Miller Magazine Issue: 126 June 2020

34 NEWS MILLER / JUNE 2020 Pierre Lipatoff will be responsible for the grain trading business activities in France and abroad, historically the activity of Uni- on InVivo. His objective will be to build an ever more competitive French wheat export chain led by the cooperatives. He will also be responsible for Grains Overse- as, a subsidiary of the group, 60% owned by InVivo Grains and 20% respectively by the cooperatives Axéréal and NatUp. This structure is also part of an effort to promo- te the French cereal sector internationally, by offering French cooperatives the means to market common wheat and feed barley to third countries. Pierre Lipatoff holds a degree in agricultural engi- neering from the Purpan engineering school and has more than 25 years of experience in trading. He has spent almost his entire career so far with the Cargill Group, where he began in 1995, holding a wide range of positions, including management and executive management. Pierre Lipatoff had recently joined the BZ Group as Im- port-Export Director. “We are very pleased to welcome Pierre Lipatoff to the InVivo Group. We are convinced that he has all the assets required to lead the grains division and its teams, in order to develop an ever more competitive French cereal offer,” says Thierry Blandinières, InVivo’s CEO. National union of French agricultural cooperatives, the InVivo Group has 201 cooperatives, bringing together almost 300,000 farmers. Its raison d'être is to federate its cooperatives to sustainably transform agriculture and ensure food quality, both in France and throughout the world. InVivo brings together 5,500 employees in 21 count- ries. Its 2018-2019 turnover amounts to 5.2 billion euros. Pierre Lipatoff Pierre Lipatoff will join the InVivo Group on 8 June as CEO of InVivo Trading. As such, he will report directly to Thierry Blandinières, InVivo’s CEO. Pierre Lipatoff appointed to CEO of InVivo Trading AGI announces CFO leadership transition Ag Growth International Inc. (AGI) announced that Chief Financial Officer Steve Sommerfeld will transition from his role of CFO. The Company and Board of Dire- ctors have initiated a search for the next CFO and Mr. Sommerfeld will remain in his role to ensure a smooth transition. President and Chief Executive Officer Tim Close said “As a founding member of AGI, Steve has been inst- rumental in the successful growth of the Company. I could not have asked for a more capable and knowled- geable partner and I know I am speaking for all of AGI in that view. It has been a true pleasure to work along- side Steve and benefit from his knowledge and passion for our business. I thank Steve for his commitment to AGI and his support during this transition and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.” Mr. Sommerfeld commented, “I am proud to have been part of AGI’s growth from the beginning, and greatly enjoyed participating in the development of the Company during the formative years right throu- gh to the global business we are today. We have ad- ded significant depth to the AGI management team over the last several years and given the progress AGI has made the time felt right for my transition. I am also extremely proud of our very talented Fi- nance team that will support the continued success of the Company. AGI has a very bright future and I will continue to follow the Company closely after my departure.” AGI is a leading pro- vider of solutions for the global food infrastructu- re, including seed, fertili- zer, grain, feed, and food processing systems. AGI has manufacturing facili- ties in Canada, the United States, the United King- dom, Brazil, India, France and Italy and distributes its product globally. AGI, a leading provider of solutions for the global food infrastructure, including seed, fertil- izer, grain, feed, and food processing systems, has initiated a search for the next CFO.