Alexandre Almeida, former CEO of Itambé, takes on the position of Brazil's General Manager; Leonardo Byrro takes on Supply Vice President

SAO PAULO, March 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, BRF announced changes to its management team to address two objectives. The first is to strengthen national and global operations of BRF to better serve its clients and sustain growth. The second objective allows BRF to continue to provide quick and transparent answers to the challenges it has been experiencing since the Weak Flesh Investigation and the consequent impacts it has caused to the Brazilian agribusiness.

To address these objectives, two separate divisions were created: Response Management and Business Management.

The Response Management division, led by BRF Director, Simon Cheng is comprised of a multidisciplinary team that will assist the Special Response Committee.

Pedro Faria, Global CEO will turn his focus back to the management of BRF's business and oversee the Business Management division. The Business Management division will allow BRF to maintain focus on the quality of its operations and on the day-to-day activities, including the continuous evolution of its management model. This structure is temporary, but may remain active if deemed necessary by BRF.

Alexandre Almeida, former CEO of Itambé, joins BRF to lead the Brazilian market, conduct the integration process and prioritize ongoing initiatives. Mr. Almeida, is replacing Rafael Ivanisk, who made a personal decision to leave the Company. BRF thanks Mr. Ivanisk for his service during his tenure with the company.

Leonardo Byrro, who shared the role of Brazil General Manager with Rafael Ivanisk, will assume the position of Supply Vice President. This change aims to accelerate the planning process and the optimization of BRF's value chain. This new configuration will allow for an increased focus on the agroindustry management, an important competitive differentiator of BRF.

The Global Quality department will now report directly to Pedro Faria.

Pedro Navio, former CEO Latam of RedBull, recently joined BRF and will lead the strategic global Marketing and Innovation agenda.

These new executives will join the BRF leadership team, without holding a statutory office. BRF continues its intense work of rethinking the current management model to better serve its customers and shareholders.

About BRF

BRF is one of the largest food companies in the world, with more than 80 years of history. It has more than 30 brands in its portfolio, among them Sadia, Perdigão, Qualy, Paty, Dánica and Bocatti, and is sold in more than 150 countries in five continents. The company has more 105,000 employees in its 53 facilities in seven countries (Argentina, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Holland, Malaysia, UK and Thailand).

CONTACT: BRF S.A., imprensa@brf-br.com

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SOURCE BRF S.A.