President and CEO, Co-Founder
A Harvard MBA, Terrence presents over twenty years of experience as leading global strategist in food, agribusiness and clean technology sectors, M&A strategy executive in international merchant banking, senior US commercial diplomat and US Department of Agriculture's chief international strategist, appointed by President Clinton.
As a senior executive and thought leader, he has directed high performance teams of market analysts, strategists, financiers and commercial diplomats to deliver groundbreaking strategic outcomes through industry/competitive analysis, market research and strategy formulation driving related deal execution and high-level cross-border public-private collaborations, empowering firms to compete successfully in lucrative emerging and growth markets worldwide. Clients have included leading private enterprises and public institutions throughout the food and agribusiness value chain and adjacent sectors including clean and green technologies, biotechnology, agriceutical, pharmaceutical, information/telecommunications and higher education sectors.
Terrence enjoys strong credibility among networks of industry, media and public sector leaders worldwide. He has earned a reputation for cutting-edge knowledge and strategy acumen, reflecting his history of successful execution as a senior executive engaged in business involving the US, Japan, Europe and emerging markets including China, NE Asia, SE Asia, E Europe, the Near East, Africa, Caribbean and Latin America. In these regions, he has been featured in over 150 interviews and articles, and as a keynote speaker leveraging top TV/radio, news publications and proceedings for the benefit of clients and constituencies.
Terrence was born in Japan to Japanese and African-American parents, was raised in Tokyo, California and Bangkok, and lived as a foreign exchange student in Germany. He has surpassed US diplomatic standards for Japanese language fluency and speaks German.
Co-Founder
With over 15 years of experience as a US commercial diplomat, senior strategic operations executive and market strategist directing multi-million dollar marketing budgets and commercial trade operations abroad, Karen has focused on the global high value food, agriceuticals and agribusiness sector with an emphasis on the Pacific Rim markets of the US, Asia and Latin America.
She has delivered strategy advisory services to CEO/Board-level clients worldwide, including US and cross-border strategic alliance and market development. Prior to co-founding Tenso Barterre Group and serving as former Managing Director, Karen served as Senior Vice President for Global Strategic Operations of a US functional food, nutraceutical and equine feed manufacturer for which she led market development projects in Africa and Asia providing health and nutrition solutions derived from rice bran addressing global challenges including world hunger, diabetes and AIDS.
As a 10+ year veteran of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service, she served as an agricultural economist, senior market strategist and commercial diplomat posted for four years in Japan. In Washington DC, she served as project coordinator of the first USDA international trade strategy, a lead analyst of global markets for US consumer foods and the Asia-Pacific policy/market analysis liaison for the US processed foods industry. Proficient in Japanese, Karen served as Deputy Director of the United States Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) in Tokyo, attached to the American Embassy as a diplomat. She directed cross-border strategy, corporate alliance, market development and government relations services promoting American value-added and high value food and beverage exports to Japan, the largest US export market at the time.
The Mansfield Foundation awarded her the coveted Mansfield Fellowship representing USDA in a national competition to enhance US-Japan relations. As a Mansfield Fellow, Karen worked closely with executive management of the Saison Group, a top Japan retail, foodservice, and hospitality conglomerate, and pioneered as the first US federal official to work within the senior ranks of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture.
Karen is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics and dual bachelor's degrees in Economics and Political Science, specializing in International Public Administration.