Leadership Team

Kurt Haarmann

President and CEO

Kurt Haarmann is the President and Chief Executive Officer for Columbia Grain International, LLC.  Kurt has worked in the grain and pulse business since joining the company in Colfax, WA in 1993.  He has experience in procurement, domestic and export trading, contract execution and operations management.  In 1995, Kurt was transferred to the corporate headquarters in Portland, OR.  He traded Hard Red Winter and Hard Red Spring Wheat for export from 1996 to 2014, while also managing the central hedge desk for the company from 2008 to 2014.  In 2014, he moved to Pacificor, LLC to become the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Wheat Product Line Manager.  In 2018, he returned to Columbia Grain to lead a corporate reorganization as Senior Vice President of Grain & Oilseeds.  He was promoted to Chief Commercial Officer April 1, 2025, with oversight of all commodities, freight and logistics.  Kurt assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer on September 1, 2025.  He is a proud alumnus of the University of Washington, where he received a bachelor’s degree in finance.

Andres Cardena

CFO

Andres has spent the last 28 years working in the agriculture industry and brings a wealth of experience and talent to his role as CFO. He began his agriculture career as a controller for Cargill in Mexico in 1994 and went on to hold many finance leadership positions within the company, working in Latin America, North America, and Asia Pacific. He worked as a country, regional and global controller across a diverse range of categories including animal nutrition, grain and oilseeds, animal protein, as well as Cargill Financial Business and Treasury. Furthermore, Andres served as Cargill Corporate Audit Director for the grain and oilseeds platform. Andres took his final assignment with Cargill in 2018 to lead the SAP implementation project in Mexico. After 24 years with Cargill, he took a position as the CFO of Attebury Grain LLC in Texas where he oversaw the leadership team during the business model transformation project and then became their CEO.

Tomohiro Kozakai

Vice President - Business Development

Tomohiro Kozakai has worked for Columbia Grain International since 2016. Tomohiro started his career with the Japanese Investment Bank, and prior to joining Columbia Grain International, LLC he worked for the Marubeni Corporation, a Japanese conglomerate company and shareholder of Columbia Grain International. Tomohiro brings more than 10 years of Merger & Acquisition experience within the food and grain industry. He oversees Columbia Grain International Business Development programs; focusing on corporate optimization, merger & acquisition dealings, and corporate insurance programs.

Ron Williams

Vice President - Specialty Crop

Ron Williams is Vice President of Specialty Crops at Columbia Grain, bringing more than 39 years of experience with the company. He began his career with CGI in Portland and has held a variety of roles throughout his tenure, developing extensive experience in domestic and international trading, contract negotiation, market analysis, inventory management, operations, logistics and customer relations.

Throughout his career, Ron has traded Hard Red Spring Wheat, Hard Red Winter Wheat and Soft White Wheat and has developed a deep understanding of agricultural markets and the needs of CGI’s growers and customers.

Ron holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Oregon State University and an M.B.A. from Portland State University. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Debbie, and they have twin daughters, Ashley and Heather.

Phil Symons

Vice President - Grain and Oilseeds

Phil Symons is Vice President of Grain and Oilseeds at Columbia Grain, bringing more than 25 years of experience in the grain industry. He began his career in Agriculture in the state of Michigan and has a variety of roles primarily in merchandising and trading. Phil has developed extensive experience developing risk management tools and platforms, market analysis, trade execution, inventory management and customer relations.

Throughout his career, Phil has traded a variety of commodities encompassing the major wheat classes, corn and soybeans (both conventional and non-GMO). Phil has developed a deep understanding of the commodity complex and provides producers and end users with a marketing platform tailored for their operations.

Phil has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Management from Albion College and an M.B.A. from Baker College. Phil resides in the Willamette Valley of Oregon with his wife Stefanie and his two sons Chase and Brenton.

Sergio Hernandez

Vice President, Operations

Sergio Hernandez has more than 23 years of agriculture experience, working with a variety of ag commodities. He has a strong background in operations and leadership, and is passionate about ensuring Columbia Grain works as a team to accomplish its short and long-term goals. He has worked with grain companies over the years, gaining valuable experience which has strengthened his leadership skills for the betterment of our employees and company. He oversees grain and pulse facilities throughout CGI’s eastern U.S. region. He has amassed several years of multi-location responsibility that has helped him as the Vice President of Operations over the past couple of years.

Brian Britt

Assistant Vice President/Regional Manager West

Brian Britt has amassed 27 years in the ag business and has worked with Columbia Grain for 25 years. He’s spent most of his career managing country elevators and pulse processing plants in the Golden Triangle of Montana. In 2020, Brian accepted the role of Business Execution Manager of Montana before assuming his latest role as Assistant VP. Brian believes the key to success in the grain business is building strong relationships with growers and being adaptable to the ever-changing ag industry.

Sid Sharma

Chief Digital and Information Officer

Sid is the Chief Digital and Information Officer at CGI and a member of the executive team. He leads the company’s digital strategy, IT operations, architecture modernization, and enterprise-wide transformation initiatives. His responsibilities include AI-driven innovation, business process improvement, cybersecurity, vendor management, and participation in Marubeni’s IT governance and audit processes.

With more than 25 years of experience in IT services, Sid has partnered with Fortune 50 and 100 corporations to shape their digital and technology strategies. He has held senior leadership roles with global organizations including TCS, Hitachi, and NTT.

Guided by a forward-looking vision, Sid is committed to positioning CGI’s grain, pulses, and commodity value chains as an AI-enabled business.