Our Team
Greg Mellinger
Founder
gmellinger@highquestpartners.com
Office: +1 978.887.8800 x102
Mobile: +1 914.456.1524
Mr. Mellinger is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of HighQuest Group, overseeing the firm’s consulting, conference, and media divisions. He formulated the company’s Global Food and Agribusiness focus in 2003 and spearheaded the acquisitions of Soyatech’s publishing and research business in 2006. and SJH & Company’s consulting practice in 2010 that helped strengthen HighQuest’s industry depth and expertise and launch of its highly successful conference business. In addition to leading the company’s divisions day to day, Mr. Mellinger works with HighQuest’s global clients as a senior advisor for the development of new strategies to achieve key business growth, investment and corporate governance goals. He plays an active role and derives much professional satisfaction though working with HighQuest Consulting on the practice’s go-to-market strategies and positioning with clients globally. Mr. Mellinger is often working closely with clients on their grain origination, export, trading, transportation, investment/M&A, performance improvement, and marketing initiatives globally.
Prior to HighQuest, Mr. Mellinger served in executive and corporate development roles at PRT Group and RCM Technologies, which provided consulting services to Fortune 500 companies from US, Japan, India, and Europe. Mr. Mellinger served as a Board member of PRT Group from 1995-1999 and as an Advisory Committee member of Mitsui & Co. (USA), Inc. from 2002-2008. He currently sits on the Advisory Council of ASSOCOM India’s Bakery Technology & Management Institute.
Prior to consulting, Mr. Mellinger was an officer in the U.S. Army and is a 1989 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
Philippe de Lapérouse
Managing Director
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pdelaperouse@highquestpartners.com
Mobile: +1 314.960.1632
Mr. Lapérouse has more than 30 years of senior level experience working with leading global companies in the agro-industrial and value-added food chains, including Ralston Purina and Bunge North America, as well as working as an investment banker at the beginning of his career. As Managing Director of HighQuest, he has led over 60 engagements, advising investors globally across the food, biotech and bioenergy value chains on making informed decisions regarding resource allocation, new business opportunities and investment strategies to address food security challenges. Mr. Lapérouse is the author of the report, “Private Financial Sector Investment in Farmland and Agricultural Infrastructure” (2010) which was commissioned by OECD in 2010 to provide insights on this emerging asset class.
Prior to joining HighQuest Consulting, LLC, Mr. Lapérouse was Director of Business Development for Bunge North America, Inc., where he spearheaded the development of export markets in Latin America, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. Previously, he held senior line management positions with Ralston Purina International where he managed operations and was responsible for functions including marketing, sales and developing dealer distribution networks targeting the industrial livestock and poultry sectors in Europe
He received his B.A degree from Trinity College and an M.B.A. degree from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Mr. Lapérouse is fluent in French, English and Spanish.
Expertise
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Agricultural Inputs
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M&A Strategy and Transaction Due Diligence
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Farmland & Infrastructure Investment Strategy
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International Business Development
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Value- Added Food
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Early Stage Investing
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Technology Assessment
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Bioenergy
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Thought leadership articles​:
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Tackling AMR in the Food Chain, April 2017
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Technology Plays in Aquaculture, October 2017
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Trends in Allocations to Farmland Investing: A Global Perspective, December 2017