New hand on the tiller at LDC
Louis Dreyfus Company Holdings BV (LDCH) announced recently that Ian McIntosh has decided to retire in September 2020, and that Michael Gelchie [pictured] will replace him as chief executive officer, effective October 1, 2020.
“I want to thank Ian for his leadership and strategic vision during the last two years, during which he has steered LDC collectively in the right direction and been a great ambassador of the company, and I wish him all the best for the future,” said Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, chairperson of the supervisory board of LDCH.
“I also want to welcome Mike to his new position, with whom we are appointing a strong operational leader, with extensive knowledge of trading and inclusive management skills,” she added. “Under his operational leadership as COO, LDC has worked effectively through COVID-19 to continue to deliver safely for customers and consumers globally and achieved a much-improved performance in the first half of the year. I am confident that Mike will successfully lead LDC through its strategic transformation and innovation, to further improvements in business performance.”
A US national, Gelchie began his career within the Group in 1990, working in senior trading and management positions in its sugar, rice and cocoa businesses, and assisting in the startup of Louis Dreyfus Investment Group in 2008, where he was a senior portfolio manager.
He left the Group in 2010 to pursue other opportunities, returning subsequently to LDC as head of the coffee platform, before his appointment as COO in 2019.
