Marel has announced the appointment of Roger Claessens to the position of Executive Vice President of Marel Poultry, as of September 1, 2019. Roger will become a member of Marel’s Executive Team and report directly to CEO Árni Oddur Thórdarson. Until September 1, Anton de Weerd will continue in his role as Executive Vice President of Marel Poultry to facilitate the transition before taking on a new role within Marel.

Over his 18-year tenure with Marel, Roger Claessens has gained extensive management experience and demonstrated excellent leadership skills. In his management role as Director of Innovation Poultry over the past five years, Roger has successfully led Marel’s innovation efforts for the poultry industry and been instrumental in the launch of new advanced and high-tech equipment and solutions.

Claessens is 43 years old and holds a MSc degree in agricultural engineering from Wageningen University and Research. He is a Dutch national and lives with his wife and two children in Malden in the Netherlands.

Árni Oddur Thórdarson, CEO of Marel, said, “I would like to thank Anton de Weerd sincerely for his valuable contribution to Marel’s success over the years. It has been truly enjoyable to work with Anton in transforming the way poultry is processed. At the same time, I am pleased that Marel will continue to benefit from his vast experience and business insights. During his 37-year career at Marel, Anton has been a valuable member of the team and instrumental in delivering solid operational performance and positioning Marel for future growth. Today, we have the most complete product range of standard equipment and full-line solutions for the poultry processing industry.   

“We are delighted that Roger has accepted this role. During his 18-year career at Marel, Roger has demonstrated true leadership talent as well as engineering and technological capabilities. Under his innovational leadership, the Marel team has continuously introduced new products, systems and solutions that have transformed the poultry industry. I welcome Roger on board as Executive Vice President of Marel Poultry and a member of the Executive Team.”

For more information visit www.marel.com/poultry/.