Alex was born in Johannesburg and grew up in South Africa. He completed a Master of Science degree at Rhodes University in Grahamstown before moving to Cape Town. Here he worked as a Senior Consultant in the High Performance Centre at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. In 2014 Alex and his wife Clare moved to the UK. He is now based at the Vallis Group Head Office in Frome where he is the Commercial Manager for East African operations.

Alice was born in New Zealand, but grew up and attended school in the UK in Wiltshire. She took a year out before university to travel New Zealand and to work as a counsellor at Camp Half Moon in America. Alice attended the University of Greenwich where she achieved a 1st class degree in Philosophy and Sociology. Alice joined Vallis Group in August 2014 as part of the Internal Audit team. When she has a free moment, she enjoys crochet.

Hi! My name is Amy and I was born and raised in Somerset. I am currently studying for a degree in law and criminology with The Open University and find it challenging but fun. I am a huge rugby fan and have a season ticket for Bath Rugby matches. When I’m not attending rugby games you’re likely to find me riding my horse, baking, socialising with my friends or attending music festivals. I also love to travel and have been many places over the world. I have spent a lot of time in Japan and China, and have even managed to pick up a little Japanese on my way.

After 7 years in the British Army, Andrew embarked on a career in commodities in 1987 starting with 5 years as a sugar broker in London, England.

In 1992 he moved with his family to Durban, South Africa for 6 years as Export Manager for the South African Sugar Association managing the export programme of $400 million, before returning to the UK as a Commercial Director in Tate & Lyle Sugar’s trading division. After two years, Andrew then became a founding member of the website and information portal www.sugaronline.com.

He set up and spent 5 years running his own private business supplying packaging to the international fruit industry, mainly for the transportation of citrus from Central/South America and Africa to Europe.

In 2005, Andrew started the drive of the Vallis Group into Africa with its first CMA in Ghana and Mali. Since then, the company has grown to over 375 operations managed through its 30 subsidiaries with operational units in a further 12 countries.

Since 2005, the Vallis Group has managed 40 million tonnes, equating to a value of approximately $25 billion, for more than 90 different commodities. It has 700 directly employed staff.

Andrew is the Managing Director and a minority shareholder. He is married with two children and lives in England. Andrew is a fervent Brexiteer. His main interests are Tottenham Hotspur football club, international politics, and endurance sporting events.

Anton is a dual French-British National who grew up in Spain and South Africa. In 2010 he relocated to Marseille, France to undertake a Bachelor in International Business and Management at Kedge Business School. This allowed him to study abroad for a year in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and 6 months in Montreal. After working in the commercial inspections industry and the renewable energy sector in South Africa, Anton chose to relocate to the UK which led to him joining the Vallis Commodities Egypt Team in December 2015. He now utilises his linguistic skills working in the Vallis Francophone West Africa team. Anton can often be found on the golf course and also enjoys riding his motorbike.

Currently living in Somerset, Brogan was born and raised in Dundee, Scotland. After completing Higher Education and receiving an overall A at Dundee College in 2014 for Social Sciences, Brogan left Dundee to go travelling for the next two years. In that time, she worked and lived in many countries including: Asia, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Bali. Returning back to Dundee Scotland near the end of 2016, Brogan worked for a global petroleum pump company where she managed engineers in installing and maintaining petroleum pumps throughout the UK. In early 2018, Brogan made the move down to Somerset, and joined the Vallis team as an Operations and Reporting Administrator in the Franco West African team, to then shortly be moved to the Anglo West African team. Now living in Somerset Brogan enjoys spending time with friends, exploring the country side and travelling.

Charles spent his early years between the Ivory Coast and the UK, before moving out to the Philippines to complete his secondary education. After studying the International Baccalaureate at the British School of Manila, Charles read Geography with Quantitative Research Methods at the University of Bristol, graduating with a BSc honours (2.1). Charles’ interest in commodities and emerging markets drew him to Vallis Commodities Limited in June 2015. Originally a member of the West Africa team, Charles is now the Commercial Manager for VTAS Marine and Cargo Services. Charles spends his free time playing football and tennis, and is an avid scuba diver whenever he finds the opportunity.

Ciaran spent his early years living in Twickenham before moving to France, where he joined a local French school. After moving to Wiltshire he attended Nottingham Trent University where he read French & International Relations achieving a 2:1 with Distinction in Spoken French.

After university, he spent time-saving money in order to travel to Vietnam by motorbike. In his free time, he enjoys going to the gym, playing pool and rowing.

