Alessio La Rosa has left his position as global head of freight at grain giant Cofco International and will join fertiliser producer EuroChem.

He joins EuroChem, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of chemical fertiliser, at its office in Dubai on 1 March.

“I will be head of freight and the idea is to change from chartering execution into a fully fledged trading team,” he told TradeWinds.

La Rosa has worked in shipping for almost 24 years, mostly within freight trading at big commodities firms.

Before joining Cofco in 2015, he worked for seven years as director of Noble Chartering in Geneva, followed by a stint as head of freight for Noble Agri.

Earlier in his career, he worked for more than six years as a freight trader at Louis Dreyfus Commodities.

He has an executive MBA in shipping & logistics from Copenhagen Business School.

Zug-headquartered EuroChem is on a mission to expand its operations worldwide, driven by the ramp-up of two large potash projects and new ammonia and urea facilities, its website states.

As part of its logistics activities, it operates two bulk terminals in Russia at Tuapse and Murmansk; another in Estonia; and one in Antwerp. Most of its mining and production are in Russia.

The EuroChem Group is controlled by a trustee and is not majority-owned or controlled by any sanctioned individual or entity, according to its website.

Founder Andrey Melnichenko beneficially held 90% of shares in EuroChem Group until 9 March last year, when he resigned as a director and withdrew as the group’s main beneficiary.

Cofco told TradeWinds it does not comment on staff departures. EuroChem did not respond to a request for comment.

This article has been amended since initial publication to reflect that La Rosa will be based in Dubai