Deere names Construction & Forestry Division head

Deere & Company has named Samuel Allen to replace Pierre Leroy as president of its worldwide Construction & Forestry Division. The company said Leroy, who has spent the past nine years at his current post, elected to retire after working for Deere 29 years. Earlier this year, Black Enterprise magazine named him one of the “Seventy-five Most Powerful Blacks in Corporate America.” Leroy also serves on the board of directors for Fortune Brands. Allen joined Deere in 1975 and has worked in management positions at several John Deere factories and has led company operations in Latin America, Australia and Asia. Most recently, he was president of global financial services for John Deere Power Systems and corporate human resources, for which he will continue to have responsibility.