BASEL, SWITZERLAND — Jeff Rowe has been promoted to chief executive officer of Syngenta Group, effective Jan. 1, 2024. He will succeed Erik Fyrwald, who will retire as CEO but continue as adviser to the chairman and remain on the company’s board of directors.
Rowe is currently president of Syngenta Crop Protection, the company’s largest business unit. Earlier, he was president of Syngenta Seeds, where he led a turnaround of the seeds business, according to the company. Prior to joining Syngenta, he held several leadership roles at DuPont Pioneer over a 20-year period.
“Erik has provided outstanding leadership for Syngenta Group, steering it with steady hands through global pandemic, conflicts and challenging geopolitics while substantially transforming and growing the company,” said Li Fanrong, chairman of Syngenta Group. “We will always be grateful for his thoughtful, energetic and dynamic leadership of our Group during its transition. And it is Erik’s leadership in developing a strong team that leads naturally to our next phase. With the strong foundation established by Erik, Jeff is the right CEO to lead Syngenta Group. The board is pleased with the world-class, orderly and planned succession process and has found in Jeff a strong leader with the business acumen, operational skills and strategic vision needed to guide Syngenta Group in this critical industry.”
