Louis Dreyfus Company Holdings has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer, Ian McIntosh (pictured), who is promoted from his current position of Chief Strategy Officer, effective immediately.
The move follows the resignation of Gonzalo Ramírez Martiarena as Chief Executive Officer, after 13 years with the company, in order to pursue other opportunities.
“I take the opportunity to thank Gonzalo for his contribution to the company, in particular as CEO”, says Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, Chairperson of the Supervisory Board of LDCH. “Over that three-year cycle, he has successfully fulfilled his mandate of putting the Group in its current solid financial position and creating the conditions for the company’s next phase of growth. After this phase of consolidation, the new team is well positioned to drive future expansion.”
“I would also like to welcome Ian to his new position,” says Louis-Dreyfus. “Ian has worked within the Louis Dreyfus Group since 1986 and brings the experience, expertise and knowledge that ideally position him to take the company to the next level and to continue to reinforce the culture and values of the group. I wish Ian much success in his new role.”
A British national, McIntosh joined the Group in 1986 in London. Having led the UK Grains desk from 1989 to 1991, he moved to Paris to trade global Feedgrains, and then to Melbourne to lead LDC’s Australasian Grain activities. Returning to London in 1993 as a Sugar Trader, he was appointed Global Head of Sugar in 1996 to lead the platform’s global integration and expansion. Between 1999 and 2006, Ian also managed LDC’s global Coffee, Cocoa, Rice, Ethanol and Grains activities, supervised the Group’s integration of its Metals business, and contributed to the creation of LDC’s current structure. He was appointed Head of Europe & Black Sea in 2007, and in 2008 left LDC to set up Edesia Asset Management as part of the Louis Dreyfus Group, serving as CEO and Chief Investment Officer until its closure in 2018. Ian holds a degree in Biological Sciences from Leeds University, UK.
“I am delighted and proud to accept this appointment in a company which continues to impress with its dynamism, resilience and adaptability,” says McIntosh. “In an ever-changing world, it is essential for LDC to be correctly positioned to successfully adapt to the challenges ahead and to continue to respond to the expectations of customers, partners and end-consumers.”
At the same time, Federico Cerisoli, currently Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Group Controller, has been appointed Group Chief Financial Officer with immediate effect. This follows the decision of Armand Lumens, Group Chief Financial Officer, to leave the company for personal reasons.
Cerisoli brings extensive knowledge and experience to the position. He joined the group in 2008 as CFO of the Calyx Agro start-up. Soon after, he was appointed CFO for what was then the South Latin America Region, and in 2013 took up the role of Regional CFO for Europe & Black Sea. He later served as Metals Platform CFO, Regional CFO for Europe, Middle East & Africa, and then as Interim Group CFO, before his appointment to his present role. Prior to joining LDC, Federico worked for over 17 years in finance, commercial and business development at various energy companies in Argentina, Brazil and the US. He is a Certified Public Accountant from Universidad Católica Argentina, and completed his Executive Business education at Columbia Business School in New York City.
“I would like to thank Armand for his valuable work as CFO and wish him well for the future. I also take the opportunity to offer my best wishes to Federico,” says Louis-Dreyfus.
McIntosh is replaced as Chief Strategy Officer by Patrick Treuer. Treuer was previously Global Head of Strategy for LDC and serves as Non-Executive Chairman for Biosev. A Swiss national, Patrick joined Biosev in 2014 as Head of Strategy, a role he held until his appointment as Head of Strategy for LDC in 2015. Prior to joining the Group, he worked for 15 years in investment banking with Credit Suisse, based in Switzerland and the UK, most recently as Managing Director, Head of Equity Capital Markets for Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Treuer holds a Business degree from the University of St Gallen.
