FDBusiness.com

Sodiaal, France’s leading and Europe’s third-largest dairy co-operative, has appointed Jorge Boucas as chief executive, effective 1 February 2017. Jorge Boucas’ role will be to lead Sodiaal’s new strategy aimed at taking the company to the next level in its development. Over the past five years, Sodiaal has grown in size, notably with the successful acquisition of Entremont, developed into a European player active in all dairy sectors and kept its fundamentals strong throughout the dairy industry’s crisis.

Jorge Boucas has served until now as the executive board chairman of the family-owned Roullier Group, a European leader in agricultural supplies. He began his career as a strategy consultant for industrial companies, notably at McKinsey, before joining Roullier as industrial manager in 2004.

Jorge Boucas.

Damien Lacombe, chairman of Sodiaal, says: “As the French leader in milk collection and Europe’s third-largest dairy co-operative, we have a major role to play vis-à-vis our French consumers and the global markets for milk and dairy products. That’s why I am very pleased to welcome Jorge Boucas, who, as Sodiaal’s CEO, will take aim at advancing the performance of our co-operative in a meaningful way, to defend the interests of our 20,000 dairy farmers, who produce milk recognized worldwide for its quality. I believe that Jorge will be able to lead our 9,000 employees through this step, crucial to Sodiaal’s development, with strength and enthusiasm.”

Sodiaal is active in all dairy sectors, from cheese (Entremont, Monts & Terroirs, Les Fromageries Occitanes and CF&R), liquid milk, cream and butter (Candia), to dairy nutrition and ingredients (Euroserum, Nutribio, Bonilait, and Regilait), and ultra-fresh and frozen dairy products (Yoplait, Yeo Frais and Boncolac).