Alumnus leads promotion of pulses as Saskatchewan export
Drawing upon his USask education and his entrepreneurial spirit, Murad Al-Katib (BComm’94) has helped to revolutionize the province’s agricultural industry by connecting local producers to international markets. A graduate of the Edwards School of Business who is widely known as the “Lentil King of Saskatchewan,” Al-Katib established pulses as an integral provincial export, building a global supply chain for locally grown plant-based proteins.
Al-Katib is just one of more than 177,000 USask alumni living in130 countries around the world, making an impact in a multitude of ways. This impressive group includes 374 Order of Canada recipients, 78 Rhodes Scholars, two Nobel Prize winners, 14 provincial premiers and one prime minister.
During his tenure at the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP), Al-Katib fostered relationships with researchers, producers, and overseas buyers and encouraged farmers to grow alternate crops, such as the hearty lentil varieties developed by USask researchers. He was pivotal in expanding the food security landscape at home and abroad. He then moved into the private sector and in 2001 established AGT Food and Ingredients Inc., which has become a multi-billiondollar plant-based protein company, creating jobs and wealth for thousands of people in Saskatchewan and around the world.
As the company’s president and CEO, Al-Katib is making a difference at home and around the world. In 2017, he was honoured as the EY World Entrepreneur Of The YearTM, following his recognition as the EY Entrepreneur Of The YearTM for Canada in 2016. A dedicated advocate of the Canadian agricultural sector, Al-Katib works with USask’s Crop Development Centre (CDC) and maintains strong ties to his alma mater, speaking to students about entrepreneurship and his extensive experience in the agri-food industry. In 2024, he was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honour presented by the University of Saskatchewan Alumni Association.