Pekka Pesonen has joined the Finnish agriculture administration after 17 years as secretary-general of of the powerful EU agriculture lobby group, Copa-Cogeca.
Copa and Cogeca presidents, Christiane Lambert and Lennart Nilsson, acknowledged Pesonen’s unwavering commitment and passionate defence of EU farmers and their agricultural cooperatives over his tenure.
Patrick Pagani, Copa-Cogeca lead coordinator, has been appointed as deputy secretary general of the EU farmer representative body in the interim. He is overseeing the secretariat operations and ensuring continuity until the nomination and appointment of the new secretary general.
Agrifirm Group has appointed Stefan Bulthuis as its chief financial officer (CFO), with effect from April this year.
He will take over in the role from Margret Kleinsman, who has chosen not to extend her term of office. She joined Agrifirm as CFO in January 2020 but has decided to exit the company at the end of March.
Bulthuis started out as an accountant with Deloitte, after completing his studies in business administration. In 2000, he made the switch to FrieslandCampina. There he spent a total of 18 years working in the role of finance director for parts of the company including WAMCO Nigeria, consumer products Benelux, and, finally, the cheese, butter, and milk powder business unit, which generates a turnover of €3bn, has 23 factories and employs 3,600 staff.
In 2018 Stefan took up the post of CFO of Prinsen Berning, a producer of sports nutrition and dietary products and which is a portfolio company of private-equity investor, Bencis.
FEDIAF, the European pet food industry association, has named Sonia Franck as its new secretary general.
Franck’s experience leading European trade associations positions her well to contribute to the continued growth and success of the EU pet food sector’s representative body.
Prior to joining FEDIAF, she was secretary general of Innovative Medicines Luxembourg (IML), where she played a pivotal role in transforming the association. Under her leadership, according to FEDIAF, IML established a new five-year strategy, restructured its management, diversified revenue streams and elevated the association’s visibility.
Franck joins a FEDIAF team that includes Alice Tempel Costa, deputy secretary general & technical director, Aleksandra Prandota, EU policy & regulatory affairs manager and James Ramsay, public affairs & strategic communications manager.
The BioMar Viet Uc joint venture in Vietnam will now be headed by Duong Anh Tu, who has extensive commercial experience from the feed and food sector in Asia having worked with local and global companies, including Olam Global Agri and Cargill.
“We have chosen Duong Anh Tu to lead the next phase of our growth of the shrimp feed business in Vietnam. He has a proven ability to lead the development of innovative solutions for the local markets, and we are sure he will be a strong asset for the organization,” commented Francois Loubere, vice president of BioMar Asia.
The new MD will replace Franck Bodin, who was hired to launch the business in Vietnam and has been instrumental in establishing the BioMar Viet Uc feed brand in the local market, according to the company.
EW Nutrition, a German-based company specializing in functional, innovative feed & food additives, names Gustavo Carlos Tesolin as its regional director for Latin America.
With a background as an agricultural engineer, Tesolin’s career spans 25 years with a focus on the animal health sector. He had held key leadership positions in renowned organizations such as Novartis, Elanco, and the Erber Group, with experience in commercial operations, P&L management, geographical expansion, and strategy execution.
As part of his role, Tesolin will relocate to Mexico, overseeing and coordinating EW Nutrition's expansion efforts across Latin American countries.
The company said this strategic appointment follows a series of high-profile global hires in the past 18 months, underscoring its steadfast commitment to the Latin American market.
Kemin Industries names João Marcelo Gomes as president of Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health for Europe, Middle East, and North Africa (EMENA).
In his new role, Gomes succeeds Dr Stefaan Van Dyck, who spent the past six years as head of the business unit. Dr Van Dyck now oversees all of Kemin’s animal nutrition and health business units around the world.
Gomes joined Kemin in 2019 as president of Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health – South America. In 2023, he was named president of Kemin Food Technologies – EMEA. He has held various executive positions throughout his three-decade career, focusing on sales, marketing, and business and people development in animal nutrition and health companies.
Gomes earned his veterinary degree from Universidade Federal Rural of Rio De Janeiro.
Michael Castle has been appointed chief operations and financial officer at Alltech.
He has been with Alltech for 19 years, most recently serving as chief operating officer and CEO of the Alltech feed division. He has deep experience in the business globally, having also served as chief administrative and legal officer, among other roles.
Castle began his career at Alltech as an engineering intern. He went on to earn a Juris Doctor from Washington University St. Louis School of Law and then returned to Alltech.
"Having worked with Alltech for almost two decades, Mike has Alltech DNA through and through. He worked closely with our leadership team and my father on many of the most important deals in our history. Since the passing of Dr Pearse Lyons in 2018, Mike and I have worked hand in glove to lead the business,” said Dr Mark Lyons, CEO of Alltech. “In all his endeavors, Mike has demonstrated unparalleled dedication, exemplary leadership, and a passion for excellence.”
Castle is supported in leadership of Alltech’s financial strategy by: May Xu, deputy CFO, audit and reporting, Flora Djojo, chief tax officer, AnaLucia Medrano, who has been promoted to director of financial planning and analysis (FP&A) and Hemant Gandhi, vice president of finance, global treasury.
Alric Blake, former CFO and CEO of Alltech who served as interim CFO over 2023 Q3-Q4, will remain a senior advisor to the business.
The US based Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) has appointed Jim Lamancusa as the organization's new executive director.
Lamancusa brings a business growth-oriented perspective to driving sustainability impact throughout the pet industry, said that organization. He has proven track record of leadership, entrepreneurial experience, sustainability initiatives, and new product development, said the PSC.
He brings 20 years of expertise as a champion of explosive, sustainability-focused high-growth businesses. As one of the Eco-Products’ first employees, he helped grow the brand from $1m to $75m in five years and a successful exit. He has held senior leadership positions in several CPG brands and most recently founded Cusa Tea and Coffee in 2015 and led them to a successful exit last April.
“I’m elated that Jim will lead PSC. He is what our industry needs in this key role,” said PSC co-founder and first executive director, Caitlyn Dudas, who will remain with the organization as senior advisor.
Interim executive director, Donald Castellucci, remains as COO. Director of member services, Erin Haas, and director of marketing, Kristen Smith, round out the existing leadership team reporting to Lamancusa.
The PSC partners with brands, producers, manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and retailers, creating roadmaps for a company’s journey toward sustainability and providing detailed support every step of the way. It offers hands-on project support and consulting covering a wide range of sustainability topics including supplier questionnaires, life cycle assessments, carbon accounting, codes of conduct, employee engagement, and energy and waste facility audits. At an industry level, PSC convenes experts to help the industry tackle some of the most significant issues facing the pet space: sustainable packaging and responsible ingredient sourcing.
Novus recently named Dr Manish Kumar Singh as its new regional director in South Central Asia.
He is responsible for developing and executing the Novus business strategy in the region.
“Asia represents a huge opportunity for growth,” says Vaibhav Nagpal, Novus vice president and managing director for Asia. “Manish has extensive expertise about the market and the customers throughout South Central Asia. He also has the confidence of his colleagues to make sound, strategic decisions that will help grow the business in the region. With 15 years of experience working in South Asia and Asia-Pacific regions in various roles, I am sure he will strengthen the Novus team and grow the business.”
