Basel, Switzerland: Syngenta Group has appointed Petra Laux as its acting Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO).

Laux took up her position on January 1, following Alexandra Brand’s appointment as Syngenta Crop Protection Regional Director for EAME. Laux will report to Erik Fyrwald, Chief Executive Officer of Syngenta Group, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

Laux joined Syngenta in 2019 from Novartis where she led Global Public Affairs for over a decade and was responsible for government relations, public policy, and advocacy. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Health, a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, is a trained pharmacist and has more than 25 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry.

Syngenta Group created the Business Sustainability group and the role of Chief Sustainability Officer in January 2018 to drive forward the company’s commitment to sustainability.

Over the past three years, under the leadership of Syngenta Group’s first CSO, Brand, the company successfully established an industry-leading sustainability agenda with a US$2 billion commitment to breakthrough technologies that deliver a step change in agricultural sustainability and help farmers address climate change.

Fyrwald said: “Sustainability is at the core of Syngenta Group. The world demands sustainable solutions and our new Good Growth Plan puts the urgent fight against climate change and loss of bio-diversity at the heart of farming’s productive future.

“We are pleased to have Petra taking on this important role, advancing our commitment to sustainable agriculture together with our partners and our customers. We thank Alexandra for her many achievements over the past three years as our first Syngenta Group Chief Sustainability Officer.”