• Outgoing CFO Chen Lichtenstein to step down in orderly transition process

Syngenta Group’s Board of Directors has named Hengde Qin, 53, Chief Financial Officer of Syngenta Group, effective Dec 1, 2023. He will succeed Chen Lichtenstein, 56, who has been CFO since the creation of Syngenta Group and will be stepping down to pursue other business opportunities.

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Hengde Qin, Chief Financial Officer of Syngenta Group as of Dec 1, 2023. (Photo: Business Wire)

Fanrong Li, Chairman of Syngenta Group said, “Hengde is a strong leader with excellent financial acumen. He has extensive experience in finance and strong knowledge of the business and will make an excellent partner to Jeff Rowe. I look forward to what this new team can achieve together.”

Earlier today, it was announced that Jeff Rowe will succeed Erik Fyrwald as CEO of Syngenta Group, effective Jan 1, 2024.

Li continued, “I would like to thank Chen for his many outstanding contributions to Syngenta Group as well as his many years of prior leadership in ADAMA and CNAC. During his time as the Group CFO, he oversaw the Group’s strong performance and successfully led the newly formed Group. I wish him all the best for the future."

Lichtenstein joined the Syngenta Group family in 2006 as a member of ADAMA’s management and went on to lead Global Operations before becoming Deputy CEO in charge of China Integration. He then served as President and CEO of ChemChina's strategic business division – China National Agrochemical Corporation (CNAC) – before being appointed ADAMA President and CEO in 2014. During his six-year tenure as CEO, Lichtenstein led the company to continuous strong performance and market share gains. ADAMA also had successfully integrated with a publicly traded company and is now listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

Lichtenstein was instrumental in the creation of Syngenta Group in 2020, taking on the role of CFO, and establishing the Group as an industry leader with exceptional growth in all businesses and geographies. In the last three years, he has led the team across Finance, Integration & Synergies, Ventures, Productivity and Strategy; overseeing performance, significantly refinancing the Group’s debt, and achieving robust investment grade ratings from all agencies.

Qin is currently the Chief Human Resources Officer of Syngenta Group, based in Basel, a position that he assumed at the beginning of the year. He was previously President of Syngenta Group China (SGC), where he built a strong team that has been delivering outstanding revenue and profitability growth. Under his leadership, SGC built market-leading positions in the crop protection and seeds markets in China. He also strengthened SGC’s leadership position in crop nutrition and grew the Modern Agriculture Platform business to be the fastest-growing business in global agriculture.

Erik Fyrwald, outgoing Syngenta Group CEO, said, “I want to thank Chen for his strong leadership and close partnership with me as we launched and grew the Syngenta Group during a period of very strong profitable growth.”

“Now it is time for this team to hand over the baton to Jeff and Hengde,” he continued. “I am pleased to leave Syngenta Group financial leadership in such excellent hands.”

About Syngenta Group

Syngenta Group is one of the world’s biggest agricultural technology companies, with roots going back more than 250 years. With more than 57,000 employees, operating in more than 100 countries, the company strives to transform agriculture with science-driven, technological innovations to deliver high productivity and high-quality food while fighting climate change and restore nature. Syngenta Group is working with farmers to enable Regenerative Agriculture - an outcome-based food production system that nurtures and restores soil health, protects the climate and water resources and biodiversity, and enhances farms' productivity and profitability. Syngenta Group, which is registered in Shanghai, China, and has its management headquarters in Switzerland, draws strength from its four business units: Syngenta Crop Protection, headquartered in Switzerland; Syngenta Seeds, headquartered in the United States; ADAMA®, headquartered in Israel; and Syngenta Group China. Together, these businesses provide industry-leading ways to serve customers around the world.

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