ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CHS Inc., a leading energy, grains and foods company, today announced key staff appointments for its newly opened Geneva, Switzerland, office.
Gabriele Bettelli, who has more than three decades experience in global shipping, has been named Ocean Freight Manager, supporting the grain movement needs of customers served by the Geneva office. Jean-Claude Favre brings his extensive experience in commodity business finance to the position of Financial Manager for CHS European operations.
"We are pleased that these highly qualified individuals are joining the CHS Geneva office," said Claudio Scarrozza, senior vice president, CHS Europe S.A. "Their knowledge and experience will be integral as CHS expands its ability to serve customers from this region."
CHS announced the opening of the Geneva office in July 2007. The location sources and markets a variety of grains and oilseeds including wheat, barley, canola, sunflower seeds and corn through the rapidly expanding production and consumption regions of the Black Sea and Mediterranean Basin. CHS is the third largest U.S. grain company and handles nearly 1.2 billion bushels annually. Today, CHS exports about 60 percent of that figure, sourcing U.S. grains and oilseeds including soybeans, corn, wheat and barley, as well as soybeans from its Brazilian operations.
Favre has two decades experience in international corporate and finance management, risk management, controller and accounting functions and information technology. He most recently served as managing director of the European headquarters of Noble Group and earlier was that company's finance director for grain, based in Singapore. Favre previously worked for the international commodity trading firm, Andre Group, and held positions with consulting firms in the information technology sector. He holds a master's degree in economics from the University of Lausanne and a master's degree in mathematics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.
Prior to joining CHS, Bettelli was chartering and operations manager for Noble Resources of Lausanne, Switzerland, and was responsible for managing that company's European grain freight position. He previously held positions in operations and chartering with Cereol International, Saroc Roma and Continentalmare Roma. A professional sea captain, Bettelli has extensive experience with vessel operations and management. He is a nautical school graduate, qualified to serve as a deck officer on Merchant Marine vessels.
CHS Inc. (http://www.chsinc.com/) is a diversified energy, grains and foods company committed to providing the essential resources that enrich lives. A Fortune 500 company, CHS is owned by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Northwest and from the Canadian border to Texas, along with thousands of preferred stockholders. CHS provides products and services ranging from grain marketing to food processing to meet the needs of customers around the world. It also operates petroleum refineries/pipelines and, through a broad range of working partnerships, markets and distributes Cenex(R) brand energy products and renewable fuels, along with agronomic inputs and livestock feed to rural America. CHS is listed on the NASDAQ at CHSCP.
