CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S. — Archer Daniels Midland Company Chief Executive Officer  Juan Luciano is moving quickly to create new management teams to drive the company forward the company announced on March 2.

“To accelerate the execution of our strategic plans, we need teams that can quickly flex and form to identify and capture opportunities, focus on what matters, deliver results and then re-form to address the next set of opportunities. To that end, I have formed some new teams and expanded the responsibilities of some key leaders,” said Luciano.

Ray Young has been named executive vice-president; he remains the company’s chief financial officer and will add responsibility for oversight of ADM’s business in Asia.

“Ray’s exceptional insight into the region will allow him to assist Ismael Roig, the president of ADM Asia-Pacific, and our other regional leaders as they accelerate our Asia strategy,” said Luciano.

Mark Bemis, senior vice-president, will become president, North America, and chair a new Geographic Council that brings together ADM’s regional presidents to ensure the company is leveraging best practices across each geography.

“As president, North America, Mark will be responsible for finding new pockets of growth in the U.S. and expanding our presence in Mexico and Canada,” Luciano said. “Mark has just led our Corn team to some of its highest performance on record and, with his deep knowledge of the company’s businesses and operations, he is uniquely suited to perform these roles.”

Chris Cuddy will become president of ADM’s Corn Processing business unit.

“Chris has a great track record of success within Corn, with the vision and initiative to take on challenges and deliver results,” Luciano said. “Mark and Chris have been a strong team, and I know they will work together very successfully to accomplish a smooth transition.”

Todd Werpy will take on an expanded role as chief technology officer.

“Todd will expand his work to ensure that technology delivers cost improvements and competitive advantage, and that we deliver on the strong pipeline of improvement projects. As chief technology officer, he will also ensure we have the right focus and resources to support the rejuvenation of our product mix through product innovations across our value chain—a key driver of organic growth,” said Luciano.

Vikram Luthar has been named senior vice-president, Strategy. “In this role, Vikram will help control and advance the execution of our corporate strategy; lead the process of corporate strategic and resource allocation planning; and enhance the company’s competitive intelligence and analysis of relevant market trends and potential disruptive technologies,” Luciano said.

“I am confident that we have the best team and the best set of opportunities in our industry, and I’m counting on these leaders to quickly mobilize teams and step up to seize our opportunities.”