Crop protection and seed supplier Corteva revealed another piece of its planned split, announcing the board of directors for its two companies, while ag suppliers from Bayer to Redox Bio-Nutrients made key appointments to reinforce their growth strategies.
Each month, AgNavigator rounds up the latest people news from across the agriculture industry. To submit company appointments and people news, email AgNavigator’s Americas Editor, Ryan Daily, at ryan.daily@wrbm.com.
Corteva names board of directors for Vylor, New Corteva
Crop protection and seed company Corteva revealed the board of directors for its two spin-outs New Corteva and Vylor on June 29.
Retired chairman and CEO for Cargill, Greg Page will serve as the non-executive chair of the board for the crop protection spin-out, New Corteva, serving on a nine-person board that also includes:
- Christopher Policinski, retired president and CEO of Land O’Lakes;
- David Everitt, retired president of John Deere’s agricultural and turf division;
- Janet Giesselman, retired president and GM of Dow Oil & Gas;
- Jean-Marc Gilson, president and CEO of Westlake Corporation;
- Klaus Engel, retired CEO of Evonik Industries AG;
- Luke Kissam, future CEO of New Corteva;
- Nayaki Nayyar, CEO of Siteimprove A/S; and
- Patrick Ward, retired CFO for Cummins.
“Corteva will be a company with operational efficiency at its core and by building on its legacy of differentiated innovation, will have an industry leading pipeline to bring value to farmers for years to come. I look forward to working alongside my future fellow directors as well as the senior management team to leverage the considerable advantage Corteva will enjoy to deliver results for customers, farmers and shareholders alike,” Page said in a press release.
For its seed and genetics business, Vylor, Karen Grimes will serve as an independent chair of the board, having joined Corteva in 2021 and previously served as a partner, senior managing director and equity portfolio manager for Wellington Management Company. Grimes will serve on a board consisting of ...
- Chuck Magro, future CEO of Vylor;
- Johannes J. Oosthuizen, executive VP and president, oncology and MSD International, Merck & Co.;
- Kerry Preete, retired executive VP and chief strategy officer for Monsanto Company
- Marcos Lutz, chairman and former CEO at Ultrapar Participacões;
- Rajesh Kalathur, former president of John Deere Financial and former CIO and CFO for John Deere; and
- Victor Aguilar, chief research, development and innovation officer for The Procter & Gamble Company.
“Vylor will be a company dedicated to leveraging its expertise in advanced seed and genetics to help farmers feed and fuel the world. I look forward to working with my fellow directors as well as the Vylor senior management team to accelerate the company’s growth and impact – and continue to deliver results for shareholders,” Grimes said in a press release.
Bayer names head for crop science Canada
Bayer promoted Kacy Perry to the country division head for crop science Canada, effective July 1, following a tenure at the company’s crop science division, where she led the ag supplier’s North American soybean business.
After working at the Monsanto Company for over nine years, Perry spent the last eight years with Bayer following the acquisition of the Roundup maker, serving in various leadership and field roles across marketing, sales, and product management, Bayer shared in a press release. She assumes the role from Antoine Bernet, who helped launch Bayer’s dynamic shared ownership model in Canada.
“Canada is increasingly recognized – both within Bayer and across the agriculture industry – as an innovation leader in seed and trait, crop protection, and digital farming. I look forward to working with the team to advance sustainable products and farming solutions that help growers succeed and drive profitable outcomes,” Perry said in a press release.
Redox Bio-Nutrients appoints CTO
Redox Bio-Nutrients appointed Jackeline Garza to the role of CTO, bringing 25 years of industry experience, including 20 years with ag biotech and plant nutrition company Cosmocel.
Garza will bolster Redox’s growth by ensuring product quality and supporting regulatory and innovation efforts, the company shared in a press release. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Engineering degree from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.
“Her experience, vision, and technical expertise align perfectly with where our company is headed. Jackie will play a key role and help us excel moving forward as we continue expanding our presence across the U.S. and international markets while advancing innovation for our customers,” said Colton Moon, president of Redox, in a press release.
Garza added in the release, “Redox has long been recognized for delivering technologies that help growers achieve more with less. I look forward to building on that legacy. My goal is to ensure our customers continue to see consistent product performance and ongoing innovations that deliver measurable value to growers worldwide.”
SenseUp supports scale-up with co-CEO appointment
German agricultural biotech company SenseUp appointed Juan Martinez to the role of co-CEO and managing director, effective June 1, as the company scales up the development of its biocontrol products.
Martinez joins SenseUp after a recent tenure with Bayer, serving as the company’s venture lead for EMEA, and working for agricultural companies like Monsanto, Aglukon Spezialdünger, and Consorcio Agroalimentario de Andalucía. Now, he will drive the scale-up of SenseUp’s dsRNA technology to create crop protections and animal health products.
“I truly believe that SenseUp is creating a new paradigm in crop protection with dsRNA biocontrol solutions that overcome the hurdles previously faced by this transformative technology. I am grateful to join this exceptional team and look forward to leading alongside Georg, who has both a brilliant scientific track record and excellent chemistry as a colleague. With my experience in scaling companies, agricultural innovation and global commercial management, I am excited to help SenseUp reach the next level and make a difference for farmers and society,” Martinez said in a press release.
Agtegra Cooperative bolsters agronomy strategy
Agtegra Cooperative named Brian Knifong its senior VP of agronomy, effective July 1, who will drive the co-op’s agronomy strategy and manage business and sales development, procurement, the product portfolio, and vendor-partner relationships.
Knifong joins Agtegra with over 30 years of ag industry experience, working for market leaders like BASF and 20 years at Nutrien Ag Solutions, serving as director of marketing and product development for Loveland Products and head of marketing and customer experience. He was awarded the Agribusiness Leader of the Year award by the National Agri-Marketing Association for his leadership track record.
