May 18, 2021Bayer announces leadership changes within crop science division
Bayer announced May 18 that Brett Begemann, chief operating officer, crop science, will retire from his role after 38 years with the company.
Rodrigo Santos, currently head of crop science commercial operations for Latin America, will succeed Begemann and assume global responsibility for the division’s commercial organization. He will report to Liam Condon, president crop science and board of management member at Bayer AG.
Replacing Santos as head of the Latin America crop science commercial operations will be Mauricio Rodrigues, who is currently the head of finance in that division.
“The entire Bayer team shares their thanks and appreciation to Brett for everything that he has done throughout his long and successful career at the company, and wish him all the best in his retirement,” said Condon. “We are very pleased to name Rodrigo as Brett’s successor, as he brings extensive experience that will allow us to further strengthen our leadership positions around the world and drive sustainable growth for our customers. Rodrigo is well-known with customers in Latin America and is highly qualified, having led our fastest-growing business while successfully completing integration in a very dynamic region.”
During his tenure with the company, Begemann held several global and regional leadership positions and had responsibility for global commercial and operations teams at Monsanto prior to the acquisition by Bayer. As president and COO at Monsanto Company, he led global efforts to increase manufacturing and supply chain efficiency, as well as the company’s growth agenda.
Santos, a Brazilian national, has spent over 23 years with the company and has led the Latin American Crop Science business for Bayer since the integration of Monsanto and Bayer in 2018. Earlier in his career, Santos worked in sales, marketing, strategy and business development roles, including a leadership role in Eastern Europe.
Santos has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture engineering from Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz – ESALQ/USP and a master’s in business administration from FGV/Ohio University.
Rodrigues, a Brazilian national, has been with the company since 1999, and has held numerous roles in Finance in Brazil, Mexico and the U.S., before assuming his current finance administrative role. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Escola Politécnica – POLI/USP, an MBA from Insper and attended the CFO Program at the Wharton School.
The changes are effective June 8, 2021.