Cavista Holdings has appointed Tony Bello as Chief Innovation and Commercialization Officer at Matna Foods Limited as part of efforts to strengthen its agro-industrial strategy following the company’s recent acquisition of the food processing firm.
Dr. Bello, an internationally recognised food scientist and industrial transformation executive, brings more than three decades of experience spanning the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Before the appointment, he held senior innovation and commercialization roles at major global food companies including PepsiCo Frito-Lay, The Kellogg Company and Kraft Foods. In these roles, he led major product development initiatives and secured patents in food processing and formulation across the United States and Europe.
Dr. Bello has also served as an adviser to several international development organisations and public institutions, including the United Nations Development Programme, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, and Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security on agribusiness development and agricultural value chain reforms.
He is widely recognised for pioneering work on advancing cassava as a scalable industrial and food ingredient with strong global market potential.
Commenting on the appointment, Chairman of Cavista Holdings and Agbeyewa Farms, Niyi John Olajide, said the company was pleased to welcome Dr. Bello.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Tony Bello to the Cavista Holdings family. He brings world-class scientific expertise and deep commercialization experience that will strengthen our ambition to build globally competitive food businesses from African agriculture. His leadership will help unlock the full potential of cassava and accelerate the transformation of local crops into high-value products that can serve both Nigerian and international markets,” Olajide said.
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At Matna Foods, Dr. Bello will lead innovation strategy, product development and commercialization efforts, focusing on expanding cassava-based products for domestic and international markets.
The appointment underscores Cavista Holdings’ commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural value chains and accelerating value addition across the country’s food sector.
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