USMEF Names New Asia-Pacific Leadership, Haggard Transitions
In one of the most essential areas for U.S. red meat exports, the U.S. Meat Export Federation announces a change in leadership in the Asia-Pacific region as Joel Haggard, longtime senior vice president for the region steps into a consultant role, and Jihae Yang, former Korea director steps in.
Dan Halstrom, president and CEO of USMEF, shares his confidence in Jihae’s ability to continue strengthening this regional market for U.S. red meat products in a recent report.
“Jihae comes with a wealth of background and wealth of experience,” Halstrom says. “None bigger than her experience of shepherding us through the whole post-[bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)] issue in 2003. She was masterful in her handling of the rebound in the Korean market between 2004 and 2010, so she's extremely well qualified.”
Halstrom extends a welcome to Jihae in her new role and believes exports to the area will “not miss a beat.”
Excited to take on this new role, Jihae Yang notes there is opportunity to translate the successes from South Korea into other Asian countries.
Yang says the area previously had never been exposed to high-quality beef. Now, the area’s Korean-style and Japanese-style culture prefers the U.S. high-quality grain-fed beef, especially in Korean barbeque and Japanease yakiniku culture.
“U.S. beef is an essential item for that segment. So, I see the great potential to expand our share in the foodservice market, especially in Vietnam and the Philippines,” Yang explains.
The report notes, Haggard will remain as a consultant for USMEF, helping the agency transition to a new consumer-focused approach driven by e-commerce and a drive for convenience, particularly in China.
“We've had beef access in China since 2017,” Haggard says. “We're five years into it, and really the last three years has been building the sales channels since the bilateral trade deal. But now we're going to engage further and try to build the image of the U.S. as the premier grain-fed supplier.”
