Forging integration between market management and traders is topping the agenda for the new board chairman of the World Union of Wholesale Markets.
Donald Darnall, executive director of the Maryland Food Centre Authority (MFCA) in Baltimore, US, was elected as chairman at the WUWM annual general meeting held in
Sao Paulo, Brazil, last month.
A member of the union for 17 years, Darnall described his enthusiasm to lead it in establishing the continued importance of global food markets by encouraging collaboration among all sectors of the food industry.
“In this regard, we must consider taking additional steps to ensure the name of our organisation reflects one of our primary goals: to bring together the world’s wholesale and retail markets, and their respective traders,” he said.
Darnall emphasised WUWM would contain focus on promoting the socio-economic benefits of food markets in areas such as local employment, support to locally grown, harvested and produced food products, and for ensuring wider access by small and medium players to the food supply chain.
He also stressed the important commercial role that markets in the food supply chain, encouraging the support of policies and procedures that allow markets to achieve returns on their investments.
Graham Wallace, group manager of Glasgow Markets was elected vice-Chairman after three years on the WUWM board.
Wallace emphasised his eagerness to work alongside Darnell in his commitment to pursuing a number of ongoing ambitions, including achieving closer communication between market members to explore direct trading possibilities and develop co-operation on a wide range of operational issues.
In addition, he outlined additional objectives: to develop the work of WUWM at a regional level; to enable the representation of retail market interests within the union; to advance the role WUWM can play in providing a technical support service to members; and strengthen links with government, non-government bodies and organisations with complementary aims.
Wallace said: “This is a very exciting time to be involved in the continuing development of WUWM and its services to members and I am very pleased to have the opportunity of being able to play a part in the process.”
Outgoing chairman of the board, Jose Augusto Ramos Rocha was appointed honorary chairman, along with former president and current board member Carlo Dianzani of Florence market, in Italy.
Also elected to the board were: Ricardo Hugo Angelucci, president of Buenos Aires Market in Argentina, Michel Escoffier, secretary general of FFMIN in France, Torben Flinch, executive director of Copenhagen market in Denmark, Ottavio Guala, president of Mercati Associati in Italy, Rodrigo Li Guzmán, director of Pima Cenada in Costa Rica, Marcel Verbelen, director of Mabru in Belgium, Carmo Robilotta Zeitune, CEAGESP, Brazil and Wolf Rohde, managing director, of Hamburg market, in Germany.
