OUR GUM ACACIA HERITAGE
Agrigum International Limited, founded in 2007 by George M Haddad, has deep-rooted origins in Sudan, dating back to the 1950s, within a company established by the Haddad family. George represents the third generation of the Haddad family involved in the Gum Acacia industry, dedicated to carrying the legacy forward and redefining the Gum Acacia landscape for future generations.
Agrigum has historically been a trusted provider of Gum Acacia for various industries, including Food & Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Confectionary, Nutrition, and Cosmetics. With unwavering commitment and pride, it has established itself as one of the foremost global leaders in the Gum Acacia market.
Looking ahead, Agrigum is poised to Redefine Gum Acacia through increased support for research and development (R&D), as well as the creation of novel applications, products, and processes. This commitment to true innovation isn’t just about changing how Gum Acacia is used but also how it is perceived by people, reshaping the very way they think about it. The future at Agrigum is all about reimagining the potential of Gum Acacia.
OUR JOURNEY SO FAR...
1950’s
AGRIPRODUCTS IS FOUNDED IN SUDAN
George M Haddad senior founds the family company in Sudan.
1960’s
GMH Sr. comes to London and sets up Agriproducts Limited, an extension of the Sudan business. They trade in all agricultural commodities, namely, sesame seeds, cotton, groundnuts, hibiscus flowers, senna pods and Gum Acacia.
MEET THE TEAM
The Agrigum International team is passionately dedicated to delivering exceptional customer service. Our team leverages a diverse range of expertise to meet and exceed customer expectations and requirements.
Our Leadership Team at Agrigum brings a wealth of experience and qualifications from both within the Gum Arabic industry and Consumer Goods Industry.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CO-FOUNDER & BOARD MEMBER
George M Haddad PhD
George established Agrigum International Limited in 2007. He worked for the family business for nearly 20 years and he brings his immense passion and expertise in the field of hydrocolloids to his role as Chief Executive Officer. George is intent on furthering the company’s academic research around Gum Arabic and Gut Health, founding Agrigum’s research department at the University of Nottingham ‘Agrigum Science’ in 2024. He holds a PhD in Hydrocolloid Chemistry.
I’ve really enjoyed the exciting journey of starting Agrigum and seeing it, and the team, grow. I am really proud to see what Agrigum has achieved and how much further we can go!
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER & BOARD MEMBER
Bernie O’Sullivan FCCA
Bernie is our Chief Financial Officer and a member of our Board of Directors. His hand guides the company expertly in all things financial. He is our consiglieri!
CHEIF OPERATING OFFICER
Dmitry Mikheev
Dmitry joined the company in September 2025. He holds a Masters in Education in Economics and Enterprise Management and has 27 years’ experience working for Mars Wrigley in various Sales roles, including Global Sales Strategy Execution and Marketing and Media Analytics for Global Markets. He will be focusing on our company’s growth and business expansion, propelling Agrigum towards the next chapter.
CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER
Mikhail Bulatov PhD
Mikhail is a Professor of Environmental Engineering and our Chief Technical Officer.
He brings vast experience from commercial and technical engineering and knows how to marry the two fields together.
COMMERCIAL MANAGER
Maria Golovatyuk
Maria joined the company in 2024 and is our Administration Manager overseeing shipments and production, as well as the accounts. She holds a BA in Modern Languages with Business from the University of Nottingham. She has 10 years’ experience in admin and is fluent in 5 languages!
"At Agrigum I really feel like a valued member of the family, which is forever changing and growing allowing me to learn new skills and grow with it."
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Laura Ferguson
Laura joined the company in 2024 as our Communications Manager and handles all our external and internal communications, from newsletter campaigns to social media. She also coordinates the company’s presence in trade shows.
With a background in marketing and communications in the fine arts sector, she knows what it takes to make us look good!
"I love having a personal relationship with all my colleagues. We really pull together as a team and all have very different and important strengths!"
RESEARCH TEAM
Finlay Gale
Fin is a PhD student at the University of Nottingham sponsored by Agrigum and is an integral part of our research team there. He is co-supervised by Professor Vincenzo di Bari and his research focuses on natural modifications of Gum Arabic to create sustainable biomaterials for future gut health applications.
