Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds changes management team

Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds recently announced changes to its management team. On July 31, 2015 Ko Remijnse, Managing Director Marketing & Sales, retired from active service after a career of more than 40 years. Vicente Navarro, former Managing Director Operations & Strategy, succeeded him effective August, 1, 2015.

Ko Remijnse started his career in 1973 as International Account Manager at Nunhems, the vegetable seed branch of Bayer CropScience. After several management positions in sales, he was promoted to Managing Director Marketing & Sales in 1998. In addition, he was Director of Nunhems Netherlands BV. Further, Ko Remijnse served as a member of the Board of the European Seed Association (ESA) and chaired its Vegetables and Ornamentals section from 2005 to 2015.

"Over the past four decades Ko Remijnse has had a significant impact on our business and contributed greatly to our success. We thank him for his passion, energy and expertise," said Joachim Schneider, Head of Vegetable Seeds at Bayer CropScience. "At the same time, we are pleased to see that Vicente Navarro takes on the responsibility for our global marketing and sales activities. Vicente has always been closely involved in the development and execution of our strategy and we look forward to his continued leadership in this new role. "

Vicente Navarro Cortes began his career in 1985 as Product Manager and was responsible for the vegetable seed business in Spain. He held several management positions in Marketing & Sales before he was promoted to Global Head of Marketing in 2005. In 2011 he became part of the management of Vegetable Seeds as Managing Director Strategy & Staff functions and assumed the responsibility of Managing Director Operations & Strategy in 2013. Since 2013 Vicente Navarro is also chairman of the Vegetable & Ornamental Crops Section of the International Seed Federation (ISF).

Frank Claessens will replace Vicente Navarro as the new Managing Director Operations. Frank began his career with Vegetable Seeds in 1989 as a Research Analyst in Seed Technology, after which he took on various leadership positions in Quality Assurance and then in Seed Processing, both within Operations. In 2011 he was appointed Global Head of Supply Chain.

Joachim Schneider, Head of Vegetable Seeds at Bayer CropScience: “With activities in more than 40 countries worldwide and export to more than 110 countries and our extensive portfolio of 1.200 varieties, Operations is playing a pivotal role in our global seed supply. We welcome the experience and leadership of Frank Claessens.”