ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands – Louis Dreyfus Commodities today announced that Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, currently Chairperson of Louis Dreyfus Holding, has been appointed Non-Executive Chairperson of the Louis Dreyfus Commodities Group Supervisory Board, effective October 1st.
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus (in the picture) succeeds Serge Schoen, who has held the executive chairmanship since September 2013. Serge Schoen will serve as Deputy Chairman of the Louis Dreyfus Commodities Group Supervisory Board and join Louis Dreyfus Holding.
The transition is part of the evolution of the Group’s governance, as planned after Serge Schoen stepped down from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position in 2013 to assume the executive chairmanship of Louis Dreyfus Commodities until the appointment of a permanent successor as CEO of the Group.
“I want to thank Serge Schoen for his effective leadership of Louis Dreyfus Commodities during this time of transition and I am extremely pleased that he will continue to support us thanks to his valuable expertise,” said Margarita Louis-Dreyfus.
Louis Dreyfus Commodities also announced today that its Supervisory Board has appointed Gonzalo Ramírez Martiarena as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, with effect from October 1st.
Claude Ehlinger will remain Deputy CEO of Louis Dreyfus Commodities and Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Biosev until May 31st, 2016.
Sandrine Téran, currently Global Head of Tax and Group Corporate Secretary for Louis Dreyfus Commodities, has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective October 1st.
“Gonzalo is a valued member of our senior management team, and stood out as a strong internal candidate during an extensive and rigorous search process led by the Supervisory Board, that considered both external and internal candidates,” said Margarita Louis-Dreyfus.
“I have had the opportunity to closely follow Gonzalo’s career and have been impressed with his entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to responsible and sustainable business practices. The Supervisory Board is confident that Gonzalo is well placed to drive our company forward during this time of change for the entire agribusiness industry, as we strive to provide for a growing global population. With his long experience and thorough knowledge of our operations, Claude Ehlinger will support Gonzalo and our management during the initial transition period. The Supervisory Board and I are very grateful to Claude for his steadfast support and great engagement as acting CEO.”
Gonzalo Ramírez Martiarena is currently Head of the Asia Region for Louis Dreyfus Commodities, a responsibility that he will retain in the interim. He joined the Group in 2005, initially based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, working for the Oilseeds platform, and later in Paris, France, working for the Freight platform. In 2007 he moved to Madrid to develop the distribution market for Louis Dreyfus Commodities Spain.
The following year he returned to Buenos Aires to lead the Group’s grains and oilseeds origination activities in South Latin America, and in parallel started the fertilizers and seeds division in Argentina. He subsequently served as Chief Operating Officer for South & West Latin America and in 2012 he was appointed head of that region, acting in parallel as interim Senior Head of Regions for the Group between 2013 and 2014. He moved to Singapore in 2015 in his most recent role as Head of the Asia Region. Prior to joining the Group, Ramírez worked for 15 years at Nidera in Argentina.
“I am honoured by the trust that Margarita Louis-Dreyfus and the Supervisory Board have placed in me by selecting me as Chief Executive Officer,” said Ramírez. “I look forward to working closely with the Board, the senior management team and all our talented colleagues around the world, as we continue to develop our global presence to meet the evolving needs of the world around us, with the same integrity and commitment that have established Louis Dreyfus Commodities as a trusted name over our 164-year history.”
