Industrial decarbonization-focused private equity investor Ara Partners announced today that it has hired Manoj Sahoo as a new Operating Partner. 

Sahoo is a veteran of the food and agricultural sector, with more than 20 years of experience across commercial, operational, and technical functions. Prior to joining Ara Partners, Sahoo served for three years as Chief Commercial Officer at plant-based technology company Calyxt, where he successfully commercialized the company’s first product and was a core member of the IPO launch team. He also worked for seven years at food giant Cargill, holding several senior roles including Commercial leader of Fermentation Segment, Enterprise Customer Leader for the Cargill – DuPont relationship, and Director of Business Development.

Cory Steffek, Managing Director of Ara Partners, said:

“We’re very happy to add Manoj to the Ara Partners team. Manoj has a long and distinguished history as a prominent executive in food & agriculture. His experience leading growing, technology-focused organizations makes him an excellent fit for Ara Partners’ investment model, and we look forward to benefiting from his expertise and deep industry network.”