The Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum (FPEF) has appointed Piet de Jager as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 15 September 2025. He succeeds Anton Kruger, who is retiring after nearly 14 years in the role.
Anton Kruger, who agreed to postpone his retirement in 2022 at the request of the FPEF board, will step down at the age of 68. He has committed to assisting with the transition until the end of 2025.
Piet de Jager is a Chartered Accountant (SA) with extensive experience in various agriculture-related businesses. He has held senior positions at Agrimall Africa (Pty) Ltd, AgriSA Enterprises, Ecofarma Southern Africa, and Into Africa Solution Services (Pty) Ltd, trading as Afrilogic. Earlier in his career, he worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. and subsequently joined his family’s farming business in KwaZulu-Natal, where he produced pineapples for both domestic and export markets. During that time, he also managed livestock and tourism operations.
Following his tenure in farming, De Jager joined Deloitte Consulting, where he provided consultancy services to clients in the agriculture sector across Africa. His subsequent roles have focused on management, consulting, and agricultural development.
The FPEF board expressed gratitude for Anton Kruger’s years of dedicated service and confirmed its intention to work closely with De Jager during this leadership transition.