Klaus Josef Lutz, chief executive of German agricultural congolomerate BayWa, which last week secured its planned acquisition of a majority share in New Zealand fresh produce exporter Turners & Growers, has been appointed to the supervisory board of Euro Pool System, a major supplier of returnable packaging to the European fresh produce business.
The Netherlands-based company also announced the appointment of Franky Depickere, who among other positions currently heads up Belgian financial group Cera / KBC Ancora, to its supervisory board.
'Franky Depickere and Klaus Josef Lutz, both of whom have considerable experience as board members of other organisations, are valuable assets to Euro Pool System's supervisory board,' the group said in a statement.
Klaus Josef Lutz has been CEO and chairman of BayWa's executive board since July 2008. Prior to that, he was managing director of German firm Digital Equipment and chief executive of several companies including Ditec Informationstechnologie, Burda Druck, i-center Beteiligungen and Süddeutscher Verlag, publisher of the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
As well as leading BayWa, Lutz currently holds positions on the supervisory boards of several listed corporations and private companies, including: VK Mühlen, Graphit Kropfmühl and WHG Austria, Man Truck & Bus, Raiffeisen Ware Austria and Renerco.
Euro Pool System's supervisory board is made up of eight members, including its president Noël Keersebilck, who has also been chief executive of Belgian fresh vegetable auction house REO Veiling since 1993.
Other notable members of the Euro Pool System supervisory board include: Karl Schmitz, who heads up the fresh fruit and vegetable division of German cooperatives federation DRV; Philip Smits, general manager of the Netherlands' largest fresh produce sales organisation The Greenery; and Henning Schmidt, chairman of German horticultural giant Landgard.
