SAO PAULO, Brazil – JBS SA, the world’s largest meat processor, named Eneas Pestana president of the company’s South America region while Russ Colaco was picked to lead the company’s Strategy & Corporate Development unit.
Pestana will oversee all operations for JBS in South America. He brings to the role significant experience in the Brazilian market through his leadership of large of companies in the retail and consumer segments, JBS said. Pestana was CEO of the Pão de Açucar Group, vice president of DASA — Diagnóstios da America SA and CFO of companies that received investments from the GP Investimentos Fund. He earned a degree in Accounting from PUC - Catholic Univ. of Sao Paulo.
Colaco joins JBS from Morgan Stanley where he was a managing director in the firm’s investment banking division. Colaco spent nine years at Morgan Stanley where he advised clients in the global retail and consumer segments. He also has worked extensively with JBS, the company said. Colaco earned a Master’s of Business Administration from the Univ. of Chicago Booth School of Business.
“The strengthening of the regional platforms, the global structure and the establishment of a functional management office in New York are in line with our mission, strategy and also the internationalization of our business over the last number of years,” Wesley Batista, global CEO of JBS, said in a news release. “These are important steps in the consolidation of best practices and in the global development of our businesses and our brands.”
Members of the JBS global leadership team now includes Batista; Tarek Farahat, president of Marketing and Innovation, Gilberto Tomazoni, president of Operations; Vincent Trius, president of New Projects and Colaco as director of Strategy & Corporate Development.
The company’s North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific platforms will continue to be led by their existing management, JBS said.