Syngenta Seeds announces new leadership in Brazil and Latin America

Syngenta's seed business unit announces the change of general director Brazil and Paraguay, André Franco, to the position of regional director for Latin America. With the change, Suzeti Ferreira takes over as general director Brazil and Paraguay.  

The new regional director for Latin America will lead the Seeds strategy for the region, working in collaboration with the four business units in Brazil & Paraguay, Latin America South, Latin America North and Licensing, with operations aligned with the global business strategy of Seeds and culture with a focus on the farmer.  

“Our objective is to continue the successful specialization strategy of the Seeds business in Latin America, which has been showing good results, such as 26% growth in sales in 2021, success obtained by a highly engaged team that puts passion and dedication to delivering the best seeds to our farmers”, says André Franco, who will carry forward Syngenta Seeds’ goal of becoming the best seed company in Latin America by 2028.

The executive joined Syngenta in 2016 as Director of the Brazil & Paraguay Business Unit, as part of the Nidera Seeds legacy, and in 2018 he assumed the position of General Director of Syngenta Seeds Brasil & Paraguay. Graduated in Agricultural Engineering from ESALQ, he also has a degree in Business Administration and Executive Development Program from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. He has leadership roles in the Commercial, Marketing, Product Development and Human Resources areas in different companies in the agriculture sector. 

New leadership at Syngenta Seeds Brasil

Suzeti Ferreira takes on the position of general director in Brazil and Paraguay to continue strategic management and maximize the good momentum of the business unit in both countries. “We remain firm in our strategic direction, focusing on being ever better to better serve our farmers. I am confident that with simplicity, agility and, above all, taking care of our people, we will achieve the sustainable growth of our business, the satisfaction of our customers and the engagement of our professionals”, she comments.

The new general director in Brazil has a degree in Pharmacy and Biology, with an Executive Master's degree from Insper and in Financial Management from IBMEC. The executive joined Syngenta in 2020 and has more than 18 years of experience in the Marketing and Commercial areas in companies in the chemical, health and agribusiness sectors.

As one of the few women in charge of leadership in Brazilian agriculture, Suzeti plans to bring about change and transformation when it comes to diversity. “My commitment is to build a diverse, inclusive and equitable work environment, promoting open and honest discussion to remove barriers and challenge gender stereotypes and other unconscious biases that may prevent us from being inclusive”, she highlights.

Currently, Syngenta Seeds has 40% female representation in its LATAM leadership team and has been working to increase overall female representation in the company through actions such as mapping female talent in the market, greater diversity in recruitment, leadership support and awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusion.