Paris, October 1^st, 2024 – Unigrains, the investor-partner of agri-food and agroindustry companies, announces the appointment of Zineb Abbad El Andaloussi as an Independent Member of its Board of Directors.

This appointment reflects Unigrains’ commitment to strengthening its governance through the expertise, experience and diversity of independent board members. It is in this capacity that Zineb Abbad El Andaloussi will constructively challenge the management team, review financial and non-financial topics and take part in discussions on Unigrains’ strategic orientations as a sector-focused, long-term, active and responsible investment company.

Zineb Abbad El Andaloussi, Independent Member of Unigrains’ Board of Directors, declared: “It is from Unigrains’ agricultural roots – at the origin and the heart of its mission – that stems its long-term vision for the development of its sector and its deep human values. Its unique model, which has proven its relevance for over 60 years, today allows Unigrains to amplify its action at a time when companies, facing numerous transitions, are particularly seeking financial and strategic support. I am delighted to contribute to this ambition in service of the agri-food sector.”

Eric Thirouin, President & CEO of Unigrains, declared: “As early as 1963, the French grain growers, founders of Unigrains, understood the strength of bringing together, within its governance and alongside the AGPB and the AGPM, all the stakeholders of the ecosystem, including major French banks, agricultural cooperatives, commodities traders and industrial companies. For more than 60 years, this diversity of perspectives and collective commitment have guided Unigrains’ action in service of its sector and its partner-companies. The appointment of Zineb Abbad El Andaloussi is in the same spirit of openness, dialogue and goodwill that characterizes our Board. Through her background and her experience, she will bring a different and complementary perspective, while sharing the values that drive us. We welcome her warmly.”

Biography of Zineb Abbad El Andaloussi

Zineb Abbad El Andaloussi is a recognized expert in Investment and M&A with over 25 years of experience. A graduate of Ecole Centrale Paris, she began her career at Arthur Andersen before joining the Mergers & Acquisitions teams of Rothschild in Paris, where she spent 20 years working on M&A transactions in Europe and Francophone Africa, particularly in the financial services, telecommunications and consumer goods sectors.

Since 2017, Zineb Abbad El Andaloussi is a Partner at Helios Investment Partners, a pan-African private equity firm, where she is notably responsible for investments in the consumer goods, education and healthcare sectors.

Zineb Abbad El Andaloussi currently sits, or has sat, on the Boad of Directors of several companies including CACEIS (subsidiary of Crédit Agricole), Banque Centrale Populaire, T2S Group and Bim Morocco.