JBS Announces Leadership Transition Plan

Press Release Jul 22, 2022
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JBS today announced that current President of Operations – North America Andre Nogueira has made the decision to retire from his role effective Nov. 1, 2022. Nogueira will continue serving the company in an advisory capacity through the end of the year, at which time he will join the JBS USA advisory board, in addition to maintaining his role on the Pilgrim’s Board of Directors.

As part of the planned transition, Wesley Batista Filho, with more than 12 years of experience in the company, will assume the role of Global President of Operations, and will continue reporting to Gilberto Tomazoni, JBS Global CEO. Tim Schellpeper, CEO of JBS USA; Brent Eastwood, CEO of JBS Australia; and Gilberto Xando, CEO of JBS Brazil will report to Batista Filho.

“I want to sincerely thank Andre for his longstanding commitment to JBS USA, excellent work and steadfast leadership during his tenure,” said Tomazoni. “It is Andre’s dedication to living our culture and upholding our values that has led to such tremendous growth and success for our company.”

Nogueira joined JBS USA in 2007, first serving as CFO of JBS USA before becoming CEO of JBS Australia and then CEO of JBS USA, a role he held for nine years. He most recently served as President of Operations – North America. During Nogueira’s time with JBS USA, the company doubled annual sales revenue and expanded its operational footprint through organic growth and numerous acquisitions around the globe, adding more than 40,000 jobs in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

“Being part of the fantastic team at JBS USA for the past 15 years has been the highlight of my career, and I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to serve our team members and customers who provide food for families around the world every day,” said Nogueira. “We are investing in our team members, the regions where we operate and the sustainability of our planet like never before, and the future is very bright for the company and its stakeholders.”

In alignment with the company’s long-term strategic initiatives, Nogueira promoted growth in prepared foods, branded and value-added products, and accelerated its efforts in sustainability. This includes committing $100 million to support infrastructure and affordable housing projects in local communities and providing free community college tuition to the company’s U.S. and Canadian team members and their dependents, with more than 3,000 participants signed up to date.

“After working alongside Wesley for more than a decade, I have full confidence in his ability to serve our global team in this increased capacity,” said Tomazoni. “Our leadership team will continue building on our well-established sustainable growth strategy and creating unprecedented opportunity for our team members, customers and stakeholders, as we work together to create a more sustainable future.”

Batista Filho began his career at JBS in 2010 and has held a number of strategic roles including serving as President of JBS Canada, President of the JBS USA Fed Beef Division, CEO of Seara, CEO of JBS Latin America and most recently President of Operations – Latin America, Oceania and the Global Plant-based Business.

“I am excited and humbled to take on this new role,” said Batista Filho. “As we continue our journey to be the best in all we do, we remain committed to creating the opportunity of a better future for our team members around the globe while sustainably producing high-quality, innovative foods. I am very confident that the best is yet to come for JBS.”