JBS has named Gilberto Tomazoni as the company’s global chief executive officer (CEO) and Guilherme Cavalcanti as the global chief financial officer (CFO) and head of investor relations.
Gilberto Tomazoni’s CEO appointment
Tomazoni’s appointment, which is effective immediately, was unanimously approved by the JBS board of directors on December 4.
Tomazoni has been an executive at JBS since 2013 and has more than 35 years worth of experience in senior positions in the food industry.
Tomazoni has a degree in mechanical engineering and a postgraduate degree in management. He has extensive experience in, and knowledge of, the food industry. He worked at Sadia for 27 years, where he started as a trainee and rose to become the CEO. He served for three years as vice president of Bunge Alimentos, managing the food and ingredients business, and was also the executive director for South and Central America. He joined JBS as global president of the poultry business in 2013, and subsequently led the establishment of Seara Alimentos as CEO.
In 2015, he was named president of JBS’ global operations and, since 2017, has served as the company’s global chief operating officer. In 2013 he was named chairman of the board of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation. He is also a member of the International Advisory Council of Fundação Dom Cabral (FDC).
As global CEO, Tomazoni succeeds José Batista Sobrinho, the Brazil-based meat and poultry company’s founder and namesake, as global CEO.
“I am very pleased that Tomazoni is my successor,” Batista Sobrinho said in a press release. “He lives the company’s culture and has a deep knowledge of our business worldwide. As chief operating officer, he led JBS operations with great success and, from now on, will lead the company in a new phase of its development.”
“I am grateful for the confidence placed in me by José Batista Sobrinho and the board of directors. Together with an outstanding team of 230,000 employees around the world, I will be dedicated to consolidating JBS as a global food company, recognized for its unique business model and the quality, safety and innovation of its products and brands”, said Tomazoni. “My commitment is with our company’s reputation and the integrity of our relationships. And, through a relentless attention to transparency, governance and compliance I want JBS to become a global benchmark.”
Batista Sobrinho was the first president of JBS, a company he founded in 1953, and remains a member of the company’s Board of Directors, a position he has held for more than 10 years. Prior to his recent stint as the company’s global CEO, which began in September 2017, his son, Wesley Batista, held that position.
Guilherme Cavalcanti named CFO
Cavalcanti’s appointment as global CFO and head of investor relations was announced in a material fact on the JBS website.
Tomazoni recommended the appointment of Cavalcanti, which was unanimously approved by the company's board of directors on the same day Tomazoni was named global CEO.
Cavalcanti will assume his new role on January 15, 2019.
Guilherme holds bachelor's and master’s degree in economics from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. Since 2012, he has served as director of finance and investor relations at Fibria Celulose. Previously, he was CFO and investor relations officer at Vale do Rio Doce and, before that, was the director of treasury and planning at Grupo Globo. He has won several industry awards, including that of Best CFO in the Pulp and Paper industry by Institutional Investor magazine every year between 2012 and 2016.
"We are delighted that Guilherme is joining JBS. He is a world-class professional with extensive experience of finance and capital markets. He will make a significant contribution to the evolution of our capital structure and to the company’s growth,” Tomazoni stated.