Cargill Aligns Leadership to Support Growth

MINNEAPOLIS, June 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cargill today announced a realignment of its senior leadership in order to support the broadening of its management team and enhance its focus on business growth.  

"Today's changes will better prepare Cargill and our leadership team for the opportunities that lie ahead. We have successfully navigated a period of global economic challenge and now our focus is on growth, particularly in the world's fastest growing economies," said Cargill Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Greg Page. "As we invest in the future, we talk about creating a balanced, diverse and resilient Cargill. These individuals in their new roles will help lead us in this effort."

Paul Conway was named vice chairman.

David MacLennan was named president and chief operating officer.

Sergio Rial was named executive vice president and chief financial officer.  

Emery Koenig was named executive vice president and chief risk officer.  

Bill Buckner, senior vice president, will add responsibilities for the company's food safety efforts.

"Each individual brings diverse experiences and exceptional leadership to their new roles.  Together they make an excellent team, and I look forward to working with them in the coming years to guide Cargill in its growth journey," Page said.

Background on the individuals taking on new responsibilities at Cargill:

Paul D. Conway joined Cargill from law school in 1979 and held a number of merchandising roles with increasing responsibility in the United Kingdom, the United States and Switzerland before becoming a division head of UK corn processing in 1989. Throughout the 1990s, Conway worked in food processing businesses becoming executive vice president of Cargill's European Food Processing Businesses in 1997. He served as Cargill's president and regional director in Asia 2006 to 2009, and became a Cargill senior vice president and member of its Corporate Leadership Team in 2006. He was elected to the Cargill Board of Directors in 2008. Conway holds degrees from the University of Bristol's School of Law and the Inns of Court School of Law.

David W. MacLennan joined Cargill in 1991 and has held various leadership positions within the financial, risk management, energy, and animal protein businesses in the United States, London, and Geneva. He is a member of the Corporate Leadership Team and was elected Cargill's CFO and to the Cargill Board of Directors in 2008. Prior to joining Cargill, MacLennan was senior vice president with Goldberg Bros. in Chicago and a member of the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Options Exchange. He also was president of Fixed Income Capital Markets at U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray in Minneapolis. MacLennan earned a BA from Amherst College and a MBA from the University of Chicago.

Sergio A. L. Rial began his career in banking and finance, taking on assignments of increasing responsibility with ABN AMRO in Brazil, The Netherlands, Portugal, China and Singapore, including stints as president of its China operations and chief executive officer of its Asia region.  He led its treasury desks around the world and served as a member of the ABN AMRO Executive Board, before joining Bear Stearns as senior managing director and co-head of its investment banking division. At Cargill, Rial has served as leader of its Food Ingredients and Systems platform since July 2004 and leader of its Financial Services Platform since 2009.  He became a senior vice president and member of the Corporate Leadership Team in 2009. He also serves as the company's regional director for Latin America and as executive chairman of CarVal Investors, an independently managed investment subsidiary of Cargill. He was elected to the Cargill Board of Directors in 2010.  He earned an MBA from Instituto Brasileiro de Mercado de Capitals and undergraduate degrees in law from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and economics from Universidade Gama Filho.

Emery N. Koenig has served as leader of the Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain Platform since April 2006 and leader of the Cargill Energy, Transportation and Industrial Platform since June 2007. Koenig served as corporate vice president at Cargill from June 2007 to May 2010 and as business unit leader for Cargill's World Trading Unit from 1999 until April 2006. Since joining Cargill in 1978, Koenig has had 14 years of agricultural commodity trading and managerial experience in various locations in the United States and 19 years of experience in the international commodity trading and risk management arena. Koenig currently serves as chairman of Black River Asset Management, an independently managed subsidiary of Cargill. He was elected to the Cargill Board of Directors in 2010. He holds a business management degree from the University of North Dakota.

William A. Buckner serves as senior vice president of Cargill and platform leader for Cargill's Animal Nutrition, Animal Protein and Salt businesses. He is a member of Cargill's Corporate Leadership Team and chairs the Cargill Brand Reputation Committee and the Pension Investment Committee. Buckner joined Cargill in 1987 in Canada and managed a beef processing plant in High River, Alberta. He was named chief executive officer of Wichita, Kan.-based Cargill Meat Solutions in 1998, and was elected corporate vice president in January 2000. Buckner graduated with honors from McMaster University with a bachelor's degree in commerce.

About Cargill

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 131,000 people in 66 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to sharing its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. For more information, visit http://www.cargill.com

SOURCE Cargill