Syngenta Convenes Industry Issues Roundtable

During the 2009 OFA Short Course, members of the media sat down with the Syngenta Lawn & Garden Leadership Team for a brief press conference. The GPN staff was in attendance for this rare opportunity to discuss industry issues with those leaders who are managing Syngenta’s lawn and garden group on a global scale: Jeff Cox, global head of lawn and garden; Tim Kroenke, president of Syngenta’s NAFTA flowers business operations; Mark Waltham, head of strategy, business development and product management; David Stanley, head of NAFTA Syngenta Professional Products; and Joel Goldsmith, president of Goldsmith Seeds.

During this meeting, Jeff Cox discussed Syngenta’s three main objectives: what they’re doing, why they’re doing it and how they’re doing it.

What: Syngenta and the industry as a whole have seen many changes in the past couple of years, and at this stage of the game, after their recent acquisitions, Syngenta is focusing on growers’ needs and delivering better results.

Why: Syngenta ultimately wants to create a different plant experience for the end consumer. While competing for people’s time and how they live their lives is a threat to our industry, Cox said Syngenta sees this as an opportunity.

How: Syngenta plans to focus heavily on research and development going forward.

As for the future of Syngenta, Cox said they are still designing and modifying the structure of the company and they are embracing the businesses they have acquired. Syngenta is a young, innovative company that aims to “liberate people to be brave to change,” he said. Rather than having to adapt to something already in place, Joel Goldsmith said, “Goldsmith has a voice in the final result” of the integration culture. While culture often tends to be an “outcome,” for Syngenta, it is an evolution.

Syngenta leaders said the company would continue to work hard in the coming months to address the industry’s challenges, and they are looking forward to working with the growers, retailers and consumers. For more information on the company, visit syngenta.com.