for India ag-chem platform, UPL SAS; carve-out of Speciality Chemicals platform)
- Incubating/scaling new ventures (e.g., Agri lending and ag-focused online marketplace in India, Corporate Venture Capital arm with commitment of ~USD 100 mn; Analytics Centre of Excellence in Bangalore & Vietnam; Business Shared Services set-up in Pune & Mexico
- Leading group functions including strategy, performance management, central analytics, CXO recruitment & governance
Prior to this, Toshan was a Senior Partner with McKinsey & Company, having worked across 26+ countries during his 18 years at the Firm. While at McKinsey, he held several leadership positions including, CFO India office, Asia Corporate Finance Leader and Member of McKinsey’s Global Committee that elects Partners worldwide. He has served several unicorns in Asia across industrials, financial services, & transportation as well as traditional players. He also led over 110+ M&A/ JVs/ diligences.
Toshan was selected as one of India’s ‘40 under 40 high potential leaders’. He is also a successful angel investor focusing on early stage plays – his investee companies have raised USD 500 mn+ capital in follow-on rounds. He was also on the Board of ASK Wealth Management, one of India’s leading wealth management firms.
Toshan is an avid mountaineer/climber, having done several expeditions & summits including Ama Dablam, Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Mont Blanc, Gran Paradiso etc. He is also a published author, having released a book of short stories titled, Death Becomes Her and an avid podcaster.
Toshan has a Bachelors in Commerce degree from the University of Bombay and P.G.D.M from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
