LOUIS Dreyfus Company B.V. (LDC) last week appointed eight additional people to its senior global leadership team, building the number from 5 to thirteen.

LDC chief strategy officer Ian McIntosh

LDC chief executive officer Gonzalo Ramírez Martiarena said the expanded team would strengthen strategic thinking and position the company for growth.

“Having adjusted our business portfolio and operating model for greater efficiency, we are now well positioned to explore new avenues for growth through the creation of fair and sustainable value,” Mr Ramírez Martiarena said.

“The newly appointed members of our senior leadership team bring a range of seniority, experience, business acumen and specific market knowledge.

Among them is chief strategy officer, Ian McIntosh, who was previously employed by LDC as regional grain chief in Melbourne in the early 1990s, after joining the company in 1986.

“I’m delighted to welcome Ian back to LDC.  He will coordinate matters relating to company strategy and oversee the management of four business platforms.”

The seven other new leadership team appointees are Miguel Catella, Federico Cerisoli, Joe Nicosia, Murilo Parada, Markus Reis, Patrick Treuer and James Zhou.

LDC also appointed a new chief operating officer, Andrea Maserati, who held the roles of senior head of region and senior head of functions for the past three years.

Fertiliser arm sold

LDC in April completed the sale, as reported in December 2017, of its Australian fertiliser and inputs distribution business, Macrofertil Australia Pty Ltd.

The business was bought by Landmark Operations Ltd, a division of Nutrien Inc, the crop inputs conglomerate formed by the merger of Agrium Inc and the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan in January 2018.

Continuing LDC operations in Australia include trading and processing in the cotton, grains, oilseeds, dairy and sugar sectors.

Source: LDC