Syngenta Group announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously appointed Hengde Qin as Chief Executive Officer, effective August 1, 2026, following a thorough nomination and succession process. Qin, currently Chief Operating Officer and Head of Seeds, succeeds Jeff Rowe, who will remain in the role through August 1 before returning to the United States after nearly 10 years with the company.
Fanrong Li, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said “The Board of Directors believes Hengde, a highly respected leader who boasts a unique combination of operational, financial and commercial experience, is the best candidate for the role. We are confident that Hengde will take Syngenta Group to the next level of its sustainable development and value creation. We want to sincerely thank Jeff for his contribution and service as he led the Company through focused execution during one of the most challenging periods in modern agriculture.”
Qin will be based in the company's headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, where he has been located since January 2023. He has served on Syngenta Group's executive team since 2020, holding senior roles across the business, finance, human resources, and global operations. During his tenure, he has served as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer for Syngenta Group as well as President of Syngenta Group China — where he led a period of significant growth and profitability expansion that established the China business as one of the company's strongest-perforbuming operations. He is a member of the Syngenta Group Board of Directors.
“Agriculture stands at the centre of the world’s most important challenges – from feeding a growing population to improving sustainability and resilience across food systems,” said Qin. “That is why the mission of this company matters so deeply to me — we help farmers produce higher yields with lower impact. That mission has never been more important, and few companies are as well positioned as Syngenta to lead that transformation. Together with Syngenta’s talented employees around the world, we will continue to innovate, create lasting value for our customers, and deliver more breakthroughs for farmers, in every field.”
