Pelayo Casanovas has been appointed general manager of Cobb's Asian region covering Asia, the Pacific and Australasia and will be based in a new corporate office being set up in Shanghai, China.
His move from Cobb Europe, where he has been sales and technical director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, comes as Cobb is forging ahead with plans to start producing parent stock in China through a joint venture, Hubei Tong Xing Cobb Breeding Co.
"We are pleased with our business growth throughout our Asian region," said Stan Reid, vice president of sales and marketing for Cobb. "Since 2004, the Cobb Asia business unit has increased from 14 distributors to nearly 40.
"This rapid growth, combined with our aggressive expansion strategy for Asia, and in particular China, will require an ongoing effort and strong leadership focusing on every part of the region.
"Pelayo has a solid track record of building and directing teams in both sales and technical roles with Cobb including his role in directing our expansion efforts in Russia."
Casanovas gained a degree in agricultural engineering at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. He then continued his studies in the U.S., achieving a master's degree in poultry science at the University of Georgia.
After joining Cobb in 1999, he spent two years in the U.S. before moving back to Europe to become divisional technical manager for Western Europe and the Middle East. In 2009, he was promoted to technical director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, becoming responsible for sales as well as technical activities.
Casanovas and his family will be relocating to his new region in the near future.
