The US Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) says Megan Niederwerder, has been appointed associate director at that organization.
Most recently an assistant professor in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, Niederwerder is to take on her new role on April 1.
The mission of the SHIC, launched in 2015 with US Pork Checkoff funding, is to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd through coordinated global disease monitoring, targeted research investments that minimize the impact of future disease threats, and analysis of swine health data.
“The SHIC mission is consistent with my professional goals of increasing the efficiency of pork production through improving swine health,” Niederwerder commented. “It is an honor to be named the first associate director and I look forward to contributing to the breadth of swine health and disease objectives led by SHIC for the industry.”
In November 2021, the National Pork Board (NPB) board of directors provided an additional $15m to fund the SHIC through to 2027. Subsequent to this extension, the SHIC board of directors approved adding the role of associate director for the organization.
“The addition of Megan as associate director will help to make SHIC even more impactful and able to meet the needs of pork producers,” remarked SHIC executive director, Paul Sundberg.
Niederwerder will assist Sundberg in directing overall expectations and accountability as well as ensuring quality programs and services. This includes collaborating to provide oversight and implementation of the SHIC budget, long range planning, and strategic initiatives.
Additionally, she will interact closely with the pork community, assisting efforts to build awareness of SHIC, establishing and maintaining working relationships in the pork industry, said the organization.
After earning her veterinary degree at Kansas State University, she was in clinical practice for three years. Upon her return to Kansas State, she obtained her PhD in infectious diseases of swine, including research projects involving porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, porcine circovirus type 2, and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus.
During her time as a faculty member in academia, Niederwerder led an internationally renowned research program on viral diseases of swine with focus areas on the risk and mitigation of African swine fever virus introduction through feed and the use of the gut microbiome as an alternative tool for porcine respiratory disease. “I see improvements in swine health to be two-fold, including increasing the health of swine with endemic disease exposure and decreasing the risk of foreign animal disease exposure,” she said.
After a career with the company spanning over 20 years, Nutreco’s research & development director, Leo den Hartog, has stepped down from his role, retiring from the company.
In his time with Nutreco, he held a variety of different positions, including quality affairs director and director of corporate sustainability.
Working in close contact with customers, he initiated and set up many departments that are central to the company today, including quality affairs, intellectual property, global validation, the food research centres in Spain and the Netherlands and the Ingredient Research Center, amongst others, noted the animal nutrition and fish feed group.
He was also the first in the company to collaborate with universities, it said, with Nutreco now working together with 100 universities on all continents.
For the past 20 years, den Hartog has also worked as a part-time professor in animal nutrition in a circular economy at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He will retire from this role later this year.
He will remain a supervisory board member of Nutreco Nederland and a member of the judging panel for the Nutreco Young Researcher’s Prize, the second of which will be held this year.
Agronutris, a French insect ingredients producer, has hired Christopher Haacke for a newly created post, that of director of business development.
The company said Haacke is joining it a key moment in its development, supporting the group's transition from pilot scale to full industrial production, through the commercial deployment of the brand and its products worldwide.
An international marketing, sales and management professional, Agronutris said Haacke brings 25 years of experience in the development of responsible aquaculture to accelerate the company's growth in its two target sectors: aquaculture and pet food.
Haacke started his career in 1996 as European sales manager for Eurosea Ltd. In 2000, he took over as sales and marketing director for Pan Fish Scotland. He joined MSD Animal Health in 2005 as global marketing manager, during a period of rapid expansion where he managed the product portfolio and took responsibility for a series of major product launches in the aquaculture sector. He joined the animal nutrition sector in 2017, as global aquaculture lead for Corbion Algae Ingredients. Responsible for global growth strategy, he was key account management and leader of the sales and business development team.
He holds an MBA from the University of Surrey and a joint honours degree in computer science and geography from Keele University.
The BASF Board of Executive Directors has decided on changes to the responsibilities of two members.
The restructuring has already taken effect. In effect, the two executives in question have swapped portfolios.
Saori Dubourg assumes responsibility for the German chemical company's monomers, performance materials, petrochemicals and intermediates divisions. She will continue to be responsible for the Europe region.
Michael Heinz, who is based in Florham Park, New Jersey, had that portfolio previously. Now he is in charge of agricultural solutions, care chemicals and the nutrition and health divisions at BASF. He will continue to be responsible for the Americas region.
In Picture: Joe Stone, who will retire after 37 years with the company. He was previously head of Cargill's animal nutrition business.
The new hires, says Cargill, were selected for their potential to drive the company's innovation and sustainability strategies around the world.
"The food system is constantly and quickly changing. To continue delivering innovative ideas and solutions for our customers, we must change as well. These leaders are guided by values and purpose, committed to our customers and passionate about feeding a growing population in a safe, responsible and sustainable way," said Dave MacLennan, Cargill chairman and CEO. "They all have the expertise and inclusive leadership approach to continue driving our organization forward as members of our executive team."
Roger Watchorn is joining the company's executive team as leader of Cargill's agriculture supply chains (CASC) business, which also includes the company's ocean transportation and world trading group.
He also will lead the company's corporate trading strategy. Since joining the company in 1994, Watchorn has held several leadership roles throughout Cargill, including his previous role as CASC North America group leader. Watchorn will continue to be based in Minneapolis.
Watchorn succeeds Joe Stone, who will retire after 37 years with the company. Prior to leading Cargill's agriculture supply chain business, Stone was responsible for the animal nutrition business driving the company's global growth with the acquisitions of Provimi, EWOS and Diamond V. Stone was also the company's chief risk officer and served on the Cargill Board of Directors since 2016.
Ross Hamou-Jennings is named the company's chair of Asia Pacific. Hamou-Jennings has been based in Singapore since 2002, leading the global Trade & Capital Markets (TCM) business from Asia. In this new role, Hamou-Jennings will join the executive team and oversee the company's customer-led strategy in Asia, as well as its metals, risk management and TCM businesses. Hamou-Jennings will continue to be based in Singapore.
Hamou-Jennings succeeds Marcel Smits, who will retire after nine years with the company. Smits joined Cargill in 2013 as chief financial officer and in 2018 he assumed his current responsibilities as chair of Asia Pacific and supervisor of TCM and metals and head of corporate strategy and development.
Jennifer Hartsock joins Cargill and the company's executive team as its new chief information and digital officer (CIDO). Hartsock served as CIO and a member of the executive leadership team at Baker Hughes. In that position, she led the merger of Baker Hughes and GE Oil & Gas technology systems and processes, while also co-leading the transformation of the company's shared services offerings. Hartsock is based in Minneapolis.
Hartsock succeeds Justin Kershaw, who retires as CIO after 10 years with the company. “Since joining Cargill, Kershaw made great strides in changing the company's approach to technology. He led the expansion of the company's IT infrastructure, application landscape and data security and also launched Cargill's digital lab and internal digital business accelerator,” said the company.
Stephanie Lundquist is joining Cargill as the company's new chief human resources officer (CHRO) and a member of its executive team.
