BEIJING, CHINA — Dr. Martin Fritsch has been appointed non-executive director of COFCO International’s board of directors, the company announced. He succeeds Pierre Lorinet, who resigned from the board in 2023.

Fritsch, who has led global finance functions in the logistics industry while working in Europe, North America and the Middle East, was most recently chief financial officer at VFS Global, a market leader in visa outsourcing services, where he led the finance, internal audit, merger and acquisition and procurement functions. 

Before that, Fritsch spent more than 20 years with DHL, a Germany-based logistics company, handling various finance responsibilities, including as CFO, chief compliance officer and business transformation officer.

Fritsch, who holds a PhD in business administration from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, was also appointed chairman of the COFCO International Audit Committee and member of the Investment Committee, 

“On behalf of the board, I would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Pierre for his contributions in shaping COFCO International into a world class global agribusiness, during his tenure as a non-executive director,” said Richeng Luan, chairman of COFCO International. “Martin brings global financial and strategic experience, which are an asset to the board, while his knowledge and skills from compliance, accounting, internal controls and investment make him ideal to lead the Audit Committee and contribute as a member of the Investment Committee.”

COFCO International is the overseas agriculture business platform for COFCO Corp., China’s largest food and agriculture company. COFCO International is focused on the global grains, oilseeds, sugar, coffee and cotton supply chains, with assets in 37 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific.