Our Group
Formerly known as MCFI, Ingenia is a subsidiary of Harel Mallac, which offers agricultural, industrial, and water management solutions to businesses in Mauritius, the Indian Ocean region and the African continent.
Who we are
Since 1975, with the birth of MCFI, we have endeavoured to address biotech challenges in Mauritius. What initially started as a local mission has seen us grow to 8 companies located in 3 countries – Mauritius, Tanzania and Zambia.
From our humble beginnings, Ingenia now proudly serves 17 countries in Africa.
Innovation and sustainability are our cornerstones. Our pledge towards sustainability can be seen throughout our companies, where we actively honour and implement the industries’ best practices to determinedly diminish our ecological footprint. In this aspect, we have consciously reduced both our energy and water consumption by 25%, and optimised green packaging for our products, among numerous other actions.
Beyond our agricultural solutions, our biotech activities have also constantly innovated and expanded to include industrial and water solutions, providing an increasingly holistic approach across industries.
Meet our companies and their activities
Our Companies
Meet our companies and their activities
- MCFI – Manufacture and distribution of fertilisers and provider of agricultural solutions locally and in Africa.
- Suchem – Trade of agrochemical and crop-protection solutions as well as industrial chemicals, sugar chemical, paint chemicals and detergent raw materials.
- Biofert – Manufacture and sale of biofertilisers.
- Chemco – Trade of industrial chemicals, detergents, sugar-processing chemicals, air conditioners, water-treatment chemicals and equipment. Provider of water management solutions and testing services (chemistry and microbiology).
- Bychemex – Trade of textile chemicals and their auxiliaries.
- Chemco – Water
- Chemco – Lab
- MCFI International & Co – Distribution of chemicals and allied products in Africa.
- MCFI International Tanzania – Distribution of industrial chemicals and specialty lab chemicals in Tanzania.
- MCFI International Zambia – Distribution of industrial chemicals, and paint chemicals and solvents in Zambia.
Our History
Our History
Our History
1975
MCFI
is born
1989
SEM listing
1990
Creation of the
Chemco Lab
1997
Opening of the
Zambian facilities
2019
Amalgamation of Chemco
and Bychemex
2020
Acquisition of
Suchem
2022
MCFI becomes
INGENIA
2011
Opening of the
Tanzanian facilities
2015
Inauguration of the first
Mauritian Bio-Fertiliser plant
Our Leadership Team
Our leadership team is composed of women and men committed to sourcing the most relevant and innovative solutions for our clients. Each of them embodies Ingenia’s spirit of “going beyond” and the dedication and technical expertise that make us unique.
Belinda WONG
General Manager
Belinda Wong holds a degree and a master’s in Business Administration from the University of Mauritius, along with a Master in International Business Law from Paris-Panthéon-Assas University. With extensive financial expertise, she built a distinguished career at the Rogers Group before joining the Harel Mallac Group. Her directorships at listed companies reflect her strong strategic and governance capabilities. As General Manager, Belinda’s leadership and financial acumen continue to drive Ingenia’s growth and success.
Vishal APPANAH
Group Finance Business Partner
Vishal Appanah is a fully qualified ACCA professional with over 25 years of experience in finance, accounting, and operations across multiple industries including manufacturing, contracting, and financial services. He began his career in auditing and progressively held key finance roles within major Mauritian groups, where he led ERP migrations and efficiency projects. Vishal joined the Harel Mallac Group in 2023 and now serves as Group Finance Partner at Ingenia, overseeing financial strategy, shared services, and performance optimisation across entities.
Dheer Narrain ROY
Group Head of Sales
Dheer Narrain Roy holds a Masters in International Business from Curtin University, Australia and a Masters in International Business Law (LLM) jointly from Sorbonne & Paris II Pantheon-Assas universities. Between 2004 and 2012, he held positions in PPR/CFAO’s International trading office, then as director of a regional group, based in Mayotte. Dheer Narrain Roy joined the Harel Mallac Group in February 2012 before moving to Ingenia as Business Development Manager in August 2013. He now leads our Aqua and International divisions.
Sanjeeve PERSAND
Head of Production
Sanjeeve holds a DUT in Civil Engineering (IUT de Bordeaux) and a Diplôme d’Ingénieur en Civil Engineering et Urbanisme from INSA-Toulouse. His professional path in Mauritius covers management positions in Decathlon Retail & Production – Oxylane Group (1998-2010) and Evaco as Senior Project Manager (3 years). He spent nine years as Managing Director of Equinoxe (which manufactures parts for luxury products) before joining Ingenia in March 2021 as Production Optimisation and Excellence Manager.
Yashveer DEEGUMBER
Head of Human Capital & Talent
Yashveer Deegumber has over 12 years of progressive experience in Human Resources and served in diverse HR roles across multiple sectors, such as manufacturing/production, educational, IT/BPO, Construction and Corporate Services. His career spans from foundational HR support positions to senior leadership roles currently Head of Human Capital & Talent. Currently overseeing HR and talent strategy for a group of four companies, he brings a results-driven approach focused on aligning people strategy with business goals, building high-performance cultures and ensuring long-term workforce sustainability.
Julie Cautres Dupavillion
Head of Biotech
Julie Cautres Dupavillion joined Ingenia in October 2023 as Head of the upcoming Biotech division. She holds a postgraduate degree (DESS) in Protein Engineering from the University of Henri Poincaré, Nancy, and brings over 20 years of specialised experience in biotechnology to Ingenia. Throughout her career, Julie has been instrumental in establishing multiple laboratories in Mauritius, developing expertise in laboratory management, project oversight, and applied microbiology. She has also implemented several quality systems, including ISO 17025 for laboratories, ISO 13485 for medical devices, and ISO 15189 for medical laboratories. Before joining Ingenia, she served as Head of Abiolabs, where she expanded her strategic skill set through business development initiatives.
