With over 36 years of experience in FMCG, oils & fats, oleochemicals, nutraceuticals and biofuel industries, Mr. UR Unnithan has held senior management and leadership roles in Unilever, Twenty First Century Oleochemicals Sdn Bhd and Carotino Sdn Bhd. Presently, he is the Founder and CEO of SUMWIN Group, with its holding company in Singapore and operations in Malaysia and India; involved in creating novel products using proprietary technologies based on R&D commercialization which will have a huge impact on value addition in the palm oil industry. His contribution to the palm oil industry became more prominent when he was heading Carotino Sdn Bhd; a palm oil downstream business for 22 years prior to his own business venture. There, he was instrumental in building this business from concept to R&D commercialization, brand development, collaborating with leading institutions around the world on international research projects and setting up a world class manufacturing facility operated by a team of dedicated professionals. Among the key R&D commercialization successes at Carotino were the red palm oil technology, phytonutrient extraction technology, loop reactor based on MCT technology, high value palmitic & oleic acids from PFAD, methyl ester fractionation plant for feedstock for detergent intermediates (MES) and also the world’s first integrated palm oil biodiesel plant including winter grade palm biodiesel. Most of these were the first of its kind technologies in the world. Through his own current venture, several new and first of its kind technologies have been developed for the palm oil industry; which includes the Patented reduction of 3-MCPDE & GE technology in refined palm oil with the lowest capital and operating expenditure (this technology won the IChemE Palm Oil Award in 2020), continuous glycerolysis of waste oils from palm oil industry to produce a cost-effective feedstock for biodiesel and animal feed, continuous saponification of calcium soap to produce a product that eliminates powder formation, process technology to produce cold flow improver for palm olein and biodiesel, and cost effective vortex based cavitation process technology to enhance bio-gas generation.

Besides, SUMWIN Group, Unnithan has also Co-Founded DIBIZ (a cloud based Block Chain powered Collaborative Supply Chain Platform(www.dibizglobal.com)) in Feb 2019 headquartered in Singapore with Software Development team based in Bangalore, India and Marketing operations in Malaysia (DIBIZ Malaysia Sdn Bhd). DIBIZ has been selected as one of the few Tech Start Ups under the Microsoft for Start Ups. Microsoft has also shortlisted DIBIZ as a Sustainability partner. This Platform has been launched in Oct 2020 at POC 2020 and has the potential to digitally transform Palm Oil supply chains.

Mr. Unnithan’s work in the palm oil industry is not limited only to his company. He has also contributed his time as a member of the Programme Advisory Committee under MPOB (from 2010 – 2016) and also Technical & Marketing Promotion Sub-Committee for Americas under MPOC. He is also currently the President of the Malaysian Biodiesel Association (MBA) and has led the Association since its inception in 2008. He was instrumental in the implementation of the national biodiesel mandate, where he had led the industry in discussions and gave presentations to the relevant Government Ministries / agencies (MPI, MPOB & MPOC) and also the Malaysian Cabinet. He was also instrumental in establishing the pricing formula for biodiesel which is currently in use as part of the biodiesel pricing mechanism in the national mandate. The national biodiesel mandate began in 2011 with B5 (blending of 95% diesel with 5% palm methyl ester) and through the culmination of hard work and leadership by him and his MBA Executive Committee members; has now progressed to B10 in the transport sector and B7 the industrial sector. The biodiesel industry today is recognized as an important part of the palm oil industry; playing a crucial role in price support for CPO, savings in foreign exchange on diesel, reduction of GHG emissions and providing a significant contribution to the Malaysian GDP. Without Mr. Unnithan’s intellectual insights coupled with his absolute dedication in time and unwavering commitment in effort, the MBA and the biodiesel industry would not otherwise enjoy its high level of success that it does today.

Mr. Unnithan holds a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering and recognized as a distinguished alumnus of India’s premier Chemical Technology Institute. He also received a Gold Medal for his MBA Programme at the National University of Singapore (1997-1999) and a graduate of the Advanced Management Programme from Harvard Business School (2015). With his chemical engineering background and also the achievements over the years, he is also made a fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, UK and also the Malaysian Institute of Management. He also holds 4 patents in the oils and fats field.