b'DAN WRIGHT DIDNT arrive at Seeds Canada by accidentor by some sudden midlife pivot away from the corporate world. His path to becoming Seeds Canadas new CEO has the steady logic of someone who has spent a lifetime watching how industries work when theyre at their best: not as isolated companies competing in silos, but as ecosystems held together by shared infrastructure, shared standards, and shared purpose.Yes, its a different ball game. Wright spent years inside the private sectorSyngenta, Bayer, and Monsantowhere decisions are often driven by market share, investment cycles, and competitive advantage. Leading a national industry association requires a different lens. But its one Ive been sort of looking through since I was young, he says.Wrights belief in the power of associations started at home. He grew up watching his father devote years to the Ontario Retail Farm Equipment Dealers Association. He didnt just hear about it at the dinner table; he sat in meetings as a young adult and absorbed the culture of col-laboration. People working together, even when theyre competitors, for the betterment of an industry.Dan Wright Steps in as Seeds Canada CEO at a Pivotal Moment With federal cuts raisingThat early exposure stuck. Even before he entered the seed business, alarm, Wright is launchingWright worked in farm equipment. His parents owned a farm equip-ment dealership, and when the family made the hard decision to close it a listening tour and pushingin 1990, it was painful, but formative: a firsthand lesson in how quickly market conditions can change. for collaboration on seedAnd how hard those changes land on real people.regulatory modernization, theIt also cemented a theme that now runs through Wrights leadership philosophy: resilience comes from collective action. Later, he worked in VUA, and long-term innovation. a joint venture connected to the same equipment association he grew up By Marc Zienkiewicz around, engaging directly with members and learning how trust is built at the ground level.So, when opportunities came up in the seed sector to get involved in association workback in the days of the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA)Wright didnt hesitate. He advocated to get engaged. He learned the landscape. He met the people. And he kept coming back to what he describes as the central appeal: You get to work for the bigger good.Dan Wright is the new CEO of Seeds Canada. Now, stepping into Seeds Canada after its first five years under former Photo: Ema Suvajac CEO Barry Senft, Wright sees the timing as more than a leadership tran-sition. He sees it as a strategic moment for the Canadian seed industry.6 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA MARCH 2026'