Global management consulting firm Kearney has announced the appointment of James Wilde as a partner in its Consumer Industries and Retail Practice where he will focus on agriculture. Wilde joins Kearney from EY where he served as Global Agribusiness, Agtech & Innovation Leader.
Wilde is also active in the startup market, serving as an investor and advisor for AgFunder and as a cohort mentor for several food and agtech accelerators including Plug and Play Tech Center, SVG Ventures/THRIVE and the Sustainable Ocean Alliance.
“We are pleased to welcome James to Kearney,” said Greg Portell, Global and Americas Lead, Consumer and Retail, “especially given his background bringing innovation to the scale of agriculture. His hiring marks another step in strengthening our firm’s agribusiness capabilities. It is increasingly important for businesses to recognize the link between sustainability, agricultural technologies and methodologies that are critical to both consumer goods companies and all consumers.”
Wilde has extensive experience with global agribusiness and deep expertise in critical and innovative areas of the industry. These include sustainable and regenerative agriculture and how bio and digital technologies shape today’s agricultural supply chain as well as how innovation can help the world’s oldest industry prepare itself for the challenges of the future. His priorities include reimagining what the agricultural supply chain can be in a world where water is the new oil, and creating new value at the intersection of multiple industry headwinds, such as the impact of ESG and the push for greater sustainability on farm-to-table supply chains.
