Bunge Ltd. has announced that Alberto Weisser will retire as CEO effective June 1, 2013. The board of directors has appointed Soren Schroder, currently CEO of Bunge North America, to succeed Weisser as CEO of the company, and expects Schroder to become a director before June 1. The board also appointed Weisser as Executive Chairman, serving until Dec. 31, 2013.
“Alberto has guided Bunge through one of the most significant and successful eras in its nearly 200-year history,” said L. Patrick Lupo, Deputy Chairman and Lead Independent Director, Bunge Ltd. “Under his leadership, Bunge became a public company and grew from a regional operation to a global player, active in over 40 countries and with leading positions in key products and markets.
Most importantly, however, Alberto helped instill the culture and approach that form the foundation of the company, and developed the talented team that is responsible for its success. We thank Alberto for his tremendous contributions to Bunge. We are fortunate to have a successor in Soren who can step into this role and ensure the business continues its strong momentum.”
Weisser joined Bunge in 1993 as Chief Financial Officer. He was appointed CEO in January 1999 and Chairman in July 1999.
As CEO of Bunge North America, Schroder leads Bunge’s business operations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Since joining Bunge, he has served in a variety of agribusiness leadership roles at the company, including as Protein Director, Bunge Global Markets, based in White Plains, N.Y.; Managing Director, Europe for Bunge Global Markets; and Vice President, Agribusiness for Bunge Europe. Prior to joining Bunge, he worked for more than 15 years at Continental Grain and Cargill, in positions in Europe and North America.
