OMAHA, NEBRASKA, U.S. — Lewis Batchelder has been named chief executive officer (CEO) of The Gavilon Group, L.L.C., effective March 1. He replaces Jim Anderson, who had been named CEO in October 2014.

Batchelder has more than 40 years of experience in the grain industry. He has served as senior vice-president, agricultural services at Archer Daniels Midland Co. and as chairman of Alfred C. Toepfer International, a global merchandiser of agricultural commodities and processed products.

Besides Anderson, two other Gavilon executives have stepped down:  John Neppl, chief operating officer, and Greg Konsor, vice-president of North American grain, said Patrick Burke, marketing and communications supervisor. Chris Faust will be promoted to general manager of North American grain.

Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.-based Gavilon connects producers and consumers of feed, food and fuel, linking agricultural supply with demand through its global supply chain network. Marubeni Corp., based in Japan, completed its acquisition of Gavilon in 2013.

“(Batchelder’s) experience in the grain industry, along with his long-standing relationship with Marubeni Corp., of which Gavilon is a wholly-owned subsidiary, will be instrumental in building on Gavilon’s success while also shaping the future path for growth of the company within Marubeni’s group-wide business strategy,” The Gavilon Group said.

Batchelder said, “I am excited to begin my role as CEO of Gavilon. I welcome the opportunity to join a company with Gavilon’s strong financial position, the support of its parent company Marubeni Corp. and its dedicated suppliers and customers. While our day-to-day operations will not change, I look forward to leveraging Marubeni’s expansive network to grow and improve the company, all with the goal of helping Gavilon, our producers and our customers to operate as profitably as possible.”