Archer Daniels Midland Company Announces Appointments

DECATUR, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) Chairman, CEO and President Patricia Woertz today announced a slate of management appointments, saying, “To achieve our growth aspirations, we must expand and develop our leadership team. These moves help strengthen ADM’s leadership today and ensure a strong pipeline of capable leaders in the years to come.”

Effective Dec. 1, the following corporate officers have been promoted or named to new positions:

• Mark Bemis has been named senior vice president and president, Corn. Previously, he served as vice president and president, Cocoa, Milling and Financial Services.
• Matt Jansen has been named senior vice president. He continues to serve as president, Global Oilseeds.
• Craig Huss has been named senior vice president. He continues to serve as president, Agricultural Services.
• Joe Taets, vice president, has been named president, Grain.
• Mark Kolkhorst has been appointed a corporate officer and named vice president and president, Milling and Cocoa.
• Victoria Podesta, vice president, has been named chief communications officer.
• Mike Baroni has been named vice president, Economic Policy.

Bemis, Jansen and Huss also join the company’s Strategic Planning Committee.

The following leadership appointments are also effective Dec. 1:

• Kris Lutt has been named president, Milling.
• Chris Boerm has been named advisor, Office of the Chairman.
• Conrad Givers has been named vice president, Sweetener Sales.

Biographical Information

Mark Bemis, senior vice president and president, Corn, joined ADM in 1983. He has served in various merchandising and management positions in the Agricultural Services, Corn, Oilseeds, Cocoa, Milling and Malt businesses. Most recently, he served as president of the Cocoa, Milling and Financial Services business unit, where he was responsible for the unit’s operations and commercial activities, including ADM Investor Services and Agrinational Insurance Company. Bemis received a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois.

Matt Jansen, senior vice president and president of ADM’s Oilseeds business unit, is responsible for the operations and commercial activities of businesses on four continents. Jansen joined ADM in 1989, and has served as president of ADM's South American operations; as president of the ADM Grain Group; and as vice president of Risk Management, Ethanol Trading and Sales. He received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Arkansas.

Craig Huss, senior vice president and president of the company’s Agricultural Services business unit, is responsible for its operations and commercial activities. With ADM since 1976, Huss has held various positions in grain elevator management and merchandising management. In 1999, he was promoted to president of ADM Transportation. Huss received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in business administration, both from Southeast Louisiana University.

Joe Taets, vice president and president, Grain, is responsible for the company’s domestic and export grain businesses, grain merchandising operations, destination marketing business and ocean freight and vessel operations. Taets received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Drake University. He joined ADM in 1988.

Mark Kolkhorst, vice president and president, Milling and Cocoa, joined ADM in 1986. He most recently served as president of ADM Milling, where he was responsible for all aspects of the company’s flour milling businesses in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and the United Kingdom. Previously, he was president of Specialty Feed Ingredients and served in various management positions in grain merchandising. Kolkhorst received a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness from Illinois State University.

Victoria Podesta, vice president and chief communications officer, joined ADM in 2007 as vice president, Corporate Communications. Previously, she was a corporate communications consultant, specializing in communication strategy, corporate reputation, media relations and employee communications for global companies. She received a bachelor’s degree in British and American literature from Scripps College and a master’s degree in writing from the University of San Francisco.

Mike Baroni, vice president, Economic Policy, joined ADM in 1982. He most recently served as president of the Corn business unit, responsible for its operations and commercial activities. Previously, he was president of the Specialty Food Ingredients business and held various business and sales management positions in the company’s Corn business unit. He received a bachelor’s degree in business management from Bradley University and a master’s degree in business administration from Illinois State University.

Kris Lutt, president, Milling, joined ADM in 2002 with the acquisition of Minnesota Corn Processors. Within ADM’s Corn business unit, he served as general manager, Specialty Feed Ingredients; and vice president, Corn Processing. In 2009, he was named advisor to the Office of the Chairman. Lutt received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Nebraska and a master’s degree in business administration from Illinois State University.

Chris Boerm, advisor, Office of the Chairman, joined ADM in 1991, and previously served as vice president, Eastern Region Grain, and as senior merchandising manager. He received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Wartburg College and a master’s degree in business administration from Nova Southeastern University.

Conrad Givers, vice president, Sweetener Sales, joined ADM in 1990. Most recently, he served as manager, Cost Management, coordinating cost management activities throughout the company. Previously, he served in a variety of roles at ADM, including regional manager, Packaged Oils; and assistant vice president, Corn Processing. Givers received a bachelor’s degree in marketing and business administration from Millikin University.

About ADM

Every day, the 29,000 people of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) turn crops into renewable products that meet the demands of a growing world. At more than 240 processing plants, we convert corn, oilseeds, wheat and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, chemical and energy uses. We operate the world’s premier crop origination and transportation network, connecting crops and markets in more than 60 countries. Our global headquarters is in Decatur, Illinois, and our net sales for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010, were $62 billion. For more information about our Company and our products, visit www.adm.com.

Archer Daniels Midland Company
ADM Media Relations, 217-424-5413
media@adm.com