MEET THE TEAM
Alejandro Palma—Principal, Corazon Verde & CEO, Next Generation Farms
Alejandro is the CEO of Next Generation Farms, the operating company for Corazon Verde's Latin America Cocoa project. He has developed over 200 farm projects internationally, covering over 60,000 hectares. He has worked directly with many of the leading global agriculture companies, including Suzano-Futuragene, Fruitist (f.k.a. “Agrovision”), and ZZ2. Alejandro specializes in optimizing crop quality and farm yields by leveraging his expertise in plant physiology (nursery) and field execution (establishing strict farming protocols). He has also worked on large agriculture projects for UPM, Phillip Morris, and Syngenta. Alejandro holds a bachelor’s degree in Agronomic Engineering from the Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and an MBA from UAI-Chile. He resides in Panama with his wife and two children.
Rod Parsley—Principal & Asset Management, Corazon Verde
Rod has been a leader in water, agriculture, and alternative energy investing for over 20 years. He was formerly a Partner at Perella Weinberg in New York, where he managed Perella’s $500mm Sustainable Resources strategy. Prior to joining Perella, Rod was Portfolio Manager of The Water Fund LP, one of the first investment vehicles to focus on water as an asset class. Previously a strategy consultant with McKinsey, he has extensive experience in securities valuation, private equity, capital structure, and risk management. Rod was an invited speaker annually at the UN’s Business for the Environment Summit. Rod holds a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He resides in California with his wife and three children.
Darren Rabenou—Principal & Asset Management, Corazon Verde
Darren joined Corazon Verde from UBS Asset Management, where he was the global head of a $3bn+ food & agriculture business, which included investment oversight of the 3rd-largest institutional farmland business in the US (120,000 hectares) and a $700mm food cold storage development strategy. Prior to joining UBS, he was a Partner at Fabbri Group, where he structured investment commitments for one of Portugal’s largest privately financed new almond developments. Darren has sourced, invested in, and/or consulted for over $2bn in food & ag transactions over the last 17 years. Darren holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He resides in the New York metropolitan area with his wife and children.
James Pringle—CFO & COO, Corazon Verde
James is responsible for financial reporting, fund administration, fund accounting, and compliance. Prior to Corazon Verde, James was the Managing Director of Trading and Operations at Giovine Capital Group LLC, a $2bn global long/short equity fund manager. James managed all day-to-day activities of the firm, including the trading desk, fund operations, foreign currency hedging, accounting functions, compliance, and other core business activities. James holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas and an MBA from the University of Houston. He resides in California with his wife and two children.