The event

Dave Whitcomb, CFA, Head of Research at Peak Trading Research, Switzerland

Dave Whitcomb, CFA, is the Head of Research for Peak Trading Research, a quantitative commodity trading and research company in Geneva, Switzerland.

Before founding Peak Trading Research in 2018, he was Head of Agriculture Trading at Koch Supply and Trading in Geneva. He also brings over 12 years of experience from Cargill, where he held various roles including pension fund analyst, foreign exchange trader, macroeconomic analyst, and agriculture portfolio manager.

Dave is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder, and has a BA degree in Economics and BA degree in Philosophy from Grinnell College.

His expertise includes commodity trading, non-fundamental analysis, commodity consulting, macroeconomic research, portfolio management, risk management, Python and EasyLanguage, systematic trading, quantitative analysis, algorithmic trading, machine learning, and team management.

Nikolay Manov, CEO of Agro Trading, Bulgaria

Nikolay Manov has more than 15 years of professional experience in the agricultural sector. He graduated from the D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics in Svishtov with a degree in Finance.

His career spans key areas including flour milling, brewing and grain storage, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the processes and interconnections across the agricultural value chain. Over the past 10 years, he has played an active role in developing business operations, expanding markets and building commercial teams.

Nikolay Manov is a well-established industry professional with a strong reputation among leading market participants. His achievements are founded on integrity, expertise, discipline and the development of long-term partnerships.

Rossella Polito, Farmer and Durum Wheat Market Analyst, Black Silo Commodity Consulting and Fryer's Reports, Italy, Ireland

Rossella lives in Bari, Apulia, the core of durum wheat production in Italy and one of the major commercial hubs.
She is an expert observer of the durum wheat market and over the years she has developed a deep expertise in monitoring and analyzing import/export flows and durum crop production worldwide, with short and long-term insight into global durum trade dynamics. She has also a solid background in agronomics, working in the 4th generations family farm in Apulia.
Since 2025, she has been the author of the "Spiga Dorata" durum wheat market report, published and distributed globally by Black Silo Commodity Consulting and under the Fryer's Reports brand. She is also the founder of "Spiga Dorata" on X, a trusted daily source of concise durum market related insights for farmers, traders and analysts. Regularly quoted and featured in specialist international press.

Leonardo Lambrea, Managing Partner at UBM, Romania

Leonardo Lambrea is the Managing Partner of UBM Romania, part of the UBM Group, one of Central Europe's leading agribusiness companies, active across the feed, grain trading and animal nutrition sectors. With nearly 20 years of experience in international agricultural commodity trading, he has built extensive expertise across grains, oilseeds and feed raw materials, with a particular specialization in protein meals and the global soy complex. Throughout his career, Leonardo has combined physical commodity trading, risk management and strategic business development, leading commercial operations and expanding trading activities across several Central and Southeast European markets.

Pierre Cera-Huelva, Analyst & Associate Director at S&P Global Energy, France

Pierre is an Associate Director with S&P Global Energy and research lead for European crops. He handles global wheat research and short-term market outlooks and leads the EU & Black Sea research team. Prior to his current role, Pierre spent nearly a decade in derivatives sales for agricultural commodity markets, while building research tools and market intelligence capabilities. He holds a master's degree in banking, finance and international commodity trade from Montesquieu University and is a CAIA Charterholder.

Petar Kirovski, Director at Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Bulgaria

Peter has been working in the administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Bulgaria for a decade. He is an agronomist by profession and has a doctorate in the field of agriculture since 2006. From 2015 and onwards, he has been directly responsible for monitoring the grain market in the country.

Yani Yanev, Chairman of AVOPOPB (Association of Vegetable Oil Producers and Oilseed Processors in Bulgaria).

With more than 20 years of experience in the vegetable oil processing industry, Yani Yanev is Chairman of the Association of Vegetable Oil Producers and Oilseed Processors in Bulgaria and Commercial Director of Papas Olio EAD. Throughout his professional career, he has gained extensive experience in the production and processing of oilseeds, vegetable oil production, and the international trade of processed oilseed products.
As Chairman of the Association, he represents the interests of the Bulgarian vegetable oil processing industry before national and European institutions, as well as partners across the agri-food sector.
At the Grain Academy, he will share the business perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the vegetable oil processing industry, the role of international markets, and the key factors shaping the sector's competitiveness.

Stoyan Valev, Chief Executive Officer of Grainstore, Bulgaria

Grainstore doesn't trade paper — it owns the elevators, runs the origination teams, and moves the grain. Stoyan Valev is the Chief Executive Officer of the company, which he has led since 2013, building it into a network of 20 grain elevators across Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece staffed by teams working directly with farmers and local supply chains to originate grains, oilseeds, and by-products at the source. That physical footprint feeds an integrated logistics network delivering to processors and industrial clients across Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Turkey, and Spain, and enabling vessel exports through Varna, Burgas, Constanța and Alexandroupolis. 
Stoyan also serves as CEO of Grainstore Feed JSC, and holds a degree in International Business from Warwick Business School plus the Senior Management Programme from Cambridge Judge Business School.

