Jan Potijk, member of the executive board and COO of ForFarmers Netherlands, has announced that he will not be putting himself up for reappointment during the AGM shareholders meeting in April 2019, the date when his current tenure ends.
ForFarmers said, after April next year, its executive board will, consequently, consist of the CEO, Yoram Knoop, and the CFO, Arnout Traas.
“Jan has been of invaluable importance to the development and success of ForFarmers. He informed us of his wish to seize the moment to step down when his mandate would come to an end having identified and trained his successors in his own management team,” said Yoram Knoop, CEO of ForFarmers.
ForFarmers also announced that it is appointing two new members to its executive committee - Pieter Wolleswinkel and David Fousert. They will both take on that role from January 2019.
Wolleswinkel will become responsible for ForFarmers Netherlands, consisting of the ruminant, swine and poultry business units. Prior to working in ForFarmers, he was a practicing veterinary doctor and held international leadership positions at Provimi. He joined ForFarmers in 2014 as business unit director within ForFarmers Germany. As of the start of 2018, he has headed up the swine BU within ForFarmers the Netherlands.
Fousert will become responsible for the Reudink and Pavo business units and for ForFarmers Belgium. He has held various international leadership positions in the food and agri business at Cargill. He joined ForFarmers in 2016 as director of the ruminants BU within ForFarmers Netherlands.
Andrew McShane has been elected Chairman of the UK animal feed and crop protection industry representatives, Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC). He takes over from ForFarmers’ Nick Major who has held the post for the past two years.
McShane is managing director of Hutchinsons. He became interested in crop protection while studying for biochemistry at Edinburgh then went on to do an MSc. in the topic at Cranfield and Silsoe. He started his career in a general merchant involved in feed, grain purchasing and providing arable inputs. He developed into an agronomist and moved into sales management.
He joined Hutchinsons in 1993 and was appointed MD 10 years ago.
“It is an exciting and challenging time to be taking over with Brexit looming and a new UK agriculture bill being debated. Representing a very high proportion of the agrisupply industry, AIC has a strong voice. Thanks to its experience team, the Confederation is well equipped to work with governments and other stakeholders towards solutions that ensure UK agriculture remains commercial and sustainable.”
Specialty chemicals company, Perstorp, has appointed Chinese national, Jim Ren, as vice president for the Asia Pacific region. He is responsible for the firm’s feed and food business area in that market.
Ren, who joined Perstorp in October, has over 10 years’ experience working in China and five years in South East Asia. He came to Perstorp after several years with Evonik, said the company.
He reports directly to Perstorp feed and food executive vice president, Roger Mann.
“Perstorp is an increasingly important player in the animal feed business in Asia Pacific and we are very happy to have Jim Ren lead our team in the region to take it forward with our innovative products,” said Mann.
Ertharin Cousin, who served as the 12th Executive Director of the UN World Food Program from 2012 to 2017, has joined DSM’s Sustainability Advisory Board.
DSM’s sustainability board comprises a diverse international group of thought leaders on key sustainability topics, such as malnutrition, climate change, renewable energy and inequality.
Cousin also served, under US President Barack Obama, as the US Ambassador to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture, from 2009 until 2012, based in Rome, Italy.
She has worked in a variety of public and private sector positions, and, in 2014, was ranked number 45th on the Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women. She has also been listed in the TIME 100 most influential people in the world list.
Feike Sijbesma, CEO and chair of the DSM managing board, said: “I am delighted to welcome Ertharin Cousin to our Sustainability Advisory Board. We will benefit from her wealth of experience in nutrition and health, and her deep convictions about the role of business in bringing about positive change, something we experienced during her time leading the United Nations World Food Program.”
Zinpro said Matt Hutchins recently joined the US company as account manager for the Central Midwest region in the US. In that role, the company said that he will be responsible for trace mineral sales to feed companies, nutritionists and producers, primarily in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.
Before joining Zinpro, Hutchins served as a regional sales manager for an animal health company, with a focus on dairy and cow-calf operations. He has also worked as a grain and livestock farm manager, as an animal health products territory sales representative for multiple species, said the supplier.
Animal nutrition technology company, AB Vista, has expanded its GB & Ireland team, with the appointment of Robbie Clay as sales manager for southern England and Wales.
The company said Clay will look to support a network of ruminant customers with best practice advice in relation to AB Vista's product and technical service portfolio.
Charlie Battle, Business Manager for the GB & Ireland region, said Clay would help boost growth in the GB and Irish market, noting his range of technical and commercial expertise, including extensive experience in direct-to-farm sales.
AB Vista said it has also expanded its Latin America (LAM) team, with the appointment of agribusiness communications specialist. Fabiana Freitas, as marketing coordinator.