ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS — Ian McIntosh has been promoted to chief executive officer of Louis Dreyfus Company Holdings B.V. McIntosh most recently was chief strategy officer.
The move follows the resignation of Gonzalo Ramírez Martiarena as CEO. Martiarena, who had been with the company for 13 years, is leaving in order to pursue other opportunities.
“I take the opportunity to thank Gonzalo for his contribution to the company, in particular as CEO,” said 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. 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.”
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, McIntosh 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.
McIntosh has a degree in biological sciences from Leeds University, UK.
“I am delighted and proud to accept this appointment in a company that continues to impress with its dynamism, resilience and adaptability,” McIntosh said. “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 (CFO). This follows the decision of Armand Lumens, Group chief financial officer, to leave the company for personal reasons.
Cerisoli 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 more than 17 years in finance, commercial and business development at various energy companies in Argentina, Brazil and the United States.
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,” said Margarita Louis-Dreyfus. “I also take the opportunity to offer my best wishes to Federico.”
Succeeding McIntosh as chief strategy officer by Patrick Treuer. Treuer was previously global head of strategy for LDC and serves as non-executive chairman for Biosev. Treuer 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 U.K., most recently as managing director, head of Equity Capital Markets for Switzerland, Germany and Austria.
Treuer has a business degree from the University of St. Gallen.