Dudley Smith joined Vallis Group Limited in March 2013 as the Operational Risk Manager. In April 2016 he was appointed to the Vallis Board as a Director. The first 4 years of Dudley’s working life were as a fish farmer in Scotland and subsequently Ireland where he managed one of the largest trout hatcheries in the UK at the time. A career change to the printing industry was to be interspersed by a short period in the British Army, but this ended up as 32 years, which he completed in early 2013. Dudley specialized in information and communications management after completing a Masters’ course in Advanced Information Systems in 2005. He managed several major Defence projects and advised on a host of others. Latterly, Dudley was a programme manager for a wide range of office and frontline projects in his portfolio. Dudley is married to Oksana and they live in Dorset with their ferrets, Frazer and Walker.

Hi, I’m Emma.  I live in Frome with my husband and two children.  I have lived in and around Frome for over 20 years, having moved here from Kent.  As a family, we are keen campers and enjoy spending weekends away in our camper van. I joined Vallis in January 2019 and am excited to learn new things and travel.

My name is Franci Tuck and I am the Operations and Reporting Assistant responsible for South Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius. I matriculated in South Africa in 1985 and come with a wide background in office administration and have completed a course in graphic design. I emigrated from South Africa with my (English) husband, David and our son, Michael in 2007 and have been enjoying the splendour of the English Countryside ever since. In my spare time I enjoy baking and entertaining friends and family, am a keen rugby and cricket supporter and enjoy exploring the beautiful nature around us.

George grew up and went to school in Kent, studying Politics, History and English for A-Level. Between school and university, he travelled to Kenya, Australia and New Zealand. He studied at Leeds Met university, gaining a 2.1 in International Relations and Global Development. During his summers between university he travelled extensively and the opportunity to travel with Vallis and its operations across Africa drew him to the company. George joined Vallis in February 2016 as part of the East African team reporting on Malawi. George spends his free-time playing tennis, skiing and travelling.

Ginnie moved from France to Somerset as she joined Vallis Group in April 2019, as part of the West Africa team. She studied English and Spanish at the University of Western Brittany and used to work as an administrative assistant in France.

After spending several years travelling and working in New Zealand, U.A.E and Australia, she decided to move to the UK permanently. During those years, she had a variety of jobs such as pizza maker, hotel receptionist, flight attendant and assistant buyer for a sports company. She has a passion for exploring the world and working with people from different countries. Therefore, she was attracted to the exciting opportunity to work with Vallis Group.

During her free time, Ginnie enjoys going to the gym, exploring her new surroundings and eating way too much chocolate.

Grant grew up and studied in Monmouth, South Wales, achieving A levels in English Literature, History and Psychology. After leaving school, he attended the University of Bath and graduated in 2016 with a 2.1 in Politics with International Relations. Immediately after finishing finals, he undertook an internship in the operations department at Etherlive, helping to build communication networks for some of the most prestigious events in the UK and France. In May 2017, Grant joined the Anglo West Africa team reporting on Liberia. Grant spends his free time Djing, producing music and supporting Swansea City FC.

Helen grew up in the local area, although, her parents and wider family are Irish. Following a career in Category Marketing & Supply Chain within Retail and FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods), she wanted a change in direction. Helen joined Vallis because of its uniqueness as a multicultural business and the opportunities to work with many countries in Africa. She is particularly drawn to the logistics reporting she has been doing for humanitarian organisations and sees her role as a great opportunity to learn and grow within a very interesting organisation. In her spare time, Helen enjoys camping and cycling, and has experienced a few road trips to Belgium and Italy to watch Formula 1.

Jack was born and grew up in the east of England before moving to Burgundy with his family until 18 where he learnt French. He later settled on Bath University in the UK where he completed a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. Jack joined Vallis in August 2018 as he was looking to make use of both his French language and analytical skills acquired at university to find a job that would be stimulating and fresh. In his spare time, Jack can be found wargaming, playing Handball and cross-country running.

Jack attended Welbeck Army 6th College where he gained both military training and academic qualifications. Upon completion, he changed course and after a brief spell as a chef, moved into the publishing industry, working for Parragon Publishing based in Bath. Starting as a Junior Production Coordinator he worked his way up to Senior Project Controller, coordinating the publication of over 1,000 titles including the prestigious Beano Annual along the way. Working with major licensees such as Disney and Nickelodeon, and with people from all over the globe,  Jack developed a thirst for international business. Jack joined Vallis Commodities in November 2013 and enjoys focusing on the African market, having dealt primarily with the Asian market in print. Originally working as Commercial Manager for West Africa, he then spent 2 years as the Country Manager of Egypt before returning to the UK to take up the position of Commercial Manager for the Fuel and MENA markets. In his spare time, Jack enjoys watching motorsports such as F1 and BTCC.

James was born in Cyprus and spent his childhood relocating around Europe, forming an appetite for travel and adventure that grew into adulthood. Since becoming a teenager, the New Forest became home. A devotion to sport supplemented by a healthy lifestyle complemented the natural surroundings. After studying Environmental Engineering at Cardiff University, James pursued a love for snow sports by working as a ski instructor in Austria for two seasons. He then went on to complete a Masters in International Business and Development at UCL before focusing on his career.

