New Ag Chem Leaders Named
August 18, 2009 Dupont, Monsanto Co., and Arysta LifeScience Corp. have tapped new key executives.
The various appointments were announced in the past week.
- DuPont
James Borel, currently group vice president — DuPont Agriculture, will become executive vice president, effective Oct. 1. He will be responsible for the company’s Pioneer Hi-Bred and Crop Protection businesses. Borel will focus on strengthening and growing the company’s production agriculture businesses globally.
The company also named Paul Schickler as president of Pioneer Hi-Bred and James Collins as president of Crop Protection, also effective Oct. 1.
These promotions were announced by DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman. According to Kullman, these actions support the company’s commitments to customers, sustainable growth, and delivering revenue and earnings growth through market-driven science.
The company will sharply focus its innovation engines on four emerging trends to meet the increasing demand for food; protect people and the environment; decrease dependence on fossil fuels; and capitalize on the growth of emerging markets. In addition, DuPont says it will strengthen its alignment with customers and markets; drive disciplined scientific innovation directly from market needs; increase transparency and accountability for results with a simplified organization; and continue its intense focus on productivity.
- Monsanto Co.
Carl Casale will become Monsanto Co.‘s chief financial officer (CFO), effective Sept. 1. This move follows the announcement of the retirement of Terry Crews, 53, executive vice president and CFO, effective Nov. 30. Crews will serve as special sssistant to the CEO through Nov. 30.
Casale, a 25-year Monsanto veteran, is currently executive vice president of strategy and operations. He also spearheaded several key strategic initiatives for the company including litigation resolution efforts with major competitors, the establishment of American Seeds, the SmartStax collaboration with Dow AgroSciences, and the acquisition of Cristiani Burkhard. Most recently, Casale led strategy and operations for the company. In this role, he oversaw Monsanto’s strategy, manufacturing, and information technology organizations.
During his 32-year career, Crews led Monsanto through several unique transitions including Monsanto’s integration of its first seed company investments in the 1990s, its original initial public offering and ultimate spinoff earlier this decade, as well as the company’s settlement proceedings with Solutia last year. According to a company press release, Crews’ financial discipline is credited with supporting Monsanto in its historic annual earnings growth path of 20 percent which enabled the St. Louis. MO-based company to return value to its shareowners, invest in new innovations for growers as well as support a number of acquisitions over the years including Delta and Pine Land, Seminis, and De Ruiter Seeds.
- Arysta LifeScience Corp.
Arysta LifeScience Corp. has tabbed long-time GE senior executive Wayne Hewett to serve in a new company position, chief operating officer (COO).
Hewett will lead the company’s efforts to drive global operational excellence and will have responsibility for executing management’s initiatives companywide. He also will be responsible for management of the company’s supply chain and global product functions, and will serve as a member of the Arysta LifeScience Board of Directors. Hewett will join the company in October.
Hewett’s addition to Arysta LifeScience is the first step in an executive team transition plan, which will be implemented in Spring 2010. At that time, Hewett will become president and CEO of Arysta LifeScience. Concurrently, President and CEO Chris Richards will move to the full-time position of chairman of the Arysta LifeScience Board of Directors, and current Board Chairman David Jones will assume the role of non-executive director.
(Sources: DuPont, Monsanto Co., Arysta LifeScience Corp.)
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