DOHA, QATAR: Baladna, a Qatari agricultural company that raises livestock and produces dairy products, announced the commencement of Piet Hilarides as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Malcolm Jordan, who has led Baladna through a transformative period of accelerated growth following the company’s successful listing on the Qatar Stock Exchange in 2019.
He has successfully steered the business through the pandemic, growing revenue by 67.6% to QAR 814.8 million in 2020.
Piet brings over 30 years of commercial leadership and food & dairy industry experience from across Europe and Asia Pacific (APAC). Most recently, he was the APAC President of Perfetti Van Melle, a leading Italian-Dutch confectionary multinational, responsible for the consumer business in nine APAC countries.
He previously held senior positions at Dutch dairy cooperative Royal Frieslandcampina. As well as being an executive board member, he was global chief operating officer of the cheese, butter and milk powder divisions.
Piet aims to drive growth and innovation at Baladna targeting 15-20% growth over the coming years, overseeing Baladna’s international expansion and continuing to support Qatar’s food security ambitions.
Baladna is 100% Qatari, and one of the largest cattle farms in the region, spreading over an area of 2.4 million sqm. The farm has a capacity to house up to 24000 cows in a comfortable and well-conditioned environment, allowing them to reach their production capacity comfortably.
The farm provides an authentic model of freshness and nutritional value. Cows are milked daily using the most advanced rotary milking system to provide a wide selection of dairy products. The farm is open to the public and features the region’s most advanced rotary milking parlour, as well as a restaurant, a carefully manicured garden, a children’s play area, and a petting zoo.