Noble Group Ltd. named Yusuf Alireza, formerly co-president of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s Asia- excluding-Japan unit, as chief executive officer to lead Asia’s biggest commodity supplier. Mr. Yusuf Alireza will be appointed as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of the Company with effect from 16 April, 2012.
Richard Elman will step down as acting CEO and will continue as Chairman, also with effect from 16 April, 2012. Prior to his appointment, Yusuf was Co-President of Asia (ex Japan) for Goldman Sachs and a member of that firm’s Global Management Committee. He first joined Goldman in 1997, becoming head of Goldman’s Asia securities division in 2008.
In addition, Mr. William Randall has been appointed as a member of the Board with effect from 6 February, 2012.
Mr. Randall will also assume the title of Head of Hard Commodities and in that capacity will be responsible for Noble’s Hard Energy, and Metals, Minerals and Ores businesses. He is currently Noble Group Head of Energy Coal & Carbon Complex. He started his career at Noble in Australia in 1997, transferring to Asia in 1999 where he established Noble’s coal operations, mining and supply chain management businesses. He was appointed Global Head of Coal & Coke in 2006 and became a member of the Noble Group internal management board in 2008. He will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer.
Noble operates from over 120 offices in 40 countries, employing approximately 80 nationalities. Noble manages a diversified portfolio of essential raw materials, integrating the sourcing, marketing, processing, financing and transportation. Noble owns and manages an array of strategic assets, sourcing from low cost producers such as Brazil, Argentina, Australia and Indonesia and supplying to high growth demand markets including China, India and the Middle East. Today, Noble has interests in grain crushing facilities, coal and iron ore mines, fuel terminals and storage facilities, sugar and ethanol plants, ports, vessels and other key infrastructure
Source: Noble Group Press Release / 6 Feb 2012