JBS N.V. has announced that Wesley Batista Filho will become the company’s next global CEO, effective January 2027. The transition marks the culmination of a planned succession strategy.
Batista Filho will succeed Gilberto Tomazoni, who is stepping down after a 14-year career with JBS, including eight years as global CEO. Tomazoni will transition to the roles of vice chairman of the board and senior advisor.
A Planned Succession Grounded in Global Experience
Batista Filho’s appointment as global CEO is the culmination of a diverse 15-year career within JBS’s global operations. He joined the company in 2011 as an operational trainee at the beef processing facility in Greeley, Colo. Over the subsequent decade and a half, his career path took him across multiple continents and major business units.
After managing beef operations in Uruguay and Paraguay, he served as president of JBS Canada in Calgary, Alberta, from 2014 to 2015. He then returned to Greeley to lead JBS USA Fed Beef — the company’s largest global business unit — before moving to São Paulo in 2017 to become CEO of JBS Brazil. By 2020, his role expanded to include the leadership of Seara, JBS’s value-added poultry and pork business.
In 2023, following a brief tenure as global president of operations, Batista Filho returned to Colorado to lead JBS USA. In this role, he has managed an American food platform consisting of more than 60 production facilities and 70,000 employees across 31 states, which according to FoodBev.com currently generates more than half of the parent company’s global revenue.
“I’m honored to take on this responsibility and build on the extraordinary work accomplished by Tomazoni during his tenure as CEO,” Batista Filho says. “Having worked alongside him for more than a decade, Tomazoni and I have built a great working relationship and a shared vision – grounded in the company’s values. Our priorities remain clear: supporting our team members, serving our customers and producer partners, operating with excellence and creating long-term value for our shareholders. I look forward to working with our teams around the world as we continue building an even stronger JBS.”
Tomazoni’s Transformative Legacy and New Advisory Roles
Having led JBS through one of the most transformative periods in its history, Tomazoni will oversee the leadership transition over the next five months before assuming the role of vice chairman of the board and senior advisor. He will also continue to serve as chairman of the board of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (PPC) and will become chairman of the J&F Institute, an institution dedicated to developing the next generation of business leaders.
During Tomazoni’s tenure, JBS evolved into a more diversified, resilient and global food company. Revenue increased 73%, from $49.7 billion to $86.2 billion, JBS expanded into new protein categories, strengthened its portfolio of branded and value-added products, invested in biotechnology, achieved investment-grade status and successfully completed its listing on the New York Stock Exchange, positioning JBS for its next phase of growth.
“It has been an honor to lead this great company over the past eight years. JBS is stronger, more diversified and better positioned for the future than at any point in its history,” Tomazoni says. “With a strong leadership team, a clear strategy and exceptional businesses around the world, I believe this is the right time for the company to begin its next chapter under Wesley’s leadership. I am deeply grateful to our team members, customers, producer partners and shareholders for their trust and support throughout this journey. I wish Wesley every success.”
