Blue Diamond Growers chairman of the board, Dan Cummings, announced that Kai Bockmann will join the agricultural cooperative and global consumer packaged goods (CPG) leader as president and chief executive officer on Jan. 17, 2023. The board selected Bockmann after working with executive search and leadership advisory firm, Egon Zehnder, to recruit and consider candidates from across the country. Bockmann will succeed Mark Jansen who announced his plans to step down after a very successful 12-year tenure as CEO.
Bockmann most recently served as president and chief operating officer at Saputo Inc. – one of the world’s largest dairy companies – where he led operations that included 67 plants and 18,000 employees across the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, and the United Kingdom. From 2017 to 2021, he and his team grew revenue from $11 billion to $14 billion. From 2012 to 2021, the international business he led grew from less than $500 million to more than $4 billion. Prior to Saputo Inc., Bockmann was at McCain where he served as president of the international division and accelerated international sales across 60 export markets, doubling revenues over four years.
