68 / SEEDWORLD.COM FEBRUARY 2019 Seed World: Martin, you’re retiring after more than 40 years of service. What are you most proud of? Martin Gruss: Completing 40 years in this company, I have certainly gained a great deal of experience. The biggest thing I have learned is that you have to understand your customer and his business, so that you know how to add value to his business. What excites me most is that we achieved growth through innovation, passion and commitment, and this growth has not stopped. SW: When someone says “Bayer SeedGrowth,” what do you hope comes to mind? MG: We are the only fully integrated system for on-seed applications on the market. With more than 100 years of experience in the market, we stand for expertise and consistency. SW: How has the environment changed and what has it meant? MG: One of the most challenging developments during the past few years was the European Union verdict that certain neonicotinoids will remain restricted. We are convinced of the safety of these products when applied according to label. Since the imposed ban was implemented in 2013, it’s possible to put the impact into perspective. The ban has cost European oilseed rape farmers 350 million euros in lost revenue. The ban on neonicotinoids was imposed to protect honeybees, but so far there has been no positive benefit for pollinators. The whole seed treatment industry and value chain will have to work even closer than it does today to meet future challenges like this even better. SW: What one wish do you have for the seed treatment world? MG: I’ve learned that it’s more and more important to also address the benefits our technologies bring to society in providing a stable and affordable food supply in a sustainable way. Many do not understand how food is grown. They also don’t understand how much progress is continuously made in increasing sustainability. That is why it is important to repeatedly underline the value seed treatment delivers to agriculture. This includes the basic principles of why seeds are treated, and the role seed treatment plays in a sustainable integrated pest management program. I wish politicians and the public would recognize that agriculture benefits a great deal from seed-applied technologies and that seed treatment will continue to be a critical element of sustainable agriculture. SW: With the freedom of retirement, what do you most look forward to? MG: I look forward to seeing how Bayer SeedGrowth will be developed further by the team and my successor Boualem Saidi. Bayer SeedGrowth is full of great, passionate and innovative minds. And this is exactly where Boualem comes into play. He is as fully committed to further building on the success of our long-term Bayer SeedGrowth partnerships as I was. I am sure that he, together with the whole team, will also engage in new ones. As for me, I am sure that there are many private tasks waiting for me after my Bayer era. Life won’t be boring, and my family will be happy to see much more of me. SW: Congratulations on the new position! Tell a little about yourself and what steps you’re taking to acclimate to the new role. BS: I’m an agronomist by training and have been with Bayer for 24 years, mostly in commercial and general management roles. During that time, I’ve worked in different parts of the world learning and contributing to agriculture development in Europe, Africa and Asia. For more than a decade, Martin Gruss has carried the Bayer SeedGrowth baton as head. Now, he’s passing the baton to Boualem Saidi, and Seed World finds out what’s top of mind as one exits and another enters. Julie Deering jdeering@issuesink.com Passing the Baton Boualem Saidi, Bayer’s new global head of SeedGrowth, sits down with outgoing head Martin Gruss, who will retire after more than 40 years of service to the company.