Jackson will gradually transition his roles and responsibilities to Nogueira through the end of this year. Jackson will remain with the company in an advisory capacity and retain his seat on the board of Pilgrim's Pride Corporation.

Andre Nogueira, in his new role as JBS USA CEO, will have responsibility for all U.S. and Australia operations and will report directly to Wesley Batista, president and CEO of JBS global operations.

Under this new structure, Bill Rupp, in addition to his current role as president and COO of the JBS USA beef business, will assume leadership of the Australia business and report to Nogueira.

"In my new capacity as CEO, I am excited to continue to work with our team to position JBS USA as the most efficient, preferred supplier for our customers," stated Nogueira. "Global consumption of animal protein has experienced tremendous growth over the last decade and JBS USA is well-positioned to meet increasing protein demand through its strategic global production and sales platforms. I look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to provide the highest quality beef, pork, poultry and lamb products."

Nogueira assumes the position of JBS USA CEO with over 25 years of leadership experience in corporate business in both the U.S. and Brazil. For the past five years, Nogueira has been a part of JBS, serving as JBS USA CFO for four years and as CEO of JBS Australia for the past year. His time at JBS has provided Nogueira with intimate knowledge of the U.S. and Australia operations and the JBS culture.

In addition to his executive roles at JBS, Nogueira enjoyed more than 20 years of corporate financial banking experience, holding senior positions at Banco do Brasil in both the U.S. and Brazil. Nogueira earned a B.A. in economics from Federal Fluminese University, a Masters in economics from Brasilia University, and an MBA from Funcado Don Cabral.

Rupp joined JBS USA in 2010 as president and COO of the beef business unit. Prior to joining JBS, Rupp spent more than 20 years at Cargill where he held a variety of senior-level positions including vice president of beef operations and president of Cargill Beef.

Jackson was named president and CEO of JBS USA in 2010. Immediately prior to joining JBS USA, Jackson served as CEO for Pilgrim's Pride where he successfully guided the company through bankruptcy, ultimately negotiating the sale of controlling interest to JBS USA. Prior to his time at Pilgrim's, Jackson enjoyed a distinguished career with Central Soya, Seaboard, ConAgra, and Foster Farms.

-- Globe Newswire release