Cincinnati-based banana and produce distributor Chiquita Brands International has appointed Vanessa L. Vargas-Land as vice president and chief compliance officer.
In her role, Vargas-Land will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the company’s compliance and ethics programme, reporting to James Thompson, senior vice president and general counsel.
“Vanessa’s strong background in ethics and compliance in a complex international environment will be a tremendous asset in helping us to achieve the high standards of our Code of Conduct and Core Values, as well as fully comply with the law and regulations in the many countries in which Chiquita operates,” Thompson said.
While she will be reporting to Thompson, Chiquita said Vargas-Land will have a close working relationship with chairman and CEO Fernando Aguirre, and will also collaborate closely with the company’s corporate responsibility officer and the Audit and Nominating & Governance Committees of the board of directors.
Vargas joins Chiquita from Abbott Laboratories, where she most recently served as ethics and compliance officer for the company’s nutrition division. Prior to joining Abbott, she worked with two Chicago law firms, managing general business and commercial litigation, as well as serving as a trial lawyer on a broad range of issues.
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