Begum Dak Sever, Trade and Procurement Manager at Ulusoy Un, Türkiye

Begum has been working with Ulusoy Un for 17 years and is also a board member of Rolweg S.A., the company’s Swiss entity.
Her extensive experience in commodity markets covers the full spectrum of commercial operations, including execution, chartering, procurement, finance and trading. Over the years, she has also developed an in-depth understanding of compliance procedures.
Her main role is to support the company’s international growth and success. In addition to managing day-to-day trading operations, Begum has led numerous international projects, including the establishment of overseas entities, the development of key relationships with global financial institutions and banks, and the management of trade finance operations.
She also represents Ulusoy Un on the GAFTA Black Sea Trade Committee.

Petar Dimitrov, Founder & Senior Broker at Agricore, Bulgaria

Petar Dimitrov is Founder and Senior Broker of Agricore, the first independent commodity brokerage company in Bulgaria, GAFTA member and recognized worldwide as а first class counterparty.
Besides the leading position as commodity brokerage house, Agricore has developed as well the most reputable and successful online market information media for farmers and traders in Bulgaria – agroportal.bg and in Romania – agriportal.ro
He has extensive experience and knowledge of the Bulgarian and international grains and oilseeds markets that grants him invitations for frequent appearances at numerous conferences and events in Bulgaria and abroad: National Grain Producers Associations annual meetings, Global Grain Geneva, Black Sea Grain, Kiev, FOI&FGI Istanbul and many others.

Marko Slijepčević, Managing Director at Konzul, Serbia

Marko Slijepčević is the CEO of Konzul, a leading agricultural commodity trading and grain storage company operating across Vojvodina, Serbia, as part of the Ameropa Group.
Born in Zrenjanin in 1985, Marko holds a degree in Agricultural Economics from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad. He has built his entire career at Konzul, joining the company in 2004 and progressing through roles of increasing responsibility. He became a Trader in 2008, moved into the role of Product Manager in 2011, and was appointed Managing Director in 2018.
With over two decades of hands-on experience across trading, product management and executive leadership in the agricultural sector, Marko brings deep industry expertise and a comprehensive understanding of grain markets, commodity trading and agribusiness operations in the region.

Dave Whitcomb, CFA, Head of Research at Peak Trading Research, Switzerland

Dave Whitcomb, CFA, is the Head of Research for Peak Trading Research, a quantitative commodity trading and research company in Geneva, Switzerland.

Before founding Peak Trading Research in 2018, he was Head of Agriculture Trading at Koch Supply and Trading in Geneva. He also brings over 12 years of experience from Cargill, where he held various roles including pension fund analyst, foreign exchange trader, macroeconomic analyst, and agriculture portfolio manager.

Dave is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder, and has a BA degree in Economics and BA degree in Philosophy from Grinnell College.

His expertise includes commodity trading, non-fundamental analysis, commodity consulting, macroeconomic research, portfolio management, risk management, Python and EasyLanguage, systematic trading, quantitative analysis, algorithmic trading, machine learning, and team management.

Pierre Cera-Huelva, Analyst & Associate Director at S&P Global Energy, France

Pierre is an Associate Director with S&P Global Energy and research lead for European crops. He handles global wheat research and short-term market outlooks and leads the EU & Black Sea research team. Prior to his current role, Pierre spent nearly a decade in derivatives sales for agricultural commodity markets, while building research tools and market intelligence capabilities. He holds a master's degree in banking, finance and international commodity trade from Montesquieu University and is a CAIA Charterholder.

Rossella Polito, Farmer and Durum Wheat Market Analyst, Black Silo Commodity Consulting and Fryer's Reports, Italy, Ireland

Rossella lives in Bari, Apulia, the core of durum wheat production in Italy and one of the major commercial hubs.
She is an expert observer of the durum wheat market and over the years she has developed a deep expertise in monitoring and analyzing import/export flows and durum crop production worldwide, with short and long-term insight into global durum trade dynamics. She has also a solid background in agronomics, working in the 4th generations family farm in Apulia.
Since 2025, she has been the author of the "Spiga Dorata" durum wheat market report, published and distributed globally by Black Silo Commodity Consulting and under the Fryer's Reports brand. She is also the founder of "Spiga Dorata" on X, a trusted daily source of concise durum market related insights for farmers, traders and analysts. Regularly quoted and featured in specialist international press.

