Sakata Seed America Appoints New Senior Manager

Sakata Seed America announces the appointment of Kristopher (Kris) Carlsson to the position of senior manager, research and development and product development for Ornamentals NAFTA, effective Oct. 31, 2022.

Carlsson comes to Sakata with extensive technical production, marketing, sales, team building and management experience in the North American ornamentals market, serving most recently as portfolio manager: patio for Pan American Seed. Carlsson has also held senior management roles at Ball FloraPlant. Carlsson earned a B.S. in environmental horticulture from California State University, Chico.

“Sakata Seed is well known for product innovation and progressive business practices in the horticulture industry. As a passionate contributor to this industry for over fifteen years, I’m well acquainted with Sakata’s reputation for quality and ingenuity. I look forward to being an integral component of Sakata’s strategic growth and continued success, ” says Carlsson.

“Senior Manager of Research and Development and Product Development is a new position for the Sakata Ornamentals group, and Kris stood out as the ideal choice for this opportunity. We look forward to utilizing Kris’ broad skillset and deep knowledge of the many facets of horticulture to bolster our leadership position and optimize and synergize our team and functions. We look forward to welcoming Kris to Sakata and believe great things are to come,” states Joe Cimino, senior director of ornamental and solutions business groups.

Carlsson is responsible for strategic leadership in research and development, product development, and supply to maximize customer success, including developing and implementing go-to-market strategies for newly developed and assigned products within North America, Central America, and Oceania markets. He is based in California.