Agribusiness thrives when its professionals do. For 10 years, Progressus has bridged the gap between industry demands and workforce capabilities through hands-on, unbiased training—equipping over 45 countries with the skills to feed the future.

Yiannis Christodoulou
Managing Director of Progressus

As the Managing Director of Progressus, Yiannis Christodoulou has been at the forefront of agricultural training for a decade. Through Progressus, Yiannis has focused on enhancing skills and expertise in agribusiness professionals, empowering them to adapt and thrive in an evolving industry. With a deep commitment to practical, unbiased education, Progressus has significantly impacted the careers of industry professionals across 45 countries.

In this interview, Yiannis reflects on the evolution of Progressus AgriSchools, the growing demand for specialized training in feed and livestock sectors, and the importance of bridging the skills gap. “Our mission is clear,” he explains. “By providing access to both in-person and online learning opportunities, we empower professionals to stay ahead of industry trends and improve job satisfaction and performance.” Progressus’s approach to training, including its unique 7Cs Sales Training program, speaks to the importance of communication and adaptability in the agribusiness sector.

Could you briefly introduce Progressus and the vision that drives your training and development initiatives?

At Progressus “People are our business”. We strongly believe that people make and sustain companies and the industry as a whole. Ultimately people are the once to produce the food that we all consume daily. If we would like to make better, bigger companies and produce more, healthier food, then we need to focus on the develop of our peoples, our industry professionals. Supporting the growth of our professionals by providing them with the right opportunities that build knowledge capacity and expertise, will enhances their skills, allow them to adapt to changing job demands and at the end of the day that leads to better job satisfaction and job performance.

This year PROGRESSUS celebrates a decade of commitment to transforming lives and shaping the future of agribusinesses through people! 2025 marks the 10th year of one of the company’s highest demand services, the Progressus AgriSchool technical training courses and we are very pleased to see the positive impacted we had on our industry and the lives of our industry’s professionals.

HANDS-ON OR VIRTUAL: TRAINING THAT FITS

Progressus is known for both in-person and online AgriSchools. How do you differentiate between the two formats in terms of content and learning experience?

In-person and online AgriSchools differ in content, delivery method and learning experience.

In-person classes offer direct, face-to-face instruction, accompanied by hands-on practical workshops often contacted at commercial facilities or research centers which provides the participants access to physical resources like specialized equipment and the ability to practice what has been learned. For example, the Feed Milling AgriSchool we hold, it dedicates a full day of training inside a commercial feed mill where participants have the opportunity to observe some of the key production activities involving processes, machinery and automation systems.

Online learning provides flexibility and access to a wider range of resources, including digital platforms, virtual tours and online communities.

Both forms of training are equally beneficial. Many times, it comes down to the preference, geographical location and time schedule of the learner. Our goal is always to provide the flexibility that is required today and at the same time provide learning opportunities to as many of our industry professional as possible.

SELLING SMART FOR FARM-TO-MARKET WINS

Another area that Progressus provides training for to agribusiness professionals is about selling and sales skills. What inspired the creation of the Progressus 7Cs Sales Training program specifically for agribusiness professionals?

Everyone should learn how to sell! Simple, selling applies to every aspect of our life; be it business or social. For example, how you sell yourself will determine who your partner will be and what type of associations you will make. Another example is to know how to position a product you are selling to a potential buyer in such a way that the potential buyer identifies its unique value and wants to acquire it.

Though very important, selling skills and communication skills, are not topics that are taught at school or college or university. Even at a later stage in life, very few professionals get the opportunity to systematically study, practice and learn such skills. Our hope is that everyone realizes that this is a must have set of skills. More so for the professionals of our industry that operate and interact in a diverse environment; culturally, educationally, and professionally.

Progressus has created the 7Cs, a Sales skills training that has been specifically designed for professional operating in our industry. For professionals that market and sell equipment, compound feeds, genetics and/or animal health and nutrition products. The 7Cs will help to enhance a professional’s ability to communicate complex solutions, build credibility, and drive successful sales outcomes. The Progressus 7Cs Sales training equips sales professionals with the tools to understand customer needs, translate technical knowledge into valuable propositions, and close deals more effectively.

