SUSTAINABILITY  /  SME

By FedEx | March 4, 2025

Pek Yun Ning is the CEO of Singaporean agro-company SGP Foods, a global leader in sustainable agriculture. An advocate for post-industrial food systems, Yun Ning shares her entrepreneurship journey so far – and why resetting global food attitudes is critical for the planet.

• Founded in 2020, SGP Foods is on a mission to leverage technology and science to grow and source food systems that are affordable and safe for the planet.
• The Singapore-based agro-company employs a global mindset to grow crops that are climate-resilient and accessible for all kinds of community needs.
• By creating food systems that are low-emission and less resource-intensive, CEO Pek Yun Ning is determined to reset our relationship with food.

What happens when the food systems humans have relied on for decades start to break down? Or when essential ingredients disappear completely because of climate change? Is the way we eat as a global population even sustainable?

These are all questions that the Chairman, CEO and Founder of SGP Foods, Pek Yun Ning, has spent five years trying to answer. Yun Ning’s goal is to rewire society’s complacent attitudes to where food comes from. She advocates for a hard reset of food production in response to climate stress.

However, the Singaporean entrepreneur hasn’t always worked in food sustainability. A former data scientist and engineer, Yun Ning spent time as an investment and asset management consultant before leaving the corporate world behind. 

A serendipitous meeting in Silicon Valley with her now co-founder, Jonah Crawford, was where the concept of SGP Foods began. Realizing they shared a deep interest in food systems that benefit the public, regenerative agriculture and ecological restoration, SGP Foods was established in April 2020.

The company’s focus is as far-reaching as the problems it is trying to solve. A global leader in agricultural innovation, Yun Ning’s team tracks emissions from commodities, processing and logistics to work out more sustainable ways to produce and distribute food products.

As well as focusing on green logistics, SGP Foods has invested in plant-based proteins and foods that have reduced environmental impact, such as deforestation-free oils and raw ingredients with lower emissions.

We spoke to Yun Ning to find out why global food systems are breaking down, and how available solutions can be future-proofed for generations to come.

You have an impressive background in data science and tech. What inspired you to establish SGP Foods to tackle issues in food, climate and sustainability?

Pek Yun Ning: We founded the company based on our intrinsic interests to tackle food and climate issues. We always knew that it would take a data-driven approach to solve these problems. Practical solutions are needed, which is where technology comes in. 

Technology design comes in both hardware and software for resource optimization, user experience, and resiliency purposes. There’s also the simple fact that climate change is a real and pressing issue, placing the provision of food at the forefront of our needs.

What was it like to launch a company like SGP Foods? 

When we first launched, we focused on building credibility and a strong track record for the team. Managing how we deliver projects was key. We tried to execute as many projects as we could for ourselves, while outsourcing the rest. 

Projects we took on ourselves were those we wanted to own intellectual property for. They ranged from home-based to industrial-grade agricultural products. As a new company, there were also many operational challenges to overcome.

How much has SGP Foods grown since its inception? 

We’ve gradually increased the number of projects we embark on to diversify our portfolio and increase our market presence. This has led to an exponential increase in revenue. 

By helping our clients to build systems that are more efficient in user experience and energy consumption, we’ve also delivered cost savings in the ballpark of $8 million per project. 

Since then, we’ve also had our patent for Singapore approved, with 13 PCT claims owned by our company. Our approach towards expansion is to take on a global model with business partners on a local scale in various jurisdictions to roll out our expansion strategy.

Besides revenue growth and delivering client success, what else are you focused on?

One key focus has been on diversity and inclusion in our hires, especially for special-needs individuals. We actively seek opportunities to hire those with different physical and neurodivergent abilities. Some employees have conditions like ADHD and autism, and we make sure to provide additional coaching and supervision.

Another exciting project is our work with Allied Food Crops. We use seed meal to replace industrially intensive ingredients in the food chain, like soy, wheat and oils used to make foods like bread and noodles. Seeds can also be used in cosmetics, livestock feed and even building materials.

We grow our seeds in America, and plant crops in Thailand and Mexico. It’s a really fulfilling project to be part of end-to-end. On top of generating less agricultural waste, our product helps enrich the wider biological ecosystem on both macroscopic and microscopic scales.

What’s been the most surprising part of your CEO journey so far?

I was surprised to see how much stereotypes form a huge part of people’s perceptions. We place a lot of value on thought leadership and giving the right people a platform to dispel them. 

Describe the greatest business failure that you treasure the most. 

Hiring the right team members. Culture is most deterministic for finding the right fit in our team. Often, we try to understand if the situation can be remedied by trying out employees in different roles or scenarios. 

Sometimes we are proven wrong, and a rotational approach to roles can help validate whether to keep a team member. 

What emerging trends in sustainable technology do you foresee in 2025 and beyond? 

One trend we see emerging is the allowance for rapid transactions in software without compromising on speed, security, and resilience. This results in more opportunities for trade and a more vibrant, dynamic economy.

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Our Confessions of a CEO column quizzes Asia Pacific leaders on business insights that aspiring entrepreneurs can learn from. To discover more entrepreneurship stories like Yun Ning’s, subscribe to our monthly newsletter and stay tuned for the next edition.