Alex Samel Email & Phone Number

Tbilisi, Georgia

Lead the implementation of the $19.4 million Safety and Quality Investment in Livestock (SQIL) project funded by USDA that is increasing the competitiveness of Georgia's dairy and beef sectors.

Tbilisi, Georgia

Provided technical oversight to Land O'Lakes Venture37's portfolio of seven projects that focus on food safety and the trade of agricultural products.

Cairo, Egypt

The Transforming the Assessment and Inspection of Food Businesses in Egypt (TAIB) project is a seven-year $10.2M project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that is expanding domestic and international trade of Egyptian food products through supporting the establishment and scale-out of a new government entity, the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA). TAIB is providing technical and financial support to NFSA that is responsive to the evolving needs of the nascent regulatory authority. Assistance will be aimed at building the capacity of NFSA, harmonizing Egyptian food law and regulations with international standards, supporting the implementation of robust inspection systems, conducting science-based risk assessments, facilitating public-private alliances, and reducing food borne illnesses.During the first half of the project, TAIB's interventions supported a more than $1 billion increase in agriculture trade.

Tbilisi, Georgia

CNFA is the largest international agriculture development organization in Georgia, managing high-impact agriculture and enterprise development programs for USAID, DANIDA, SDC and other donors. As Deputy Country Director, I ensured timely and effective implementation of CNFA's $30 million portfolio of projects and led in-country new business development efforts resulting in a more than 100% increase in programming. Key new business wins include USAID/Georgia's first GDA with Ferrero, the largest buyer of hazelnuts in the world, and the $18 million Agriculture Program. Projects under my direct supervision focused on enterprise development, value chain strengthening and competitiveness and included: the USAID-supported Restoring Efficiency to Agriculture Production, Georgian Hazelnut Improvement Project and Agriculture Program, the DANIDA and SDC-supported Rural Economic Development in the Southern Regions of Georgia, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherland’s- supported Promoting EU DCFTA Standards within Georgian Agriculture.

Tbilisi, Georgia

Served as Key Personnel for the $22.5 million USAID-flagship Restoring Efficiency to Agriculture Production (REAP) activity that increased rural incomes and employment through providing matching grants and tailored technical assistance to agribusiness enterprises that provide inputs, services, training and cash markets to smallholders. REAP exceeded all contractual deliverables, leveraging more than $35 million in private sector investment, creating more than 2,000 new jobs, facilitating more than $180 million in new gross sales, including more than $80 million in exports, and providing training to more than 200,000 smallholders.

Tbilisi, Georgia

Tbilisi, Georgia

Responsible for managing CNFA's Program Development Team, overseeing the complete business development process from capture research through technical submission, generating more than $50 million in new revenue. Led strategic analysis of opportunities, presenting go/no-go decisions to the CEO to competitively position CNFA's pursuit of new business.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Directly managed opportunity identification and technical, partnering, recruiting and cost inputs for awarded projects worth more than $70 million in new revenue.

Master Of Business Administration - Mba

B.A, Political Science, International Economics

Education record