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H.J. Baker’s chief operating officer (COO) Luis Masroua has become president of the company.

“Luis has been a great asset to H.J. Baker since joining us,” said CEO Christopher Smith. “I know that with his years of international business experience he will be an excellent leader for the company moving forward.”

Masroua has been responsible for many significant changes since joining H.J. Baker as COO in May 2018. These include the sale of the company’s Brazilian animal health and nutrition business and the purchase of Oxbow Sulphur in 2019.

“It is a great honour to be named President of H.J. Baker. I’m looking forward to helping the company progress into the future,” Masroua said. “This is a historic company. I aim to continue its legacy of excellence for our customers and suppliers, as well as our many excellent employees.”

Masroua joined H.J. Baker after working for Cargill for two decades. At Cargill, his roles included managing director of Cargill Animal Nutrition in Russia and managing director of Agribrands Purina in Venezuela and Peru. He was also Cargill’s aquaculture business development manager in San Pedro, Honduras. Luis holds an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management and a master’s degree from the Thunderbird American Graduate School of International Management.

Nutrien appointed Ken Seitz as president and CEO on 8th August. He has been the company’s interim CEO since January. Seitz also joined Nutrien’s board of directors from this date. His appointment as CEO followed an extensive seven-month global search for internal and external candidates led by the board and supported by a world-class executive recruitment firm. Seitz brings more than 25 years of global management experience to the role. He has worked across more than 60 countries and possesses deep agriculture and mining sector experience.

Russ Girling, Nutrien’s chair, said: “Nutrien’s record performance and disciplined execution of strategy during some of the most turbulent times we have seen globally underscore the strength of Ken Seitz’s leadership. As the company’s president and CEO, Mr Seitz will continue to drive positive outcomes for all of our stakeholders as we strive to safely and sustainably feed the world.

In reply Ken Seitz said: “I look forward to continuing the important work of safely and sustainably feeding a growing world with the executive leadership team, our employees globally and support of the board of directors. Growing up on a dairy farm in Saskatchewan, I am honoured and humbled to work alongside growers during these challenging times today and going forward. Nutrien is extremely well positioned to help meet the global goals of food security and climate action, partnering across the food system. Our purpose is to feed the future, and I am invigorated by the noble pursuit to help solve these critical world needs.”

Mark Summers has decided to stand down as CEO and executive director of South Africa’s Kropz company at the end of the year and the board has started a process to recruit a new CEO. Summers will continue to work with the Kropz team and his successor, once appointed, to ensure an orderly handover and that the day-to-day activities of the business continue. Kropz has two African rock phosphate projects – Elandsfontein, on South Africa’s west coast, which is nearing production, and Hinda in Congo-Brazzaville, which is at feasibility study stage.

Shell Plc has shortlisted candidates to succeed CEO Ben van Beurden, who is preparing to step down in 2023 after 40 years at the company, according to Reuters. Van Beurden oversaw the takeover of rival BG Group Plc, and was also the architect of the company’s plan to shift from fossil fuels to cleaner sources of energy and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The shortlist of candidates to be the next Shell CEO reportedly includes Wael Sawan, the company’s head of integrated gas and renewables, Huibert Vigeveno, the head of downstream refining operations, Chief Financial Officer Sinead Gorman and head of upstream Zoe Yujnovich.