Jais Valeur new head of Global Ingredients

With effect from September 1, Jais Valeur, the current MD of Arla Foods' Chinese joint venture, will assume responsibility for Arla Foods Ingredients with the title of Executive Director.

Jais Valeur has been named new head of Global Ingredients. For almost 18 months, Jais Valeur has been in charge of the joint venture company Mengnui Arla and its 800 employees working with production and sales of milk powder for the Chinese market. The construction of a second milk powder factory has just begun in Hohhot, and by the time Jais Valeur returns to Denmark to head up Arla Foods Ingredients, the second Hohhot project will be well underway. Upon his return, Jais Valeur also joins Arla Foods' Executive Management Group (EMG).

"Jais has been in the driving seat during the first important years in China. Together with his team, he has created a company with potential, which has already developed more rapidly than we expected. He has wide international experience, and I'm very much looking forward to him taking on his new role," says CEO Peder Tuborgh about the appointment.

Jais Valeur replaces Peter Lauritzen, who has been responsible for Arla Foods' Ingredients business for 13 years. Peter Lauritzen was recently appointed CEO of Arla's UK company and is responsible for Consumer UK. He remains a member of the EMG.
Niels Ulrich Pedersen, who is currently responsible for Consumer International's markets in Asia and North and South America, will succeed Jais Valeur as Managing Director of Mengnui Arla. It has not yet been decided who will succeed Niels Ulrich Pedersen.

Facts about Jais Valeur
Jais Valeur, 44, began his career with Arla Foods in 1986 as a sales assistant in the joint venture company, Denmark Protein. In 1993, Jais Valeur was appointed Director of the Arla subsidiary, Cremo Cheese. In 1994, he and his family moved to New Zealand where he worked for Fonterra, New Zealand's largest dairy, for four years. Here, he was involved with business development, strategy and development, particularly within the field of milk powder.

He subsequently joined Bryggerigruppen (Faxe/Ceres) as export director, but returned to Arla Foods in 2000 as Sales Director for Ingredients with responsibility for global sales of milk powder. In 2006, he was appointed Managing Director of Arla Mengnui.