Sostrin Client Spotlight - Rod Martin

As Chief Operating Officer of the multinational meat producer and distributor Awano Food Group, Rod Martin is a titan of the animal protein industry.

“Being part of the challenges to connect food to people, from farm to fork, has being intriguing and thrilling from the very beginning,” Mr. Martin explains.

Born in Brazil, Mr. Martin began his career in the food industry over two decades ago as a Sales Manager at Marfrig Global Foods in São Paulo.  In his short three years with the company, Mr. Martin was able to bring Marfrig’s market share in Russia from 5.5 percent to 12.3 percent, as well as produce similar growth in Asia and Europe.  Following such immediate success in this role, Mr. Martin’s profession quickly took him around the world, working for companies such as BRF, AC Proteina - CARGILL, and eventually Awano Food Group, which has its headquarters in Singapore.  

Throughout his career, Mr. Martin has managed food business in Brazil, Russia, The Netherlands, Singapore, and eventually the United States, when he was transferred to the corporate branch office of Awano Food Group in California in 2019.

After working across a diverse array of global markets, “the U.S. market was definitely on my radar,” Mr. Martin says, “not only for the renowned business opportunities but also for the learning experience.”

“So far,” he continues, “the resilience from the American citizens and the power to change, aligned with its speed, has been remarkable to me.”

While he may be impressed with the fast pace of the American food industry, Mr. Martin has more than kept up.  In his position as Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Martin has helped to grow the Awano Food Group business in America by eight-fold, creating jobs to sustain the company’s ambitious growth and opening a new operation in Connecticut to support the East Coast's growing demand. Mr. Martin has also led several innovative initiatives globally and in the United States.  Just recently, the company partnered with the American JUST Inc., a producer of lab-grown meats to distribute and sell their products worldwide. The investment and partnership, spearheaded by Mr. Martin, is at the forefront of a demand for more environmentally conscious methods and products In the American food industry.

Sostrin Immigration Lawyers had the honor of working with Mr. Martin on an L-1A visa and on the multinational manager/executive permanent residence process.  We feel lucky to represent someone with such a groundbreaking impact on the global food industry and are excited to follow his future endeavors.