Dean Banks has joined Flagship Pioneering as CEO-Partner and CEO of Indigo Ag. He succeedsRon Hovsepian, who served as the company's CEO since September 2020.
Banks is the former president and CEO of Tyson Foods where he was responsible for charting the long-term vision and transformation plan for the company including integration of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, sustainable supply chain solutions and development of alternative proteins throughout its operations. He was also a former member of the leadership team at X (an Alphabet company, formerly known as Google [X]), in addition to holding numerous leadership and entrepreneurial roles across the food, agriculture, technology and life sciences industries.
Banks was previously managing partner of SEED Ventures, a group investing in and developing early-stage healthcare technologies. He also has served as a consultant to Cleveland Clinic Innovations, SVP of Business Development and Strategic Marketing at OrthoHelix, co‐founder and CEO of Connective Orthopedics, and Vice President at Highland Capital Partners. He currently serves on the Boards of Vergent Bioscience (where he was a co-founder and founding CEO), on the Advisory Board of Shiru, and is a Sr. Advisor at Advent International.
Banks served as a former platoon sergeant and squad leader in the U.S. Marine Corps. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Miami University and a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School. ●
Edward C. Dowling Jr. is Compass Minerals’ new president and chief executive officer. He succeeds Kevin S. Crutchfield, who stepped down from his position as the company’s president and CEO.
Dowling brings more than 30 years of leadership experience and international mining expertise to the president and CEO role, having served in CEO positions with both Alacer Gold Corp., now SSR Mining Inc., and Meridian Gold Inc., as well as executive positions with De Beers S.A., a diamond producer, and Cleveland Cliffs, Inc., an iron and steel producer.
A former petty officer in the U.S. Navy, Dowling earned a Bachelor of Science in mining engineering and mineral processing, a Master of Science in mineral processing, and a Doctorate in mineral processing from Pennsylvania State University. ●
Hamish Ker has been appointed as Andermatt Kenya’s chief executive officer.
Ker was previously commercial lead for Andermatt Kenya. He has experience managing both the production side of operations as well as commercial sales/relationships with European retailers. He also brings a wealth of knowledge, having grown up in a family farming business in Kenya.
Ker studied at the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, obtaining a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture and Land Management. ●
Juan Estupinan, chief financial officer (CFO)with Vestaron Corporation, has been named the company’s interim CEO and president. Estupinan replaces Anna Rath as CEO.
Estupinan joined Vestaron as CFO in May of 2022. He recently served as vice-president of finance at Aptinyx. Before joining Aptinyx, Estupinan held positions at Durata Therapeutics and Abbott Laboratories.
He began his career at Deloitte and holds a B.A. with a concentration in finance and accounting from Indiana University, Fort Wayne, an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and earned his CPAin Indiana. ●
Organic Seed Alliance named Dr. Laura R. Lewis as executive director, bringing with her an impressive 30-year career in agricultural systems worldwide.
Before joining Organic Seed Alliance, Lewis was a professor at Washington State University (WSU) where she spearheaded the WSU Food Systems Program, navigating
academic, research and extension roles. With a Ph.D. in Geography and a degree in Agriculture, her expertise spans agrobiodiversity utilization, leadership, and development. ●
AlphaBio Control appointed Marta Ruiz its new general manager.
Ruiz was previously market and technical development head for the company and has been employed since 2020.
On June 26, 2023, De Sangosse Group completed the acquisition of AlphaBio Control; AlphaBio Control will continue to operate independently as before.
Ruiz’s new position also marks the departure of co-founders Iain Fleming and Alfeo Vecchi. ●
AlgaEnergy and Nutrient TECH, companies fully owned by the De Sangosse Group, announce the appointment of Tyler Grenzow as new president for North America.
In this role, Grenzow will take responsibility of De Sangosse’s nutritional and biosolutions business in the United States and Canada, channeled through both companies.
He brings to the team over 25 years of experience in the sector. His operational base will be in Wisconsin, U.S. ●
BeeHero announced the appointment of Ze'ev Barylka as its chief sales and marketing officer. In this role, Barylka will direct the strategic sales and marketing efforts for BeeHero around the world.
Before joining BeeHero, Barylka served as the chief commercial officer of Rivulis Irrigation in North America, where he spearheaded sales and marketing efforts. He has also successfully integrated sales, marketing and product innovation for other prominent precision agriculture companies including Netafim, where he served as vice president of marketing and commercial development.
Barylka holds a B.Sc. in Food Engineering and Biotechnology from Technion - Israel Institute of Technology and an MBA fromHaifa University. ●
Riccardo Vanelli as regional head of EMEA at Rovensa Next
Rovensa Next has named Riccardo Vanelli as regional head of EMEA at Rovensa Next, based in Italy.
In his new role, Vanelli will drive the commercial strategy of Rovensa Next biosolutions portfolio in EMEA working closely with R&D, regulatory functions, and all EMEA teams to highlight the breadth of solutions for the industry and promote sustainable agriculture practices.
Vanelli joins Rovensa Next with over 20 years of experience in the agricultural industry. He brings expertise gained from his tenure at Syngenta, particularly in agricultural biologics. Vanelli began his career in management consulting at Accenture, specializing in business process reengineering and change management. He later transitioned to Syngenta, where he held several senior commercial roles in Italy and at the headquarters. This included serving as Head of Biologicals Business Unit for Europe, Africa,and the Middle East, following his earlier role as Crop Protection Business Unit Head and Managing Director Italy.
Vanelli's strategic thinking and skills in organization, operations and sales led him to spearhead the regional integration of Valagro into Syngenta, where he served as president in the final year. Among other roles, he has also chaired the Crop Protection Industry Association in Italy serving as President of Agrofarma. ●
