JBS S.A. announced this week that its board of directors has unanimously elected Gilberto Tomazoni as the company's global chief executive officer. Tomazoni will replace the company founder José Batista Sobrinho who was re-appointed as CEO last year after both of his sons Joesley and Wesley Batista were caught up in a scandal that resulted in jail time.

"I am very pleased that Tomazoni is my successor. He lives the company's culture and has a deep knowledge of our business worldwide,” Batista Sobrinho said. “As chief operating officer, he led JBS operations with great success and, from now on, will lead the company in a new phase of its development.”

Gilberto Tomazoni has been an executive at JBS since 2013 and has more than 35 years of experience in senior positions in the food industry. For the past year, he was the company's COO, during which time he was directly involved in JBS's business strategy globally.

"I am grateful for the confidence placed in me by José Batista Sobrinho and the board of directors. Together with an outstanding team of 230,000 employees around the world, I will be dedicated to consolidating JBS as a global food company, recognized for its unique business model and the quality, safety and innovation of its products and brands,” said Tomazoni.

He added, "My commitment is with our company's reputation and the integrity of our relationships. And, through a relentless attention to transparency, governance, and compliance, I want JBS to become a global benchmark.”

Batista Sobrinho was the first president of JBS, a company he founded in 1953, and remains a member of the company's board of directors, a position he has held for more than 10 years.

Tomazoni role as CEO is effective immediately, the company said.  

The board of directors also unanimously approved Tomazoni's recommendation for the appointment of Guilherme Cavalcanti as the company's new global chief financial officer and head of Investor Relations. 

"We are delighted that Guilherme is joining JBS. He is a world-class professional with extensive experience of finance and capital markets. He will make a significant contribution to the evolution of our capital structure and to the Company's growth," said Tomazoni.

Guilherme will start in his role on January 15, 2019.