"I have enjoyed collaborating with a very welcoming and focused team. Agrigum and I share a love and vision for the potential that Gum Arabic holds."
REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR
Artur Nurutdinov
Artur joined the company in 2024 as our Regional Sales Director and is responsible for our sales, in particular focus markets. He has a solid 24 years’ background in sales and business development of various added-value ingredients, mostly for food & beverage industry.
"Our team really inspires me. What I see here is passion and energy, focus and far-sighted approach."
CO-FOUNDER & BOARD MEMBER
Katia M Haddad
Katia, together with her husband George, is a co-founder and member of the Board of Directors. She oversees the company’s strategies and is involved in the educational outreach programme “Empowerment through Education.” As a writer and playwright, Katia brings creative insight and perspective.
I love our friendly and enthusiastic team and truly believe that, as a company, Agrigum has a wonderful future. Together, we’re on a very exciting journey!
CHIEF LEGAL COUNSEL & BOARD MEMBER
James Oxley
James has been advising Agrigum on legal matters for over 10 years and in 2025 joined the Board of Directors and is Chief Legal Counsel. With over 25 years of practicing law and advising SMEs he has a wealth of experience to help guide the company and mitigate risk.
SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR
Dani Haddad
Dani is a specialist in all things route to market. He has over 30 years’ experience in commercialising opportunities as well as implementing growth strategies particularly in the FMCG sector. He also has a background in SME’s and Start Ups, helping to build brands globally. Dani holds an MBA from the CASS Business School.
"I really enjoy my work as Sales and Marketing Director of Agrigum and the challenge of working in the specialist food ingredients sector which allows me to utilise all my experience and help propel Agrigum to further success."
TECHNICAL MANAGER
Ioanna Zafeiri PhD
Ioanna joined Agrigum in 2023 as our Technical Manager overseeing the technical team, providing technical expertise in the field of hydrocolloids to customers, and shaping the company’s R&D strategy. She holds an MEng degree in Chemical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and an MSc in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Oxford (UK). In 2017, she completed her Engineering Doctorate (EngD) degree in Formulation Engineering (Microstructure Engineering research group) at the School of Chemical Engineering of the University of Birmingham and then worked as a Post-Doctoral Researcher in industry-sponsored projects with PepsiCo UK and PepsiCo US.
She is an expert in emulsions and formulation and processing of liquids/soft solids, making sure that our customers receive an expert knowledge of our products.
"I love Agrigum’s culture and supportive atmosphere! I always feel I have the freedom to unleash my potential and apply my expertise contributing to the company's success!"
DIRECTOR OF AGRIGUM SCIENCE
Dr Vincenzo Di Bari PhD
Dr Vincenzo Di Bari is a Professor of Food Structure at the University of Nottingham. He is passionate about food sustainability and reducing food waste and he brings this passion to his role as Director of Agrigum Science which was established in 2024.
QA & NPD SCIENTIST
Shruti Pandey
Shruti joined Agrigum in 2024 as our QA & NPD Scientist. She leads our Quality Assurance, ensuring every product meets the highest standards of excellence. Beyond maintaining quality, Shruti drives innovation as New Product and Applications Development Scientist, crafting creative solutions that enhance the functionality of our products. Shruti holds a BSc in Food Technology and an MSc in Food Production Management from the University of Nottingham.
With a strong foundation in Food Science and Food Production Management, Shruti combines technical expertise with fresh, forward-thinking ideas and a passion for quality and innovation.
"I absolutely love what I do at Agrigum! Every day brings something new, and that’s what keeps it exciting. I get to experiment, explore, and turn my ideas into real innovations that make a difference. But the best part? The incredible people I work with, supportive, inspiring, and always ready to cheer me on. They make me feel valued and push me to bring the best in me, every single day!"
ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT
Anett Szekeres
Anett joined Agrigum in 2024 as Administration Assistant and supports the Administration Manager with all aspects of the day to day running of the office, such as planning shipments worldwide and making sure our customers receive their orders quickly and with no issues.
She has over 20 years’ experience working in different areas of the Administration sector where she has developed excellent customer service skills.
"I enjoy working in a close-knit team where we all look after each other."