An IGD Singapore team has been set up by the international food and grocery research and training charity as part of its Asia Pacific expansion.

It comprises program director Shirley Zhu, who worked for IGD in Shanghai for three years, and senior retail analyst Soo-Eng Tan.

Zhu’s role in Singapore is to build IGD’s Asian research coverage and expand its food and grocery network in the region. Before working for IGD she held roles in FMCG research at China Investment Corporation, Nielsen and SIG Asia Investments.

Tan has worked for Unilever, Millward Brown and Suntory across Asia, and will focus on India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as the role of discounters and supermarkets in the Asian grocery market.

IGD Singapore is based at the offices of trade association Food Industry Asia (FIA), which was founded in 2010 by F&B companies to champion initiatives that promote sustainable growth and to work together in the areas of food safety, health and nutrition, as well as regulatory harmonisation.

IGD CEO Joanne Denney-Finch says the charity forecasts Asia Pacific to be the biggest engine of growth in the global grocery market over the next five years, with sales to exceed those of Europe and North America combined.

“The region has a fast-paced retail environment driven by a growing middle class and a sharp focus on technology and innovation. Many food and consumer goods companies will view this region as key to their growth strategy over the next five years, which is why we are strengthening our presence here.”

IGD will host its first-ever supplier briefing in the region at the end of this month for Singapore online grocer RedMart.