On August 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C., the Soy Excellence Center (SEC) proudly hosted its inaugural Top Achiever Recognition (STAR) Awards during Soy Connext.

As SEC Global Advisory Panel Vice-Chair Anne Meis noted in her opening remarks, the awards are “perfectly named” for recognizing Tomorrow’s Solvers, early- and mid-career protein professionals, who are strengthening the soy value chain, inspiring their peers, and shaping a food-secure future.

This year’s ceremony honored three regional winners whose journeys embody leadership, resilience, and the power of knowledge in action.

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Awardee: Ibiseun Aroniyo

From Operator Technician to Manager at Premier Feed Mills in Nigeria, Ibiseun Aroniyo exemplifies persistence and transformation. Through SEC training in Feed Milling and Poultry Management, he optimized production lines, launched new products such as Premier Cooked Feed, and led his team to achieve Good Manufacturing Practice certification, the only certified operation in his region.

“After taking this program, we are able to reduce our wastage, we are able to increase our quality, improve our quality,” Ibiseun reflects. “From the feedback that we got from the customers, we are actually doing a lot better than we started with and owing to the Soy Excellence Center.”

Beyond personal success, Ibiseun inspired his company’s leadership and colleagues to join SEC programs, creating ripple effects across the Nigerian feed sector. His journey reflects how learning can scale into leadership and industry-wide progress.

Recognizing the other Finalists from SSA: Fatokun Ayodeji Peter (Animal Care Services Konsult) and Bello Bashir Bello (Sovet International).

Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Awardee: Dr. Ahmed Dorgham

At Egypt’s Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research, Dr. Ahmed Dorgham has turned SEC learnings into widespread impact. Starting as a participant during the COVID-19 pandemic, SEC became his lifeline while studying abroad. Today, he shared his learnings with more than 500 farmers and students, and in October 2025, he will officially become the first SEC participant in MENA to transition into a course instructor.

“Winning the STAR AWARD was a special moment to me,” Dr. Dorgham shares. “It showed me that my work matters and that SEC sees me as a part of their mission to grow strong leaders in aquaculture across the region.”

His recognition underscores how SEC empowers professionals not only to advance their own careers but also to elevate entire communities through sustainable practices in aquaculture.

Recognizing the other Finalists from MENA: Dr. Lamia Abdullah (Evergrow Egypt) and Dr. Mohammed Abdulhamid Khalil (Cairo Poultry Company).

South Asia (SA) Awardee: Dr. Rai Muhammad Sajid

As Senior Farm Manager at Jadeed Group in Pakistan, Dr. Rai Muhammad Sajid applied SEC training to transform poultry operations, improving chick survival, feed storage, and heat stress management. His leadership has resulted in measurable productivity gains while setting new benchmarks for quality and sustainability.

“SEC trainings really improve my knowledge and skills in the field of quality production regarding brooding and that increased the chick survival and the farm productivity,” Dr. Sajid explains.

Importantly, Dr. Sajid embodies SEC’s value of knowledge-sharing: he actively shares his learnings with his staff and colleagues, ensuring the benefits of SEC extend beyond him and continues to strengthen the broader poultry sector across his organization and Pakistan.

Recognizing the other Finalists from SA: Dr. Sanshala Abeykoon Rathnayaka (Sri Lanka’s National Livestock Development Board) and Mr. Sarwar Alam Salim (Aftab Group, Bangladesh).

A Collective Celebration

The STAR Awards are more than recognition. They represent SEC’s mission in action: bridging knowledge gaps, fostering collaboration, and empowering a new generation of leaders.

Each story shared on stage, from Sub-Saharan Africa to MENA to South Asia, reminded us that tomorrow’s food security challenges can be solved when passionate professionals are given the tools, knowledge, and community to lead and collaborate.

Congratulations to Ibiseun, Ahmed, Rai, and all the finalists. Each of them is living proof that the future of the soy value chain is in capable and inspiring hands.

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