The final quarter of 2026 started with a slew of executive appointments at some of the largest agricultural suppliers as they position themselves for growth in the new year.
Syngenta tops this month’s Ag movers & shakers column with a new executive appointment, followed by people news from AGCO, BASF, and United Animal Health. If you would like to submit people news to be considered for a future Movers & Shakers columns, please email Americas Editor Ryan Daily at ryan.daily@wrbm.com.
Syngenta bolsters North American business
Syngenta named Jeff Cecil to the role of president of North America Crop Protection, effective Oct. 1, assuming the role from Vern Hawkins, who will stay on as the president of the US company amid the transition. In this role, Cecil will oversee the business and partnerships in North America while driving innovation and customer relations, Syngenta shared in a press release crop protection division.
During his more than 30-year tenure at Syngenta, Cecil held various sales, marketing, and product management roles. Most recently, he served as the head of marketing for the U.S. company. Before that, he served as the global head of product management for Seedcare, where he lead the growth of the seed protection business across regions.
This comes as Syngenta is aiming to make its public listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange early next year at a valuation of $66 billion, according to Reuters reporting.
“Jeff brings extensive agricultural experience, strong commercial leadership and a deep understanding of our industry. His experience across commercial, portfolio and global leadership roles position him well to lead North America Crop Protection and guide the business through its next phase of growth and innovation,” said Steve Hawkins, president of Syngenta Crop Protection, in a press release.
AGCO makes additional executive changes
Original equipment manufacturer AGCO continued its efforts to restructure its executive team by appointing Stefan Caspari to the role of senior VP and GM of Fendt, Valtra, and product management, effective Oct. 5. Caspari assumes the role from Torsten Dehner, who is staying on to support the transition, AGCO shared in a press release.
Over the last decade, Caspari held various senior leadership roles in the areas of operations, global strategy, and digital farming, including leading AGCO’s customer success and North America ag division, and previously, the company’s grain and protein business. He graduated from Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program and holds a bachelor’s in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Bonn.
Caspari “has strengthened our North American ag business in one of AGCO’s most important markets, and he brings the commercial discipline, Farmer-First focus and market insight needed to lead Fendt and Valtra through their next phase of growth. I also want to thank Torsten for his contributions over many years and his passionate leadership. He has played an important role strengthening AGCO’s Fendt and Valtra brands, building the teams and capabilities behind them, contributing valuably to their position in the market and helping advance our AI transformation. We wish him well in the future,” said Eric Hansotia, AGCO’s chairman, president and CEO, in a press release.
BASF tees up broader organizational restructure
BASF strengthened its U.S. ag business with the appointment of Leta LaRush to the role of senior VP of BASF Agricultural Solutions United States, effective Oct. 1. The move is part of a broader organizational restructuring that designed to reinforce the company’s crop systems go-to-market approach and will take effect on January 1, 2027.
“The United States is BASF Agricultural Solutions’ largest market globally and our team has an important responsibility to deliver meaningful value to customers every day while we prepare to operate as an independent company. My priority will be to ensure we continue to listen to our customers and support and enable the team to continue delivering the innovation, service and integrated solutions that American farmers rely on,” LaRush said in a press release.
United Animal Health names a new CEO
Lastly, bioscience and animal nutrition company United Animal Health named Brian Barker as its president and CEO, effective Oct. 5, bringing 25 years of global agribusiness experience. Previously, Barker was the president of GDM North America and was the president and CEO of AgReliant Genetics. Additionally, he held executive roles at Dow AgroSciences and Corteva.
“United Animal Health has built a strong business centered on serving producers and advancing animal agriculture through science and innovation. I look forward to working alongside employees, customers, and industry partners as we continue building on that success and creating value for the future,” Barker said in the news release.
