USMEF ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP TRANSITION

Lindsay Mitchell

May 26, 2017  |  Today's News |  Livestock |  Exports

Originally published by Rite Jane Gabbett on Meatingplace

The U.S. Meat Export Federation announced that  Phil Seng, who has led the organization for the past 27 years, will step down as CEO at the end of this year.  Dan Halstrom, USMEF senior vice president for marketing, will become president on Sept. 1, and assume the title of president and CEO on Dec. 1.

Seng will remain with the organization as CEO emeritus through July 2018.

Seng, who joined USMEF in 1982 as the group’s Asia Director, has long served as the primary spokesman for USMEF and other exporting interests to government and private entities regarding international trade policy and foreign market development for U.S. red meat products.

Fluent in Japanese, Seng played a central role in opening the Japanese beef market for U.S. exports.

His marketing strategies and approach to the Japanese market received critical acclaim in the international business community and served as a case study in the Harvard University  Business School, where he has been a guest lecturer on several occasions.

Seng served four terms as president of the International Meat Secretariat, where meat experts from more than 40 nations regularly meet to discuss and resolve issues. He was inducted into the inaugural class of the Meat Industry Hall of Fame in 2009.

USMEF past chairman Roel Andriessen paid tribute to Seng for his decades of service.
 
“Phil, on behalf of the USMEF Executive Committee and USMEF members and staff, we applaud your leadership and vision for this industry, which started a long time ago,” Andriessen said. “You are a legend in our industry — there’s no doubt about that, and your shoes will be extremely difficult to fill. You will leave behind a great legacy and I want to applaud you for all you have done for us.”

Halstrom echoed these sentiments, noting that he’s learned a wealth of information from  Seng.

“I certainly don’t expect to replace Phil Seng, but I hope to complement him with the help of a very talented USMEF team, and that is a tremendous advantage going forward,” he said.

Halstrom joined USMEF as senior vice president for marketing in 2010, overseeing promotional activities for
U.S. red meat managed through the organization’s 18 international offices.

He was previously vice president for international sales with JBS S.A.,  where he managed global beef and pork sales. From 1990 through 1999, Halstrom directed international pork sales for Swift/ConAgra Foods Inc. A native of northwest Iowa, Halstrom currently resides in Fort Collins, Colo.