Biography

Robert Engel has served as a member of our Board since October 2026. Mr. Engel currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of BLT Advisory Services, LLC, an advisory firm he founded in 2017 that guides companies on business transformation, mergers and acquisitions, governance and leadership development. Previously, Mr. Engel spent 17 years at CoBank, ACB, first as President and Chief Operating Officer and then as President and Chief Executive Officer, where he led the bank’s domestic and global businesses and its merger with U.S. AgBank. Before CoBank, Mr. Engel spent 14 years at HSBC Bank USA in roles of increasing responsibility, ultimately serving as Chief Banking Officer. He began his career in public accounting at Deloitte & Touche and KPMG, rising to Senior Audit Manager, and is a Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Engel has significant experience across banking, public accounting and public company board leadership, with extensive financial and risk oversight experience and deep knowledge of food and agribusiness. Mr. Engel currently serves as an independent director of Allient, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALNT), where he serves on the Audit Committee, and as Chairman of the Board of Alaska Power & Telephone. He previously served as an independent director of Heartland Financial USA, Inc., then listed on NASDAQ, where he chaired the Risk Committee. Mr. Engel is a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Mr. Engel holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from Niagara University.