Career Moves: New hires in the feed industry this month

AB Agri has appointed a long serving executive to a new role of chief commercial officer (CCO) to support its growth plans.

Simon Heath, who was previously MD of animal nutrition business unit, AB Connect, is now helping with business development and strategy across all divisions of the AB Agri group. 

He will oversee plans to expand AB Agri’s geographical footprint with a key focus on South East Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and the Americas. In addition, he will support the development of the group’s product and services in the dairy, swine, and poultry sectors.

AB Agri’s CEO José Nobre, said: “With his skills and experience from within our business, Simon is in a unique position to drive our commercial strategy and support me with our mergers and acquisition activities. He will help to ensure we have an aligned, commercial, responsible and sustainable approach to the animal nutrition industry across continents.”​

Originally from a farming background, Heath joined AB Agri in the late 1980s as part of a graduate scheme.

His career has included a variety of sales and senior management positions in the UK, US, Canada, and China. Most recently, at AB Connect, Simon had overseen a turnover of £1bn (US$1.3bn) and a workforce of more than 760 people.

Giver moves into sustainability role at Calysta 

Alternative protein producer, Calysta, has made Dr Lori Giver its chief science and sustainability officer.

Dr Giver first joined Calysta in 2013 as VP, biological engineering, before being appointed VP, research and development in 2019.   

Calysta’s President, CEO and co-founder, Dr Alan Shaw, said: “This is a very important appointment for Calysta. Lori has played a pivotal role in our story so far and takes up this new position at an exciting time for the business, with our first commercial-scale production facility to open in China later this year. Producing a sustainable protein that has no impact on biodiversity is a huge priority for us and this appointment underlines our determination to lower our footprint even further and fulfil our ongoing mission of making more from less.” ​

Dr Giver came to Calysta from Codexis, where she held several positions including VP of systems biology. She completed post-doctoral studies with 2018 Nobel Prize for Chemistry winner, Dr Frances Arnold. She is an author of numerous scientific publications and over 50 patents and patent applications.

Climate change on new IFFO president's agenda 

Earlier this month saw IFFO announce its incoming president and vice president for 2022-2023.

Gonzalo de Romaña, the former vice-president, was elected president; the new vice-president is Egil Magne Haugstad.

Gonzalo de Romaña is the CEO of Peruvian fishmeal and fish oil producer Tecnológica de Alimentos (TASA). He has been a member of the IFFO Board of Directors since 2018. 

“I am delighted to carry on the work with IFFO, engaging with the whole marine ingredients value chain, supporting our members while addressing important topics, such as climate change, nutrition and responsible sourcing. More than ever, I am convinced that marine ingredients hold the key to an improved food production system, providing the most nutritious protein with a low carbon footprint.”​

EgilEgil Magne Haugstad is the CEO of Pelagia AS, which has its HQ in Norway, and fishmeal and -oil factories in Norway, England, Scotland and Ireland.  

Increasing sorghum's value in the US

Meanwhile, in the US, the United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP) has named Adam York as its new sustainability director.

He will be responsible for developing and leading the sorghum industry’s sustainability initiatives and will assess opportunities for investment and collaboration to increase the value of sorghum for farmers and industry stakeholders.

York has a background in farming and is a Kansas State University graduate with a degree in history.

Prior to working in the sorghum industry, he served as senior staff for multiple members of the US House of Representatives, advising on federal agricultural, environmental, and nutritional policies, among others. In 2019, he took up the role of program director at Kansas Grain Sorghum.