Stoyan Valev, Chief Executive Officer of Grainstore, Bulgaria

Grainstore doesn't trade paper — it owns the elevators, runs the origination teams, and moves the grain. Stoyan Valev is the Chief Executive Officer of the company, which he has led since 2013, building it into a network of 20 grain elevators across Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece staffed by teams working directly with farmers and local supply chains to originate grains, oilseeds, and by-products at the source. That physical footprint feeds an integrated logistics network delivering to processors and industrial clients across Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Turkey, and Spain, and enabling vessel exports through Varna, Burgas, Constanța and Alexandroupolis. 
Stoyan also serves as CEO of Grainstore Feed JSC, and holds a degree in International Business from Warwick Business School plus the Senior Management Programme from Cambridge Judge Business School.

Marko Slijepčević, Managing Director at Konzul, Serbia

Marko Slijepčević is the CEO of Konzul, a leading agricultural commodity trading and grain storage company operating across Vojvodina, Serbia, as part of the Ameropa Group.
Born in Zrenjanin in 1985, Marko holds a degree in Agricultural Economics from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad. He has built his entire career at Konzul, joining the company in 2004 and progressing through roles of increasing responsibility. He became a Trader in 2008, moved into the role of Product Manager in 2011, and was appointed Managing Director in 2018.
With over two decades of hands-on experience across trading, product management and executive leadership in the agricultural sector, Marko brings deep industry expertise and a comprehensive understanding of grain markets, commodity trading and agribusiness operations in the region.

Begum Dak Sever, Trade and Procurement Manager at Ulusoy Un, Türkiye

Begum has been working with Ulusoy Un for 17 years and is also a board member of Rolweg S.A., the company’s Swiss entity.
Her extensive experience in commodity markets covers the full spectrum of commercial operations, including execution, chartering, procurement, finance and trading. Over the years, she has also developed an in-depth understanding of compliance procedures.
Her main role is to support the company’s international growth and success. In addition to managing day-to-day trading operations, Begum has led numerous international projects, including the establishment of overseas entities, the development of key relationships with global financial institutions and banks, and the management of trade finance operations.
She also represents Ulusoy Un on the GAFTA Black Sea Trade Committee.

Leonardo Lambrea, Managing Partner at UBM, Romania

Leonardo Lambrea is the Managing Partner of UBM Romania, part of the UBM Group, one of Central Europe's leading agribusiness companies, active across the feed, grain trading and animal nutrition sectors. With nearly 20 years of experience in international agricultural commodity trading, he has built extensive expertise across grains, oilseeds and feed raw materials, with a particular specialization in protein meals and the global soy complex. Throughout his career, Leonardo has combined physical commodity trading, risk management and strategic business development, leading commercial operations and expanding trading activities across several Central and Southeast European markets.

Yani Yanev, Chairman of AVOPOPB (Association of Vegetable Oil Producers and Oilseed Processors in Bulgaria).

With more than 20 years of experience in the vegetable oil processing industry, Yani Yanev is Chairman of the Association of Vegetable Oil Producers and Oilseed Processors in Bulgaria and Commercial Director of Papas Olio EAD. Throughout his professional career, he has gained extensive experience in the production and processing of oilseeds, vegetable oil production, and the international trade of processed oilseed products.
As Chairman of the Association, he represents the interests of the Bulgarian vegetable oil processing industry before national and European institutions, as well as partners across the agri-food sector.
At the Grain Academy, he will share the business perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the vegetable oil processing industry, the role of international markets, and the key factors shaping the sector's competitiveness.

Nikolay Manov, CEO of Agro Trading, Bulgaria

Nikolay Manov has more than 15 years of professional experience in the agricultural sector. He graduated from the D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics in Svishtov with a degree in Finance.

His career spans key areas including flour milling, brewing and grain storage, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the processes and interconnections across the agricultural value chain. Over the past 10 years, he has played an active role in developing business operations, expanding markets and building commercial teams.

Nikolay Manov is a well-established industry professional with a strong reputation among leading market participants. His achievements are founded on integrity, expertise, discipline and the development of long-term partnerships.

Petar Kirovski, Director at Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Bulgaria

Peter has been working in the administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Bulgaria for a decade. He is an agronomist by profession and has a doctorate in the field of agriculture since 2006. From 2015 and onwards, he has been directly responsible for monitoring the grain market in the country.

Petar Dimitrov, Founder & Senior Broker at Agricore, Bulgaria

Petar Dimitrov is Founder and Senior Broker of Agricore, the first independent commodity brokerage company in Bulgaria, GAFTA member and recognized worldwide as а first class counterparty.
Besides the leading position as commodity brokerage house, Agricore has developed as well the most reputable and successful online market information media for farmers and traders in Bulgaria – agroportal.bg and in Romania – agriportal.ro
He has extensive experience and knowledge of the Bulgarian and international grains and oilseeds markets that grants him invitations for frequent appearances at numerous conferences and events in Bulgaria and abroad: National Grain Producers Associations annual meetings, Global Grain Geneva, Black Sea Grain, Kiev, FOI&FGI Istanbul and many others.