Joe grew up in Totnes, Devon and subsequently studied English Literature, Geography and World Development in the city of Exeter. He joined the Vallis Group as Compliance and Finance Assistant midway through 2018, having graduated in the same year with a 2.1 Bachelor of Science from Brunel University London after reading International Politics, subsequently receiving full Honours. Outside of work, he writes for his own political commentary website focussed on reflecting on historical political theory and its relevance in modern day political climate. Joe is also an avid outdoorsman, having overcome challenges such as Dartmoor’s Ten Tors.

JJ grew up in Cape Town, South Africa and attended the University of Cape Town, where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting. Having completed his degree, JJ played professional rugby in South Africa and Italy. JJ represented the USA in Rugby Union from 2008 to 2011 and in 2011 participated in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In 2013, JJ moved to the UK with his wife. He joined Vallis in their Head Office in December 2013. He managed the East Africa desk for 4.5 years and in July 2018 moved across to lead Vallis Supply Chain Assurance Services.

Originally from London, Kate graduated from the University of Bath in July 2017 where she studied French and Italian with European Studies. As part of her studies, Kate spent a year in Europe during which she worked in Geneva and studied at Sapienza University in Rome. Following a further two months working in the South of France and Parma, Kate returned to the South West where she joined Vallis as part of the West Africa team. Kate enjoys travelling, running and climbing.

Prior to joining Vallis Commodities in August 2016, Kenny enjoyed a full career in the British Army. In addition to serving on operational deployments around the world, he also spent two and a half years in America as the Training Officer teaching tactics to American officers and soldiers. Since leaving the army in 2012, he has found new adventures running a marine conservation centre in Montserrat for a year, supervising and assessing Duke of Edinburgh training, as well as leading numerous expeditions to South East Asia, North and East Africa. Kenny is relishing his role as an Internal Auditor and is looking forward to doing even more work in Africa. In addition to being a CIPD qualified Training Needs Analysis (TNA) practitioner, he is also a Skiing and Diving Instructor and qualified Mountain Leader. In his spare time Kenny enjoys trekking in the mountains, kayaking and Canadian open boat canoeing; he is also learning French (very slowly)!

Kieran was born in Durban, South Africa, where she attended school and University. Her love for sporting activities, especially on the hockey field, gained her a place in the Junior South African team as well as many other Provincial sports' teams. Kieran worked in the steel industry for 8 years, 3.5 of which were spent in Johannesburg. In December 2017, Kieran, her husband, and their 3-year-old little boy moved to the UK. She joined the Vallis head office in February 2018 as the Compliance Manager.

Lara was born and raised in Germany, within a Forces environment. From the age of 11 she attended Boarding School in Lancashire and finally attended Newcastle University to study Psychology. She embarked upon a career in Palliative Pharmacy supporting recovering addicts. Lara has over the past 12 years progressed through the various branches of the pharmaceutical industry, eventually settling in the logistics of cold chain pharmaceutical products to patients in the home. Lara also has some experience in marketing, and ready for a new challenge, Lara joined Vallis in March 2019 as part of the New Services team. Having embraced a range of cultures and travelled frequently throughout her life she was attracted to the exciting prospect of working with Vallis and helping them grow. She moved to Bruton, Somerset with her family whereupon she found a keen interest in walking with her dogs and loves to be outdoors in the countryside. Her favourite place to walk so far has been Glen Coe. She enjoys healthy eating and learning new recipes. She has renovated her own house and has developed a love of designing interior spaces. She is also a keen oil painter and enjoys live music and comedy.

Liam was born in Dublin but grew up in the rift valley countries of Central Africa. He attended Trinity College, Dublin where he took a post-graduate sciences degree. He has spent most of his working life in Africa, south of the Sahara, where he started Bioweb, an independent medical diagnostics distributor that supplies tests for infectious diseases to blood banks and pathology laboratories. He has extensive supply chain experience in this sector in Africa. In 2009, he emigrated to the UK with his family. He joined Vallis Commodities as an Internal Auditor and subsequently Commercial Manager for Anglophone West Africa. He is now the Commercial Manager for West Africa. Liam lives in the Mendip Hills and spends his free time with his family.

Matt has lived in Dorset his entire life and recently graduated from the University of the West of England with a First in Human Geography. He was attracted to Vallis because of the prospect of working in international finance and dealing with physical commodities. Capital markets are his passion and he thoroughly enjoys trying to understand the global macroeconomic environment as well as micro economic equity analysis. He also enjoys travelling and experiencing alternative cultures and climates whether that be an expedition across China, an adrenaline fuelled ski trip or business travel in Africa. In his free time, Matt enjoys reading and going to be the gym, being a firm believer in the healthy body, healthy mind philosophy.

