Patrick McDonnell is the new chief business officer with Biotalys. He will be based in Biotalys’ offices in Research Triangle Park (RTP) in North Carolina.
McDonnell joins the company from BASF, where he worked as global lead business development for agricultural products. He brings more than 30 years of experience in sourcing and implementing innovative solutions to agriculture, within various legacy companies of BASF, Bayer and Syngenta. He has launched many fungicides, insecticides and herbicides in different sales and marketing roles, and recently, he has been pioneering digital solutions in the global pest control industry.
McDonnell studied at John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio, where he received a degree in biology and chemistry. ●
Patrick McDonnell, chief business officer, Biotalys
Adrian Percy is the first executive director of the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative (N.C. PSI), a research and innovation effort poised to solve some of the world’s grandest agricultural issues and advance the state of North Carolina’s (U.S.) economy. The PSI aims to exploit inter-disciplinary science and technology through public private partnerships to advance the plant sciences to the benefit of growers, consumers, and other food chain stakeholders.
Prior to joining NC State, Adrian served as the chief technology officer of UPL Ltd. Prior, he was the head of research and development for the crop science division of Bayer and part of their executive committee. During his 25-year tenure at Bayer and its legacy companies, he also held numerous positions in agricultural research and development in France, Germany and the United States.
Percy is a venture partner at Finistere Ventures LLC, and serves on the board of directors of BioLumic, HiFidelity Genetics and Evogene. He is a member of the science and technology boards of Oerth Bio, Terramera, Biotalys and Rothamsted Research. Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Adrian earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacology at the University of Liverpool, as well as a master’s degree in toxicology and a doctorate in biochemistry at the University of Birmingham. ●
Adrian Percy, executive director, N.C. PSI
FMC Corporation named Shahid Saleem as director of business sustainability and strategic initiatives in Asia Pacific (APAC).
Saleem joined FMC in Pakistan in 1993 and has since held many leadership roles in Hong Kong, Singapore and Jakarta where he led the ASEAN business since 2015. Saleem successfully led FMC's local integration with Cheminova in 2015 and the DuPont Crop Protection business in 2018, and established FMC's presence in Vietnam and Malaysia through talent acquisition, product portfolio expansion and distribution network formation.
Kristina Hermanson assumes leadership of ASEAN business Kristina Hermanson, managing director of FMC Australasia, will assume leadership of the company’s ASEAN business, in addition to her current responsibilities in Australia and New Zealand. She will oversee commercial strategy for Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia, which together constitute FMC's footprint in ASEAN.
Hermanson joined FMC in 2018 from Coca Cola Amatil where she was director of growth and collaboration, leading strategy, customer insights and innovation for two years. Before that, she spent nine years at ADM International Sarl in various business development roles, including director, business development and strategy of its southeast Asia business. Hermanson serves on the board of directors in CropLife Australia, Agsafe Australia and Business for Development Australia. ●
Corteva, Inc. appointed Chuck Magro as the company’s new chief executive officer. He succeeds James C. Collins, Jr., who is retiring from Corteva at year-end.
Magro served as president and chief executive officer of Nutrien from the company’s launch in 2018 until April 2021. Prior to that, for four years Magro served as president and chief executive officer of Agrium, which merged with PotashCorp to create Nutrien. He joined Agrium in 2009 following a productive career with NOVA Chemicals.
Magro serves an active role on the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. He was also vice chairman of the International Fertilizer Association and past chair and board member of The Fertilizer Institute, and served as a board steward for the World Economic Forum’s Food Systems Initiative. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (chemical engineering) from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Windsor. ●
Chuck Magro, chief executive officer, Corteva
John Raines has been named president of Telus Agriculture, effective Nov. 29, 2021. Telus Agriculture provides connected technology solutions and leverages real-time data to optimize the food value chain.
Raines has over 20 years of global experience in the agriculture sector, with expertise in data science and digital agriculture. His achievements include the completion of multi-billion-dollar mergers and acquisitions within North America and around the globe. He also led the global
commercialization of the largest digital agriculture platform in North America, South America and Europe, and established high-performing, international operations across the agriculture sector. ●
John Raines, president, Telus Agriculture
Pluton Biosciences appointed Steven Slater, PhD, as its new CEO.
Slater has more than 30 years of experience in microbial genomics, biotechnology and business leadership, and will partner with scientific and business teams, investors and the broader community to translate Pluton’s proprietary technology into high-performance products that deliver sustainable agriculture and climate solutions.
Slater holds a PhD in molecular microbiology from Case Western Reserve University and was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University. He has over 50 publications and patents. ●
Steven Slater, PhD, CEO, Pluton Biosciences
Alltech Crop Science appointed Andrew Thomas to its newly created CEO position. Thomas brings more than 30 years of global management experience in the agri-food and seed industries.
Prior to joining Alltech, Thomas was CEO of WISErg Corporation, a circular economy business diverting waste streams to sustainable agricultural inputs based in Seattle, Washington, USA. Previously, Thomas served in executive management roles for the plant breeding and seed company Nuseed as the business successfully expanded both its geographic footprint from its Australian base throughout the Americas, Oceania and Europe and its pipeline of products across crops and technologies. Preceding his time with Nuseed, he held various roles in Australian agricultural distribution, including Landmark and Wesfarmers.
Originally from Adelaide, Australia, Thomas received bachelor's degrees in agricultural science and in economics/commerce from Adelaide University in South Australia. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. ●
Andrew Thomas, CEO, Alltech Crop Science
