b'Seeds Canada has passed a majorence. Working in senior leadership roles milestone: the association is established,with seed industry companies in Canada, functioning, and in great shape. Theas well as his experience as an advocate foundational work has been done. Thein the industry, counts for a lot, Horner question now is what comes next, andsays. what we need to become in its secondWhat stood out most to Horner phase, Wright says. wasnt just Wrights rsum. It was the I dont have a prewritten agenda, heway he carried himself in rooms where adds. Instead, hes deliberately resistingcompeting interests had to find common the executive impulse to fix things onground.day one. His priority is a 60-day listeningI got an appreciation for the depth tour: meeting as many people as possible,of knowledge, perspective, vision that he learning, and engaging without assump- has. And certainly hes a great commu-tions. nicator. I think thats really important in In his first week, he attended a boardthat role. Hes sharp, hes quick and hes meeting, went to Manitoba Ag Days, metarticulate. Scott Horner is chief commercial officer of staff, and connected with most of theIn other words: Wright doesnt justHyTech Production.board. The schedule only intensifies fromunderstand the files. He understands the there: Ottawa, a food conference, meet- people.ings in London, Ont., the Prairie GrainThat matters now more than ever, Development Committee meetings, andbecause Wright isnt stepping into a international engagements includingstable, settled landscape. Hes stepping gatherings of the American Seed Tradeinto a moment of change.Association and the International SeedLeadership is changing across the Federation.sector. The Canadian Seed Growers This, in Wrights view, is the realAssociation (CSGA) also is set to wel-work of association leadership: not com- come new leadership. And behind the manding from the top but shaping direc- scenes, there are long-running tensions tion from the membership outward.that many in the seed industry know exist, even if they rarely get talked about A Natural Progression publicly.For some in the seed sector, WrightsHorner believes Wright is particu-selection felt less like a surprise and morelarly suited to this moment because of like a natural progression. his ability to build relationships quickly,Michelle Wall is Eastern Seedcare technical Scott Horner of HyTech Productionand keep the bigger picture from gettinglead and head of Canadian Seedcare Institute has known Wright for years, most closelyhijacked by personality conflicts. at Syngenta.during their overlap on the CSTA execu- That bridge-building ability is also tive. something Michelle Wall, who worked That period, Horner says, is wherealongside Wright at Syngenta, sees as he got to know Wright best, at the timecentral to why hes the right leader for when Wright was a leader at MonsantoSeeds Canadas next chapter.and bringing a corporate executivesI think that Dan is the perfect perspective into the association environ- person for this kind of next phase, Wall ment. says. Were through the growing pains When Horner heard Wright wasof the first five years, and now I think becoming CEO of Seeds Canada, hisDan can lead us through into forward reaction was immediate. momentum on a lot of these projects that I thought it was a really good fit, hewe have ongoing.says. Walls confidence is rooted in how Horner points to Wrights mix ofWright operates when the work gets corporate leadership experience andmessywhen multiple perspectives association fluency, something not everycollide, and when an organization needs executive has. both direction and trust.Dans got a great perspective on theI think one of his biggest qualitiesBrent Collins serves as Seeds Canada industry, given his history and his experi- is that Dans a real good listener, shepresident.MARCH 2026SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA 7'