Precision Breeding at Bayer Crop Science is a strategic transformation that is more robustly leveraging genomic, phenomic, and environmental data to design the next generation of high-performing products for sustainable agricultural production. By ensuring hyper-focus on our customers, accelerating our breeding pipeline, forward-designing genomes, and using artificial intelligence to make connected decisions, we will deliver soybean products and data packages that maximize success on every acre. As a thoughtful and intentional leader, I am driven to deliver superior products to our customers by bolstering the unique talents of people from across the company. My tendency is to provide clear vision for our desired state and then guide the team to seek opportunities to innovate and improve. I am action-oriented and try to find ways to overcome barriers and achieve tangible results. As Head of Soybean Product Design, I provide technical, strategic, and people leadership to the teams designing and developing soybean seed and trait products globally. My team leverages disruptive advances in data science, genomics, quantitative genetics, gene editing, and computational biology to create products that further Bayer’s mission of Health for All, Hunger for None.

The LATAM region represents an essential market for Bayer Crop Science in terms of both crop production acres and global agricultural exports. My primary responsibilities are to deliver a superior breeding pipeline for varietal crops by leveraging the unique talents of people from across the company. To deliver customer-centric products in LATAM, we must incorporate disruptive technologies and workflows such as genomic selection, prescriptive analytics, automated phenotyping, and accelerated product design. I am committed to partnering with teams throughout Bayer Crop Science to build an engaged and multidisciplinary team who are aligned with high-level corporate objectives and hyper-focused on delivering genetic gain through Precision Breeding.

I am primarily responsible for overseeing the development of a robust breeding pipeline in North America for soybean Maturity Group 000-3, which spans from western Canada through the heart of the Midwestern USA. In partnership with diverse business units across Crop Science, I am charged with developing a comprehensive strategy to ensure delivery of a superior soybean breeding pipeline to our customers. I am also responsible for leading the Native Trait Integration efforts for North America Varietal Crops.

As an LDB, my primary responsibilities are to manage the breeding program operations (seed packaging, planting, cultivation, harvest, shelling), view marker data and make selections, take phenotypic notes, walk hybrid yield trials, learn germplasm, create populations, facilitate germplasm movement between global hubs, aid in the development of IT tools for breeders, and contribute to broader North American Corn Breeding special projects. I also am responsible for managing direct reports and a matrix of site staff. My primary focus is developing new corn hybrids that achieve significant genetic gain for yield and secondary agronomic traits.