JBS Australia chief executive Andre Noguiera will return to the US in coming months to head-up the JBS USA operations.

As part of a company succession plan, Mr Nogueira will replace Don Jackson as chief executive of JBS USA. Mr Jackson will retire at the end of 2012.

In his new role, he will have responsibility for all US and Australian operations, reporting directly to president and chief executive of JBS global operations, Wesley Batista.

Under a new structure announced to the market overnight, Bill Rupp, in addition to his current role as president and chief operating officer of the JBS USA beef business, will ‘assume leadership’ of the Australia business and report to Mr Nogueira.

Mr Rupp, who the market advice says will be ‘responsible’ for the operations in Australia, joined JBS USA in 2010 as president and chief operating officer of the beef business unit.

Prior to joining JBS, he spent more than 20 years at Cargill, where he held a number of senior-level positions including vice president of beef operations and president of Cargill Beef.

He has a strong understanding of the Australian industry having visited a number of times over the past 15 years, including a keynote speaking engagement at an AMIC meat exporters’ conference in the early 2000s.

In a statement issued in Brazil, Wesley Batista said Mr Noguiera was a professional, highly-trained and qualified person to assume his new role in the company.

“He has served JBS for several years, understands our culture, and has had a solid career with 25 years of leadership experience in corporate business in both the US and Brazil, which equips him well to assume this position. I´m sure he will focus on creating value for all our stakeholders," Mr Batista said.

Mr Noguiera spent four years as chief financial officer for the JBS USA operations, before being appointed as chief executive of JBS Australia early this year.

His role in Australia was widely seen from outside the company as being as a ‘professional fixer’: to come in, make some tough financial/operational decisions to improve the financial performance of the Australian business, and move out again.

Insiders in the JBS Australia camp who have worked with him acknowledge his intellect, business acumen and decisiveness, along with ability to develop and mentor individuals and develop a strong team.

During his tenure as CEO in the Australian operations, Mr Noguiera presided over key commercial business decisions resulting in the closure of the Yambinya and Prime City feedlots in NSW, which took a combined 45,000 head of feeding capacity out of the equation; the closure of the King Island processing facility and restructuring of corporate and operational areas of the JBS business.

Some observers believe that the current region-based operational structure in Australia (Brent Eastwood is chief operating officer for the Northern Australian division, and Sam McConnell his equivalent in Southern Australia) makes it more likely that JBS may now provide ‘oversight’ of the combined Australian business from the US, rather than appointing a locally-based chief executive.

Both Mr Noguiera and Mr Rupp will be in Australia over the next week to meet with the JBS Australia team. More may emerge after that visit.

Mr Batista said during his time at JBS, Mr Nogueira had gained intimate knowledge of JBS operations and culture. In addition to his executive roles at JBS, he had had more than 20 years of corporate financial banking experience, including working with JBS’s banker.

Mr Nogueira earned a B.A. in economics from Brazil’s Federal Fluminese University, a Masters in economics from Brasilia University, and an MBA from Funcado Don Cabral.

Don Jackson who retires at the end of the year, became chief executive of JBS USA in 2010, joined the company via its purchase of the Pilgrim’s Pride chicken business, of which he was chief executive.

He has run the JBS Australia operations since earlier this year and is the former JBS USA CFO and will become CEO of JBS USA effective form January 1, 2013.