Mr Watts replaces George Winn, who recently stepped down as executive secretary of the IPC, a position he had held for the last four years. The IPC Executive Committee also renamed the title from executive secretary to secretary general.

Before his retirement from NCC, which is based in Washington, DC, Watts served as its president for 39 years. Prior to joining the organization, he worked as a legislative assistant to two members of the US Congress.

During his career, Mr Watts served as a member of the US Chamber of Commerce Food and Agriculture Committee, president and director of the Commodity Club of Washington, and as chairman of the Food Group. He served on the US Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board from 2006-2009, and was an advisory member of the Board of Directors for the International Poultry Development Program joint-venture broiler project in Russia (Elinar Broiler).

Mr Watts received the Poultry Industry Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Poultry and Food Distributors Association in January 2002, the Merial Distinguished Poultry Industry Career Award in 2009 from the Poultry Science Association, the Harold E. Ford Lifetime Achievement Award presented by US Poultry and Egg Association "for exemplary service to the poultry industry" in January 2011, and was inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame in November 2011.

Mr Watts holds a degree from the University of Georgia, where he studies journalism and political science. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Case Foods and a consultant for Arrowsight, Inc. He and his wife Barbara reside in Alexandria, Va.