Cargill Vice Chairman F. Guillaume Bastiaens Retires

Guillaume Bastiaens was a powerful voice for innovation and a driving force behind Cargill’s global expansion in oilseed processing, food ingredients and fertilizer.

09/09/08 Cargill announced that Guillaume Bastiaens, vice chairman of Cargill and member, Cargill Board of Directors, has retired, effective Sept. 1, 2008, after 41 years of service with the company.

“Guillaume Bastiaens was a powerful voice for innovation and a driving force behind Cargill’s global expansion in oilseed processing, food ingredients and fertilizer,” said Greg Page, Cargill chairman and chief executive officer. “Moreover, he championed a culture of work safety and operational excellence at Cargill locations across all our businesses around the world.”

Bastiaens, 65, began his career with Cargill in 1967 as a refinery supervisor in Amsterdam. He continued in various supervisory positions at Cargill facilities in Europe until transferring to Minneapolis as vice president in the company's processing group, responsible for the operation and engineering of all domestic and international processing facilities.

Bastiaens was elected corporate vice president of Cargill in 1986, responsible for overall plant operations and technical development. He was later named chief technology officer, president of the company’s industrial sector, and eventually president of its food sector. He was elected executive vice president and board member in 1995, and named vice chairman in 1998.

A native of Belgium, Bastiaens serves on the boards of the Donaldson Company and The Mosaic Company. He also is a member of the executive board of SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise), a nonprofit organization.