WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG), a global agribusiness and food company, today announced a transition of leadership at Bunge Europe, Middle East and Africa ("Bunge EMEA"). Jean-Louis Gourbin, Chief Executive Officer, Bunge EMEA, will retire effective May 1, 2012. Tommy Jensen, currently Chief Operating Officer, Bunge EMEA, will succeed Mr. Gourbin as CEO and report directly to Alberto Weisser, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Bunge Limited.
"Jean-Louis has made many important contributions to Bunge and has been a valued member of our senior management team for the past eight years," Weisser stated. "His leadership has been instrumental in building our business in Europe and the Middle East and, most recently, expanding our presence in Africa. We thank him for his commitment and his service to Bunge."
Weisser continued, "Tommy is a skilled leader with a track record of delivering strong results and business growth. During his nine-year career at Bunge, he has managed a highly successful business in Northern and Central Europe and led our expansion in the region through the acquisitions of Walter Rau and Raisio and the consolidation of our operations in Poland. His deep industry experience and proven leadership will serve Bunge well in his new role."
Mr. Gourbin joined Bunge in 2004 as CEO, Bunge Europe, from the Danone Group, where he served as President of the company's biscuits and cereal products division. Previously, he worked for more than 15 years with the Kellogg Company, eventually becoming President of Kellogg Europe. He also held positions at Ralston Purina and CPC.
Mr. Jensen joined Bunge in 2003 as Managing Director, Poland, and became Vice-President, Northern and Central Europe, in 2005. In 2011, he was named Bunge EMEA's Chief Operating Officer. Previously, he held leadership positions at Animex S.A. in Poland, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, Continental Grain in Poland and Germany, and Jyske Bank A/S in Denmark. He has a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Aarhus School of Business at Aarhus University, Denmark, and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
About Bunge Limited
Bunge Limited (www.bunge.com, NYSE: BG) is a leading global agribusiness and food company with approximately 32,000 employees in more than 30 countries. Bunge buys, sells, stores and transports oilseeds and grains to serve customers worldwide; processes oilseeds to make protein meal for animal feed and edible oil products for commercial customers and consumers; produces sugar and ethanol from sugarcane; mills wheat and corn to make ingredients used by food companies; and sells fertilizer in North and South America. Founded in 1818, the company is headquartered in White Plains, New York.
Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains both historical and forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather reflect our current expectations and projections about our future results, performance, prospects and opportunities. We have tried to identify these forward-looking statements by using words including "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "intend," "estimate," "continue" and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. The following important factors, among others, could affect our business and financial performance: industry conditions, including fluctuations in supply, demand and prices for agricultural commodities and other raw materials and products used in our business; fluctuations in energy and freight costs and competitive developments in our industries; the effects of weather conditions and the outbreak of crop and animal disease on our business; global and regional agricultural, economic, financial and commodities market, political, social and health conditions; the outcome of pending regulatory and legal proceedings; our ability to complete, integrate and benefit from acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and strategic alliances; our ability to achieve the efficiencies, savings and other benefits anticipated from our cost reduction, margin improvement and other business optimization initiatives; changes in government policies, laws and regulations affecting our business, including agricultural and trade policies, tax regulations and biofuels legislation; and other factors affecting our business generally. The forward-looking statements included in this release are made only as of the date of this release, and except as otherwise required by federal securities law, we do not have any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
SOURCE Bunge Limited
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