Noble Group appoints 2 Co-Chief Operating Officers

William J. Cronin and Nicholas Robert Brewer will share the burden of the company's operations.

The Board of Noble Group announced the appoinment of William J. Cronin and Nicholas Robert Brewer as Co-Chief Operating Officers.

Mr. Cronin, 49, has almost 30 years in the commodity business and has held senior postions of President, General Manager, EVP, CFO, COO, CRO, CCO, Head of Business Development. Mr. Cronin has worked for Noble for over 18 months and is well known in the industry and to the Board.

Mr Cronin will be responsible for the company's Energy Platform, Soft Commodities Division as well as Regional responsibility for North and South America.

Meanwhile, Mr, Brewer, 44, will be responsible for the company's Hard Commodities Platform, Grains Division as well as Regional responsibility for EMEA and Asia.

Mr Brewer joined Noble in 2007 as Group Risk Manager, and was appointed Group Chief Operating Officer in March 2010, according to a Noble Group report.

Mr Brewer started his career at Shell. Following that he worked for BACTEC International doing corporate risk assessment, followed by two years with Enron, where he both originated energy based risk management products for major industrials and developed power projects. In 2002, he joined Louis Dreyfus Commodities where he had global responsibility for market and operational risk.