Sabine Sagaert: The agricultural challenge as a compass

POTY – With her background as an agricultural engineer and her tenure at Cargill, the CEO of Ardo views the transformation of agriculture as more than just a stance.

© GONDOLA FOODSERVICE

An agricultural engineer by training, Sabine Sagaert has built an impressive and consistent career within major agri-food groups.

At AB InBev, she rose to become President Belux, leading a structured and highly competitive market.

She then joined Cargill as Managing Director, operating within the world of ingredients and global supply chains.

She continued her career as Managing Director at Vandemoortele, leading international activities in food processing.

In parallel, she notably sits on the board of directors of Lotus Bakeries.

In 2024, she took over the leadership of Ardo, a Belgian agri-food group specializing in frozen vegetables, herbs, and fruit, generating a gross turnover of approximately 1.5 billion euros and employing nearly 4,000 people.

This year, Sabine Sagaert is among the three nominees for the Personality of the Year (POTY) award in the Manufacturers Foodservice category.

Gondola Insight

At Ardo, the stakes are not solely commercial. They are agricultural.

Industrial performance depends directly on soil quality, water management, and crop resilience. Regenerative agriculture is therefore becoming a strategic lever: crop rotation, biodiversity improvement, reduction of inputs, and securing yields.

With her training as an agricultural engineer and her time at Cargill, Sabine Sagaert masters the upstream agricultural sector. Her experience at AB InBev and Vandemoortele brings her industrial discipline and the management of complex organizations.

At Ardo, these skills converge around a clear objective: ensuring the future availability of raw materials while maintaining economic performance.

For the foodservice sector, the impact is concrete. Frozen food guarantees volume stability, consistent quality, and waste reduction: three parameters that have become central in professional kitchens.

Transforming agriculture is not a posture. It is a condition for continued production.