Adel Yusupov, now the U.S. Grains Council regional director for Southeast Asia, first came to the Council 10 years ago as a summer intern.

“He was a remarkably smart guy, a fast learner and a hard worker,” remembers Mike Callahan, who headed the Council’s Asia programs at the time. “He showed a real aggressive spirit to get things done, and he had a good personality to get along with a wide variety of folks.”

Julius Schaaf, USGC chairman, makes a similar assessment: “He’s an ambitious, talented person who wants to get things done, always helpful and always very organized.”

Working as a program manager in the DC office, Yusupov built an understanding of Council programs and the relationship with the Foreign Agricultural Service that proved a great asset when he moved to Kuala Lumpur as an overseas director, according to Schaaf.

“He is the kind of person we need over there,” Schaaf says, citing Yusupov’s success in building distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) demand in the region.

Callahan also cites Yusupov for his innovative efforts to use information technology and manage the Southeast Asia work load.

“He has brought new efficiencies into administration and data management, at the same time he really kicks the bushes to pave the way for U.S. export sales,” Callahan notes. “Southeast Asia has high potential but it’s a tough region to sell into because of transportation costs.”

Yusupov is “a great representative for us as farmers. He connects with the people overseas, where he has built great relationships for the Council,” Schaaf concludes.