Blue Diamond Growers recently welcomed Kai Bockmann as president and CEO, according to a press release. The news was confirmed by chairman of the board, Dan Cummings. His new role will become effective on Jan. 17.
“We’re grateful for Mark’s support during the search and his commitment to helping set Kai and the cooperative up for continued success,” Cummings said. “We’re building from 112 years of success, and we know the future is bright for Blue Diamond because no one knows how to get almonds from growers’ farms to families worldwide better than us.”
Under his new role, Bockmann will be responsible for working alongside executive search and leadership advisory firm, Egon Zehnder to identify and recruit candidates. He will assume the duties of Mark Jansen, who confirmed his departure following a 12-year tenure with the company.
“The search process went well, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome,” Cummings said. “Kai has more than a quarter of a century of global experience growing CPG companies, and we believe he is the leader we need to keep building our business and brand domestically and internationally, while continuing to deliver superior returns to our grower-owners.”
Before accepting his role with Blue Diamond, Bockmann served as president and COO at Saputo Inc., where he was tasked with overseeing 67 plants and 18,000 employees across the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina and the United Kingdom. Bockmann and his team are credited with generating an additional revenue of $3 billion, bumping up the sum from $11 billion to $14 billion. He also contributed to McCain, serving as president of the international division. During this time, he amped up global sales across 60 export markets.
“I’m excited by this phenomenal opportunity to join one of the most consistent and fastest-growing food and beverage companies in the world,” Bockmann said. “I look forward to learning from growers and team members and keeping our immediate focus on maintaining business continuity and growth momentum.”
Bockmann will contribute to the almond milk brand’s global business, which is said to be the leading brand of its kind in the United States, South Korea, Thailand, Brazil and South Africa, and have a market share of more than 50% in the U.S., Cummings said.