Cobb appoints GM for Asian region

Pelayo Casanovas has been appointed general manager of Cobb’s Asian region covering Asia, the Pacific and Australasia and will be based in a new corporate office being set up in Shanghai, China.

Previously with Cobb Europe, where he was the sales and technical director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Casanovas main role will be to head Cobb’s expansion in Asia. Cobb plans to start producing parent stock in China through a joint venture, Hubei Tong Xing Cobb Breeding Company. Since 2004 the Cobb Asia business unit has increased from 14 distributors to nearly 40.

“Pelayo has a solid track record of building and directing teams in both sales and technical roles with Cobb including his role in directing our expansion efforts in Russia,” said Stan Reid, vice president of sales and marketing for Cobb.

Casanovas gained a degree in agricultural engineering at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. He then continued his studies in the United States, achieving a Masters in poultry science at the University of Georgia. After joining Cobb in 1999, he spent two years in the US before moving back to Europe to become divisional technical manager for Western Europe and Middle East. In 2009, he was then promoted to technical director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, becoming responsible for sales as well as technical activities.

He and his family will be relocating to his new region in the near future.