[URL="http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/021213/food_canada_cwb_1.html"]full story[/URL]
UPDATE - Canadian Wheat Board CEO aims to streamline costs
Friday December 13, 5:08 pm ET
By Roberta Rampton
(Updates with CEO comments in paras 3-4)
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Adrian Measner, known as a firm, pragmatic negotiator with an intricate understanding of the grain business, was appointed on Friday as president and chief executive of the Canadian Wheat Board, the world's largest single seller of wheat and barley.
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Measner, 50, has spent most of his 28 years in the grain industry in key sales positions at the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), and has been in charge of its day-to-day operations since 1993.
Measner told reporters he will undertake a complete review of the CWB's structure with an eye to streamlining and trimming costs. In 2000-01, the board's total costs were C$66 million ($42.6 million), paid for by farmers out of the C$4.2 billion in revenues from grain sales.
"I'm not saying we're not cost-effective now," Measner said. "I don't have a goal that says there can be this many costs that come out of the organization, but I just want to make sure we're very responsive, we're very focused, and that's what we're going to deliver.
Industry participants cheered the C$260,000-per-year appointment, which was announced by Ralph Goodale, the federal cabinet minister responsible for the CWB.
"He's honest and hard-nosed," said Ed Guest, executive director of the Western Grain Elevators Association, which represents grain companies in negotiations with the CWB.
"He's certainly not an in-your-face kind of person, but he's honest and aggressive sitting on the other side of the table," Guest said.
Measner takes the helm of the CWB at a critical juncture. The state-sponsored trading enterprise is under scrutiny from the U.S. government, which is investigating dumping allegations from U.S. farmers, and by Canadian grain companies and farmers that would like to circumvent its monopoly powers.
But the appointment is likely to find favor even among CWB critics, trade sources said.
"I can't imagine anybody really saying, 'This stinks'," a senior grain trader said. "Even some of the guys who just hate the board, they'll still give thumbs-up to Adrian Measner."
Measner is the second president of the wheat board since federal government overhauled it in 1999 to give farmers more control over the agency, which has a monopoly on Prairie wheat and barley sales to mills, maltsters and export markets.
Under the revamped structure, farmers elect 10 directors while the federal government appoints the president and four other directors. Elections for five of the farmer-director positions are under way, with results to be announced on Sunday.
Greg Arason, a former grain company CEO who was the CWB's first president and chief executive, announced earlier this year he would retire on Dec. 31.
The CWB advertised the position widely. After considering 35 applicants and interviewing eight, Measner was recommended for the job by the CWB's board of directors, said chairman Ken Ritter.
"Often, the individual that is next to you has far more capability... than some of the so-called media stars that you sometimes hear about," Ritter said, describing Measner as having a "quiet" management style that gets results.
Measner led the CWB through a raucous year-long battle with grain companies wanting to wrest control of grain shipping and rail car allocation from the CWB.
Grain firms have complained that reforms to the system hurt their revenues and favor the CWB.
"I think he understands the need for continuing to work on improving efficiencies in the grain transportation business," said Marvin Wiens, president of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, (Toronto:SWPb.TO - News) Canada's second-largest grain company.
"We all need to look at ways to do things better, because the industry and the producer are under tremendous financial pressure," Wiens said.
A two-year drought in Western Canada has drastically reduced the CWB's supplies and revenues, with an expected 55 percent drop in wheat exports.
UPDATE - Canadian Wheat Board CEO aims to streamline costs
Friday December 13, 5:08 pm ET
By Roberta Rampton
(Updates with CEO comments in paras 3-4)
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Adrian Measner, known as a firm, pragmatic negotiator with an intricate understanding of the grain business, was appointed on Friday as president and chief executive of the Canadian Wheat Board, the world's largest single seller of wheat and barley.
ADVERTISEMENT
Measner, 50, has spent most of his 28 years in the grain industry in key sales positions at the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), and has been in charge of its day-to-day operations since 1993.
Measner told reporters he will undertake a complete review of the CWB's structure with an eye to streamlining and trimming costs. In 2000-01, the board's total costs were C$66 million ($42.6 million), paid for by farmers out of the C$4.2 billion in revenues from grain sales.
"I'm not saying we're not cost-effective now," Measner said. "I don't have a goal that says there can be this many costs that come out of the organization, but I just want to make sure we're very responsive, we're very focused, and that's what we're going to deliver.
Industry participants cheered the C$260,000-per-year appointment, which was announced by Ralph Goodale, the federal cabinet minister responsible for the CWB.
"He's honest and hard-nosed," said Ed Guest, executive director of the Western Grain Elevators Association, which represents grain companies in negotiations with the CWB.
"He's certainly not an in-your-face kind of person, but he's honest and aggressive sitting on the other side of the table," Guest said.
Measner takes the helm of the CWB at a critical juncture. The state-sponsored trading enterprise is under scrutiny from the U.S. government, which is investigating dumping allegations from U.S. farmers, and by Canadian grain companies and farmers that would like to circumvent its monopoly powers.
But the appointment is likely to find favor even among CWB critics, trade sources said.
"I can't imagine anybody really saying, 'This stinks'," a senior grain trader said. "Even some of the guys who just hate the board, they'll still give thumbs-up to Adrian Measner."
Measner is the second president of the wheat board since federal government overhauled it in 1999 to give farmers more control over the agency, which has a monopoly on Prairie wheat and barley sales to mills, maltsters and export markets.
Under the revamped structure, farmers elect 10 directors while the federal government appoints the president and four other directors. Elections for five of the farmer-director positions are under way, with results to be announced on Sunday.
Greg Arason, a former grain company CEO who was the CWB's first president and chief executive, announced earlier this year he would retire on Dec. 31.
The CWB advertised the position widely. After considering 35 applicants and interviewing eight, Measner was recommended for the job by the CWB's board of directors, said chairman Ken Ritter.
"Often, the individual that is next to you has far more capability... than some of the so-called media stars that you sometimes hear about," Ritter said, describing Measner as having a "quiet" management style that gets results.
Measner led the CWB through a raucous year-long battle with grain companies wanting to wrest control of grain shipping and rail car allocation from the CWB.
Grain firms have complained that reforms to the system hurt their revenues and favor the CWB.
"I think he understands the need for continuing to work on improving efficiencies in the grain transportation business," said Marvin Wiens, president of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, (Toronto:SWPb.TO - News) Canada's second-largest grain company.
"We all need to look at ways to do things better, because the industry and the producer are under tremendous financial pressure," Wiens said.
A two-year drought in Western Canada has drastically reduced the CWB's supplies and revenues, with an expected 55 percent drop in wheat exports.
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