TRUTH OVER TRENDS: WHY NEUTRALITY MATTERS

Progressus AgriSchools emphasize “independent, unbiased information.” Why is neutrality so important in agricultural education today?

When working with adult professional, industry professional and industry veterans who already know the industry and are highly experienced, it is of great importance to recognize that we are in the knowledge transfer business, not here to teach anyone anything. We are here to provide facts, knowledge and facilitate the exchange of information and experiences amongst the groups. For this to happen and happen effectively, we need to maintain a neutral position in the industry and provide facts, all in a structured way.

How does Progressus ensure the practical relevance of its courses, both online and in-person, for the feed and livestock sectors?

It is all about how these training courses are been developed and maintained. All the courses and training workshops have been put together by industry practitioners. The majority of the course content is gathered from professionals that have been or are active in the industry, either as producers or as leading advisors to the industry. Additionally, all course and training workshops are reviewed and updated annually with the latest information and industry practices, this keeps them current and relevant.

Could you share some success stories where AgriSchool training significantly impacted a participant’s career or a company’s performance?

The average satisfaction rating we have been given from our training participants since the start of our journey is over 90% across many categories! Our alumni community reaches out to over 45 countries around the work. I believe this highlights the impact of our activities for the people and the industry.

You offer customized workshops alongside standard courses. What trends or requests are you seeing most frequently from agribusiness companies?

Major large companies often show preference for more customized internal training rather than the standard open to all training courses we deliver. Primarily due to the fact that they deal with a lot larger numbers of employee who would like to training at the same time which makes it easier for them if we go at their own premises. Furthermore, by doing so, it allows for the training to be customized specifically towards their own specific needs.

However, the majority of companies value the open to all training format due to its economy of scale and due to the fact that by attending open to all training courses, the learners are provided with an opportunity to learn from each other too, get exposed to other’s ideas and hear about how others go about doing things. All are equally important to building knowledge, understanding and experience, too.

SKILLS FOR TOMORROW’S FOOD FUTURE

What future topics or skills do you believe will be crucial additions to Progressus training programs over the next five years?

Progressus remains committed to its mission of providing the development support and tools to our industry professionals, as such we have a pipeline of new courses that we are preparing to launch for our industry. One of those is the Pet AgriSchool which will be announced very shortly. Please visit our website at https://www.progressus.asia/ and subscribe to our news so that you always get the latest information on the various learning and training opportunities.

How do you measure the long-term success and effectiveness of your AgriSchool alumni in their respective industries?

Simply be observing the individual’s personal progress in the industry as well as the success of their companies!

Finally, how can international industry media like Feed Planet collaborate with Progressus to further support agricultural training and development globally?

We value the help of media such as Feed Planet! From helping to let people know that such training initiative exists to the potentially collaborating to bring AgriSchools training courses nearer to the Feed Planet audience.

WHO IS YIANNIS CHRISTODOULOU?

Yiannis, an accomplished agribusiness executive, is currently the Managing Director of Progressus®, Athene Consulting and Agentis Innovations, companies he founded since 2011. Yiannis core strengths and specialization is established in the field of leadership, people and business development, as well as, in the application of digital technology in agriculture. Yiannis has held a number of technical and senior leadership positions in the livestock and aquaculture farming and feed milling industry in Asia over the last 30 years. Before starting his own agribusiness companies, Yiannis worked with reputable international animal nutrition companies in roles such as poultry specialist, sales professional, general manager and director of Asia Pacific region.

Yiannis graduated from Scottish Agricultural College in Poultry Production and Management, from Wye Collage-University of London with a BSc in Animal Agriculture and in 2014 obtained his Post Graduate Diploma in Leading Innovation and Changes in Organization from York St. John University in UK. Today, Yiannis is in a unique position whereby through his own organizations, he directly assists agribusinesses to act on two business success fundamentals; people skilling and upskilling and digital technology adoption.