Maya studied in Southampton, graduating in 2016 with a Media, Culture and Production degree. She spent the summer of 2017 summer working in America as a camp counsellor, before returning to her home town of Trowbridge where she joined Vallis as an Operations and Reporting Administrator as part of the East Africa team. In her spare time Maya loves travelling, live music and drawing.

Natasha grew up in Wiltshire and graduated from The University of Exeter with a BSc Anthropology and Psychology and Politics. Natasha has recently returned from travelling and working in Australia, Asia and New Zealand. She has a passion for exploring the world and has spent many of her University summers travelling abroad, including her third year of University in Ottawa, Canada. She has volunteered in Tanzania for 2 months, working for a grassroots company teaching street children vital business skills as well as visiting local villages providing maternal health advice. She would love to return to successfully climb Mount Kilimanjaro. She joined Vallis in February 2019, as part of the West Africa team.

After full time education Nicola pursued furthering her career gaining qualifications in business administration which plunged her straight into an editorial role within the newspaper industry. Nicola spent several years within administration, which also included time spent as assistant to the CEO at The Patent Office. Eventually, deciding on a career within finance, Nicola has worked in various accounting roles at Barclays Bank and in the manufacturing industry leading on to her present role in the Finance team at Vallis Commodities Ltd.

Owen grew up in Holt, Wiltshire and went on to study for a BSc in Sports Science from Swansea University, graduating with a 2:1. Following this, he remained in Swansea to complete a Master of Science by Research degree in biomechanics. Following his studies, Owen worked for a publishing company based in Bristol, writing a variety of educational resources for schools and colleges. Owen then joined Vallis in 2018 as an Operations and Reporting Assistant, in the Middle East and Fuels team. Outside of work, Owen enjoys playing squash and local rugby. He supports Cardiff City FC.

Rebecca joined Vallis Group in November 2018 and enjoys working with Africa, having previously supported Europe, the Middle East and Asia, whilst working in the Financial Services industry. She has a keen interest for international business and enjoys working with people around the world. Rebecca and her husband live locally with their young daughter and two demanding cats. In the little spare time she has, Rebecca enjoys watching a variety of films and TV shows, with a particular love for Anime.

Sarah grew up in a village just outside of Frome and once she achieved her A-Levels, she threw herself into work. After a charity hiking trip to The Great Wall of China, Sarah decided to go travelling and booked a one-way ticket to New Zealand via South-East Asia, where she lived in Wellington for 2 years and worked as a Retail Manager. On her return to Frome, she started studying towards her AAT Accountancy Qualification and began working in Finance for a small local company.

Sarah joined the team in January 2017 after looking for a more diverse and challenging role, where she could put her studies into practice and broaden her skills. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys walking and camping and can be found in Devon or Cornwall at any opportunity, where she has recently started to learn to surf. 

For her A-Levels, Sophie studied Mathematics, Business Studies, IT and Psychology at Writhlington school. She then went on to complete the AAT Accountancy Qualification and worked in a local accountancy practice as a Junior Accountant. Sophie joined Vallis Commodities in March 2018 as Budget Coordinator. In her free time Sophie enjoys going to the gym and socialising with her friends.

Steve studied a degree in Engineering at the University of Liverpool. He went on to pursue a career in accountancy and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Kidsons Impey in Birmingham in 1993. He left practice in 1994 and furthered his accountancy career as Financial Controller and Finance Director in a variety of businesses in sectors including plastics, food, further education and textiles. In 1996 Steve moved to Somerset following a Management Buy In of a manufacturing business in Frome. He left accountancy in 2011 and qualified as a teacher of mathematics. After a brief spell teaching the AAT accountancy qualification Steve joined Vallis Commodities in March 2015 as Finance Manager. He has a German Shepherd called Lily and is a keen supporter of Aston Villa FC.

Having grown up in Somerset and the surrounding area, Tom chose to do a degree in International Business from the University of Plymouth, a 4 year course comprising of a variety of modules. This gave him the ability to take a one year study placement in New Hampshire, United States. Whilst at University Tom built up a keen interest in the Middle East and North Africa, focussing his dissertation on the Arab Spring, and its effect on trade and business. Tom Joined Vallis Group in November 2014 in a role focussing on Egyptian market, which enabled Tom to further his understanding of the MENA region. Tom is a keen skier who also has a passion for travel and understanding and integrating into new cultures.  

Victoria joined Vallis in March 2019, moving away from sales and looking for a new challenge. Originally from the Midlands, Victoria moved south to attend university in Bristol and decided to stay. Victoria’s degree was in Forensic Science with an emphasis on Organic Chemistry and Environmental Forensics. Whilst at university Victoria was a keen Trampolinist and competed at a National level. In her spare time, Victoria likes to spend time at the gym, spending time with her dogs and watching rugby. She is also unable to function without caffeine.