You're reading: Honorable Mention: Bjoern Stendel

Bjoern Stendel, 49 #15 Most Influential

The Most Successful Expats

Bjoern Stendel is so well integrated in Ukrainian society, that it took the more seasoned expatriates to remind us of his existence.

He has worked for grain trading titan Alfred C. Toepfer International since 1996. Until last year, he headed its Ukrainian subsidiary office since its establishment in 1999.

Courtesy photo

He left the company in 2009 under unclear circumstances, despite Toepfer’s strong market position in Ukraine and successful track record.

The company is a leading trader in oilseeds, feed, flour, malt and mineral fertilizers. It owns the largest export silo in the port of Odesa, with a storage capacity of close to 170,000 tons, as well as many inland storage silos in key agricultural regions.

In recent years, Toepfer has invested $80 million into Ukraine’s agribusiness sector.

Sources say Stendel is politically connected, which could be why his newly started BSTL Consulting company says it specializes in “troubleshooting and setting up businesses.”

In April 2009, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko awarded Stendel for “his personal contribution to promoting the investment climate of the food production sector and for his high professionalism.”

Stendel, as general director of Toepfer in Ukraine, has also placed high in rankings by business magazines as one of the best top managers in the agro-industrial sector.

The German national owns a Disney-like estate outside Kyiv along with a small collection of sailboats at his private marina in Vyshinsky, just south of Kyiv, according to the Kyiv Post archives.

He calls himself “an old man” on his personal Facebook page and says he is in a relationship. According to his personal page, Stendel attended the Goethe Schule in Quickborn, near Hamburg, and studied at the vocational college Am Lammermarkt, which specializes in economics and foreign trade.

He also supports the German national soccer team. His favorite words in Ukrainian are “davai” (go on) and “shtraff” (fine/penalty).

Stendel wouldn’t speak with the Kyiv Post for this story. Now that he’s back on our radar, we’ll keep closer tabs on the grain trading insider.