WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, US — Charles (Chuck) Magro has been named chief executive officer of Corteva, Inc., effective Nov. 1. He succeeds James C. Collins Jr., who will retire at the end of the year.
Magro most recently was CEO of Nutrien from the company’s launch in 2018 until April 2021. Prior to that, he was president and CEO of Agrium, which merged with PotashCorp to create Nutrien. Before being named CEO of Agrium in 2014, Magro held a variety of other key leadership roles, including chief operating officer, chief risk officer, executive vice president of corporate development, and vice president of manufacturing. He joined Agrium in 2009 following a 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, providing strategic leadership to build inclusive, sustainable, efficient, and healthy global food systems.
He holds a bachelor of applied science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Waterloo and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Windsor.
“Chuck has an extensive, proven track record driving profitable growth through innovation and execution in the agriculture industry,” said Greg Page, independent chairman of Corteva. “During nearly a decade of strong leadership at Nutrien and its predecessor Agrium, Chuck led the creation and integration of the world’s largest crop inputs, services, and solutions company and established a culture with a clear commitment to operational excellence and advancing sustainable agriculture solutions. Our board is confident that he is the right leader to carry our strong momentum forward and create significant near- and long-term shareholder value.”
Magro added, “Corteva has established itself as the premier global agricultural technology company and I am excited to build on the momentum Jim Collins and this terrific team have generated. With an unparalleled tradition of innovation, exceptionally strong customer relationships, and sustainability at the core of its business, we have an incredible opportunity to accelerate Corteva’s growth and value creation. Corteva is ideally equipped to advance the transformation of agriculture, helping farmers become more productive and sustainable and enabling us to feed a growing population while finding new ways to protect the planet. I can’t wait to get started.”