b'It Always Comes Back to the FarmerJustin Wolfe, the new head of Syngenta Seeds, shares that while positions and regions might change, the big key is it always comes back to the grower customer. Seed World (SW): Justin, youre not new to Syngenta, but youre new to the role. Tell us a little about your careerwhat do we need to know about you?Justin Wolfe (JW): Agriculture has always been part of my life. I was raised on a wheat farm in northern Montana where my brother still farms as a fourth-generation farmer. I understand firsthand the important role seed companies play in helping farmers be successful, which has driven me during my nearly 30 years of experience in the agriculture industry. Working across different functional areas and geographies, I believe my diverse background helps me lead with a very broad perspective.SW: Whats the experience been like shifting regional focuses? I know previously youve worked with Syngentas Europe, Africa and Middle East (EAME) business, most recently youve worked with North America.JW: Regardless of geographic location, it always comes back to the farmer and understanding their needs and the environment theyre dealing with on their field. From country to country, farm to farmevery farmer is dealing with a unique set of chal-lenges, risks and opportunities, which require tailored solutions.Shifting into the global role doesnt change that approach. But it does allow me to engage and connect different areas of our business for the benefit of the farmer. Were scaling innova-tion to bring new products and technologies to different mar-kets, leveraging digital platforms and agronomic tools across regions to give farmers more information, and making our pro-duction and supply chain more flexible and efficient to get seed to farmers faster around the globe.SW: What concerns you most as you look at the seed industry right now?JW: At the top of the list right now must be how we can con-tinue to serve farmers in very challenging areas like Ukraine. Global food security is dependent upon grain flow that farmers in Ukraine produce. We are actively working across the industry 60/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2022'