Greensboro, N.C. U.S.A. – Syngenta ushers in a new chapter in its quest to remain the industry leader in breeding top-performing, high-yielding wheat varieties. Rob Bruns, head, North American cereal seeds portfolio, Syngenta, retired June 1, passing the torch to Simon Phillips, who recently joined the North American cereals team as crop product lead, cereals genetics.

 

Phillips began his career with a Syngenta legacy company in the United Kingdom in 1980 and has held various positions within the organization. In 2011, he moved to the Syngenta Seeds breeding facility in Berthoud, Colo., to begin his work with the North American cereals team.

 

“Bruns has done a remarkable job building the Syngenta cereals genetic research program and has laid the groundwork to make certain we remain the industry leader in this sector,” Phillips said. “To ensure we remain at the forefront of cereals genetic research, I plan to build on our experience in Europe developing hybrid barley. We are the first and only company to commercialize hybrid barley, and we are applying those same principles to the development of a cost-effective hybrid wheat system.”

 

Syngenta is committed to helping ensure that wheat remains an important staple crop by transforming wheat production worldwide. “Part of our program involves using our germplasm and breeding expertise to search for native traits and to accelerate the development of high-yielding, high-quality varieties using tools of modern biotechnology, such as doubled haploid and molecular marker-assisted technology,” Phillips explained.

 

With the global population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, Syngenta efforts are focused on creating more efficiencies in farming, delivering these innovations on a platform tailored to the individual needs of growers around the world. The addition of Phillips to the North American cereals team helps support this goal as he brings more than 30 years of international cereal product promotion experience to the North American market. Bruns will continue to serve as a valuable resource for Syngenta during this transition period.

 

“During his 38-year career, Rob Bruns played an integral role in building what is now the industry-leading cereals genetic research program for Syngenta, which aims to create technology platforms that increase wheat productivity in an environmentally and economically sustainable way,” said Norm Dreger, head, North American cereals, Syngenta.

Bruns began his career in wheat genetics and breeding in 1974 when he was hired by NAPB/Nickerson Plant Breeders to start a new winter wheat breeding program for the Great Plains region of the U.S. He held various positions throughout his career as he continued to help build what is now the Syngenta AgriPro® brand and breeding program. Well known throughout the cereals industry in the U.S., Canada and globally, Bruns ultimately landed in a leadership role on the cereals integrated crop marketing team, which strives to develop efficiencies in farming and offer total crop solutions for growers.

 

“Bruns has been a central part of building our breeding program from the ground up, and our industry leadership in the seeds business is largely a result of his efforts,” Dreger said. “Phillips’ breadth of knowledge and experience will continue to help enhance the product offerings and value we bring to the marketplace.”