b'2022 TOP 10 NEXT GEN LEADERSCATHERINE FRANSWhen it comes to agricultureand especiallyinsurance options to employee the seed industryCatherine Frans never sawretention to advocating for our it as part of the grand plan. Growing up, hercompanies, Frans says. My father was an engineer, and her mother was apersonal favorite is our annual big name in the Zumba fitness industryFransconferenceits so incredibly says the goal was always to be a veterinarian.impactful for me. She describes it as fate that she got into agricul- And, the future of the ture, after she applied for a job and landed theindustry looks bright in her position as marketing lead for the Independenteye, but with a few bumps Professional Seed Association (IPSA). in the road. Im so incredibly fulfilled working for an asso- I see so much potential in ciation that truly advocates and benefits not onlyagriculture, with the leaps in new our members, but Small Town America, Frans,technologies like gene-editing now executive director of IPSA, says.and geneticswe have incred-As executive director, Frans says she gets toible potential to solve big problems focus on a much broader roleparticularly focus- like hunger and climate change, she ing on the larger picture of the association. Hersays. But I am concerned about the main priority is looking how to bring more benefitsseed industry, especially our independ-to IPSA members, so that way, IPSA can be theent corn and soybean companies. They best resource for members.are the backbone of Americawhere Theres so many ways we can help our seedwould we be without them?companies in everyday businessfrom health ANYA GANDYWhen it comes to sustainability, its top-of-mind for Inaris Anya Gandy. And when it comes down to it, she says its absolutely necessary to keep it at the forefront of discussions.In this moment, we have both no choice and the only choice that matters, Gandy, manager of cor-porate strategy and sustainability for Inari, says. Climate change is reshaping out industry, our world. The agricultural system changes we seed today for a climate changing world will determine whether our future has clean air, drinkable water and healthy harvests. Raised on a farm in Oregon, Gandy has spent her career at the intersection of agriculture, energy and climate changeher career took her from policy work in Capitol Hill to million-hectare stations in the Australian Outback to Google. Though shes only been 100% focused on the seed industry for the last two years at Inari, she says its always been an element of her work.Everything starts with seedthis industry is at the foundation of agriculture, she says. In that sense, Ive had many years of touch points, be it seeding alfalfa on ranches or through the Noble Foundation and the National Farmers Union.Now at Inari, she helps focus on continuing to support a nature-positive agriculture industry and help Inari operate as a net positive company. But when it comes to the future, making this sustainability switch might be a challenge, but its not impossible.History shows our capacity for great changeas individuals, as an industry and as a society. We are creating the future togetherlets be creative, she says. 18/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2022'