JBS USA appoints advisors

JBS USA has chosen four high-profile Americans to form an advisory board, an obvious attempt to distance the company from its owner, JBS SA of Brazil.

JBS USA includes XL Packers of Alberta, plus operations in Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.

JBS SA is caught up in two major scandals, one involving bribes to obtain billions of dollars worth of loans from a government bank, the other for bribing meat inspectors to clear flawed meat for export.

Despite confessions that he bribed government officials and politicians to obtain loans, this week there were calls for the chief executive officer to resume leadership of the company.

The advisory board will be comprised of:

• John Boehner, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives;
• Greg Heckman, former president and chief executive officer of The Gavilon Group;
• Dimitri Panayotopoulos, former vice-chairman of Procter & Gamble, and
• Harvey Pitt, former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

“We are honored that such a high caliber group of leaders has agreed to serve as inaugural members of the JBS USA Advisory Board,” said Andre Nogueira, JBS USA chief executive officer.

“We look forward to the contributions of the Advisory Board members in advancing our plans for success and growth, while preserving our unwavering commitment to governance, quality and outstanding customer service.”

The Advisory Board will meet quarterly, in addition to providing ongoing counsel to the JBS USA CEO and executive leadership teams in North America, Australia and New Zealand.