The Candy Group has, for more than three decades, supported NGOs, the UN, commercial and security customers and nation states. Our roots have been in international commerce as well as in conflict stabilisation and transition; providing turnkey procurement, austere mission support, logistics and supply chain management.
With this operational foundation, we have built formidable in-house expertise and technical capability. Supported by our partners and suppliers we offer quality consulting services and tactical implementation.
Director Of International Sales and CEO of MG Suber LLC
Robert has spent decades assisting government, law-enforcement and defence organisations with the acquisition of equipment and services. His considerable technical expertise encompasses a diverse array of industry products. Robert’s extensive knowledge of compliance standards, contractual practices and business law allows our clients to successfully navigate international commerce in a highly regulated industry. Robert has served as a consultant to numerous international companies in the security sector, in the oil and mining industries, including humanitarian demining projects, as well as invasive species eradication programs. He was a founding member of the U.S. Ambassador’s Business Advisory Council in Ecuador, and is an associate of a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm. He has twice published work on Ecuadorean mining law and holds a United States Patent for a firearms identification tag.
Director of Compliance & US Partner Operations
Adeline is a graduate from the University of South Carolina with a completed Bachelors of Science in management with many years of experience in retail industry operations, marketing, sales and managing multi-million dollar businesses. Having extensive operational knowledge and experience in compliance with the Department of State, Department of Commerce, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and classification certification on the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS), International Commercial Terms (Incoterms) and Statistical Classification of Domestic and Foreign Commodities Exported from the United States, Adeline, a Certified Specialist in her field, brings many years of hands-on know how and technical understanding to the Candy Group.
Director Of Group Operations
George is Candy’s Director of Operations and has worked in logistics and operations since he left the British Army in 1996. His wealth of experience includes FMS and International Procurement, Risk Mitigation and Business Development on 4 continents. George has delivered complex Logistics Management of government procurement projects to and from austere environments. He has expansive first-hand knowledge working in the Former Soviet Union for World Bank and UN projects, SE Asia (including 3 years as the Senior Logistics officer for the UN in Afghanistan running field operations for the parliamentary and presidential elections), India (supporting the EU public diplomacy program) and in the Middle East / North Africa. George has worked with and for the UN, WB, NATO, and counter-terror teams through US primes.
Chairman
James has acted as modern day corporate ‘Consigliere’ to a number of senior executives throughout the world. With over 30 years of international experience, he has served in numerous leadership and executive positions within both the public and private sectors. Jim has provided a wide array of global leadership, executive and senior management professional services. Jim previously served as executive director for the American-Kuwaiti Alliance, providing all elements of the leadership and management of the organization. He was also the senior resident Country Director in Iraq for a large international NGO responsible for providing organizational leadership and the implementation of democratic development programs during the highly volatile period from 2004 to 2006.
Jim served as chief of staff to the Secretary of State for External Affairs and International Trade of Canada and the Minister of Science and Technology, as well as, executive assistant to the Canadian Ambassador for International Security and Arms Control, giving him extensive public and political experience at senior levels in the Canadian Government.
Jim is active in a number of organizations including those focused on international security and stability operations. He is also a past senior associate at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies and continues to sit on numerous boards and advisory councils including as Vice-Chair of the International NGO Safety and Security Association (INSSA), Hostage US and the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC).
Jim has a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard University Kennedy School (U.S.); a Master in Arts (International Security and Conflict) and a Bachelor of Arts (Law and Political Science) from Canada.
Founder & CEO
Jonathan commenced his career on the Baltic Exchange, the shipping market based in the City Of London, learning the ropes with international traders and global shipping companies and becoming a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.
Having created the Candy Group as a maritime NVOCC, Jonathan then started an airline to support stability operations in Africa and developed into providing clients with bespoke final mile supply chain logistics and operations planning in challenging environments globally. Often the first commercial company into post conflict and then more traditional locations, the Candy Group developed a reputation as a reliable solution provider with many different local stakeholders.
Jonathan has overseen the evolution of the company from a purely operational provider in hazardous locations to having a dual role; advising clients on creating partnerships and working in new markets, encouraging innovative new suppliers and designing solutions, whilst Candy also maintains the capability to deliver success and equip where required.
Jonathan has brought his hands-on technical experience, providing operational and business management support to a variety of international organisations such as the United Nations and diverse commercial clients in security, peacekeeping, humanitarian and environmental markets. In addition, by leveraging the interconnectivity of the Candy Group’s global activities and relationships he has also been able to identify and creatively enhance our clients business development opportunities and new technology.
Depending on the requirement we source equipment from with a range of supplier relationships across different international marketplaces.
Formal distributor agreements with high quality branded suppliers enable us to ensure first class support, highly competitive pricing and the security that comes from purchasing from an OEM. Not only are the brands we represent market leaders but technologically proven and carry original international warranties.
However, other projects and customers have equipment requirements that are primarily driven by different criteria. For example “best fit” products that are similar in design but not necessarily required to match a specific standard or the warranty levels of a better known brand, or simply that are able to meet a delivery date that cannot be matched by other manufacturers can also be supplied.
Our expert staff have hands-on experience in procurement of a range of licenced security and critical life support equipment to non-benign locations and understand the requirements that are required to mitigate risk.
Our in-house expertise in securing the transportation of all style of goods enable us to provide turnkey solutions if required.
We are adept at balancing security, cultural, political, legal and licensing complexities for the transport of security sensitive, hazardous and high value cargoes to and through those areas of the world where simple solutions have failed. We understand local market nuances and the weight of effort required in order to facilitate requisite components of obtaining licences, ITAR, INCOTERMS, training, insurance, supply chain security, procurement and customs optimisation.
Candy is able to draw upon its own inhouse experience delivering projects across different disciplines and countries and also creating working partnerships and managing suppliers in the field. We can either enhance a client’s core management and staff or provide a standalone specialist team.
We are aware of contractual “flow down” requirements and complexities and can supplement specialist risk mitigation and other expertise as needed.
Our particular competence in logistics and supply chains provide an excellent platform to provide procurement services. A well-established network and exceptional staff, each with specialised competencies covering chartering, operations, forwarding, customs, warehousing, transport solutions and procurement enhance our capability. Simply shifting freight is the task of any broker or forwarder, but Candy’s long experience in complex multi-disciplined projects in diverse and particularly austere areas of the world enables us to bring an additional element into project planning.
As in all our areas of activity Candy offers a balanced approach to project implementation; drawing upon hard earned technical knowledge and professionally qualified and field experienced staff provide guidance, accountability and risk mitigation.
Candy helps its clients to formulate strategic business plans including the identification of resources and skills needed for success both during the project design stage and during contract management. Our expertise can be drawn upon at any stage of the project cycle. We can:
