DENVER — Rodney Perry will become the new president and chief executive officer of Western Sugar Cooperative on April 21.

“We are delighted to have Rodney Perry join Western Sugar following an extensive search of qualified candidates,” said Nick Lapaseotes, chairman of the cooperative’s board of directors. “It was clear to us early in our search that Rodney has the management skills and agribusiness and food experience to lead our grower-owned cooperative forward.”

Mr. Perry has more than 24 years of agribusiness and food industry experience with Archer Daniels Midland Co., ConAgra, Bethel Grain Co. and Bunge. He was most recently vice-president for Food and Ingredients in Europe, Middle East and Africa at Bunge, which he joined in 2000 as sales and marketing manager, then led the company’s North American Milling, Edible Oils and Canadian Oilseed businesses before moving to Europe.

He has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Illinois State University and an executive master’s degree in international business from St. Louis University.

Mr. Perry succeeds Inder Mathur who retired last year after leading Western Sugar as its president and c.e.o. since its founding in 2002.

Western Sugar Cooperative has 1,400 grower-owners who raise sugar beets in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming and has five sugar beet processing facilities in those states in addition to seven storage facilities in Colorado and Nebraska.