Diamond V recently welcomed new members to its global poultry team. The expertise of Kevin Sheehan, Dr. Abel Gernat, and Dr. Wael Abdelrahman will help grow the company’s leadership in North America, Latin America, and Europe.
North America
"Please welcome Kevin Sheehan to the Poultry Team as Director, Food Safety/Business Development," said Mike Mitchell, Director, North American Poultry.
Sheehan holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Kansas State University. He has had an extensive career with Cargill Turkey and Cargill Pork and has served in various executive level positions including as Vice President and Business Manager Retail Turkey and Vice President Livestock Procurement. He also has led teams focused on supply chain management, risk management, government agency liaison, and animal welfare.
"Kevin's experience working at the executive level," Mike adds, "will open new opportunities for Diamond V's pre-harvest food safety program."
Latin America
Also new to the Poultry Team is Abel Gernat, PhD, who now is a Diamond V Poultry Specialist in Latin America.
"Abel has an extraordinarily strong background in both poultry research and service to the poultry industry," said Francisco Portela, MS, poultry specialist. "In fact, he has taught a number of the key owners and managers of poultry integrations in Latin America."
Dr. Gernat is a graduate of Kansas State, with a doctorate in Poultry Management and Nutrition and an MS in Poultry Management. He is the author or a co-author of more than 25 research papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals as well as numerous other publications on poultry nutrition and management. He is a full professor in the Poultry Research and Teaching Center at the Escuela Agricola Panamericana-Zamorano in Honduras and an adjunct professor in Poultry Science at North Carolina State University. Dr. Gernat is also the founder of the Honduran Association of Professional Poultry Producers.
In addition to providing technical service, Dr. Gernat will work closely with Fernando De La Colina, DVM, Latin America Business Manager, to grow Diamond V poultry business in Central America and northern South America.
Europe
For Diamond V in Europe, Wael Abdelrahman, DVM, MVSc, PhD, recently joined Diamond V as Poultry Technical Service & Business Development Manager
Chris van Anne, MBA, Managing Director -- Europe, notes that Dr. Abdelrahman will focus on optimal poultry production, health risk mitigation, and food safety. His areas of special expertise include poultry gut health and immunology.
Following completion of his DVM and Master of Veterinary Science in poultry diseases at Suez Canal University in Egypt, Dr. Abdelrahman received his PhD from the Royal Veterinary College (Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health Group) at the University of London. Since then, he has maintained a teaching role at the College as a guest lecturer on poultry health. Before joining Diamond V, he worked with Biomin and earlier with Meriden Animal Health.
