Manchester, 16 July 2024, Patrick Vizzone, a global financier, investor and agri-food tech founder with a significant international footprint, has been appointed an Honorary Professor of Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Alliance Manchester Business School at The University of Manchester.
He is a co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of Vertical Oceans, an AI-native Singapore-based aquaculture that has revolutionised land-based vertical aquaculture production. This unique approach, which uses no antibiotics, chemicals or hormones, is helping to solve some of the world鈥檚 most pressing nutrition problems.
He started his career in the fresh produce industry and subsequently spent over two decades in financial services, holding senior leadership roles at ANZ, NAB, and Rabobank in Hong Kong. He was Managing Director, Head of Agri-Food, and Impact Investment at Franklin Templeton Global Private Equity.
From 2007 to 2020, he was a Board Member of China Agri-Industries, the Hong Kong-listed subsidiary of COFCO Group, one of the world鈥檚 largest agri-food companies.
He is a Board and Executive Committee Member of the International Fresh Produce Association, previously serving as the organisation鈥檚 Treasurer and Chair of the Global Development Committee. He is a Senior Advisor to AgFunder, one of the world鈥檚 leading agri-food tech venture capital firms. Patrick is also an Executive Director of Dimuto, a Singapore-based agri-fintech company focused on fresh produce.
On his appointment, Patrick said, 鈥淭his appointment is such an incredible honour and privilege. AMBS鈥檚 commitment to turning theory into practice and having a transformative impact on policy and practice resonates deeply with my personal and professional values. I look forward to helping solve some of the world's most pressing issues alongside our esteemed faculty and students.鈥�
Professor Ken McPhail commented: 鈥淗aving someone of Patrick鈥檚 calibre and passion is immensely important to AMBS. Not only does Patrick bring a wealth of experience to his position, but we are excited to be challenged by him, too. As a business school, we must collaborate with external organisations and individuals to develop our original thinking further.鈥�
Patrick joined the University of Manchester鈥檚 Global Leadership Board in 2019 and serves as President of the University鈥檚 Hong Kong Foundation. He will be part of the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research at AMBS.
Patrick holds an Advanced Management Program (AMP) from Harvard Business School, an MBA in Finance from Manchester Business School, and a BA in History and Politics from Monash University.