b"In his Own Words:GDM IS A FAMILYbusiness with a family story. Picturecompany and have a chance to develop professionally else-the children of an agronomist growing up in a farm townwhere, he explains.IGNACIOin Argentina where their father teaches them their first les- Now two and a half years into his role as GDMs general sons about the business by putting them to work crossingmanager, Bartolom leads with a fresh energy that drives soybeans, whether theyre good at it or not. Its an upbring- him toward innovation, sustainability and collaboration. His ing that includes agronomy talk, spending time with dadgoals for GDM extend beyond the company itself: he wants BARTOLOM ASgoing to the field on Saturday mornings, barbecuing withGDM to be an example that other Latin American companies staff members and playing with their kids at the companyscan follow to compete in a global market dominated by big end-of-the-year parties. These practices accumulativelypowers, including the United States, Europe and China. CEO OF GDMpolished the Bartolom kids wisdom about the business, itsWhy can't a South American company be one of the top people, and the companys culture.five seed companies in the world? There arent enough South For Ignacio Bartolom, this meant that by the age of 35,American companies that lead worldwide in this or other he was prepared to apply the lessons that his father, Gerardosegments. Bartolom, GDMs founding partner, had taught him. GDMSeed World LATAM is proud to bring you a recap of our was practically engraved into Ignacio Bartolomes genesconversation with Bartolom:when, on New Years Day of 2022, he officially became the CEO of Argentina's largest agricultural multinational, known for its high-yield genetics and state-of-the-art breeding programs. In his conversation with Seed World LATAM, Ignacio Bartolom shared the story of this journey, from the path heFamily-owned businesses think in terms sought out on his own before joining the family company, till the moment father and son decided together that theof generations, being more centered on the time was right for Gerardo Bartolom to pass the keys ofcompanys lasting vision and legacy than on its GDM and allow him to actively move forward with his own plans for the company's future. These plans include master- short-term fluctuations.ing innovative technologies, adding new markets around the world, and expanding the company's portfolio to include a widening range of crops and developments. Born in 1986 and raised in the agricultural heartland of Chacabuco, northwest of Buenos Aires, Bartolom grew up where GDM was founded. At 19, fresh out of high school, he co-founded a grain production company with two friendsSW LATAM: How has your entry at GDM been so far?from school. He stayed involved while studying BusinessWhat have your biggest contributions been since Administration and Software at the prestigious Institutoyou joined your familys company?Tecnolgico de Buenos Aires (ITBA). After nearly a decade,Bartolom: My experience at Dreyfus as a grain trader was he withdrew from the grain company to join Luis Dreyfusinvaluable, giving me insights from the opposite end of the Commodities, where he spent seven years trading grainsvalue chain. Joining GDM in the U.S., when it was alreadythree in Argentina, three in Uruguay, and finally in Newbig in South America but not in the U.S. market, helped York. The move to New York ultimately paved the way for hisme understand what was being done in South America transition into the family business. and how to move into the United States. I worked with the When I was in New York, GDM was starting the busi- leaders from each area to build teams and develop various ness in the United States. After a year in the U.S., I resigneddepartments in different countriesresearch, development, from Dreyfus. In 2016, my father and I thought it was a goodmarketing, administration, and finance. This collaboration opportunity for me to join the family company. Thats whenallowed me to understand the different aspects of the com-I started working at GDM and living in Memphis. My fatherpany, especially the research part, which is not my expertise had already offered me positions in the company twicesince I am not an agronomist. So, I had a lot to learn about before. But first, I wanted to live and work abroad for anotherthe technical part, which is the core of what we do.LATAMSEEDWORLD.COM /9"