Corteva, Inc. announced that Sam Eathington, PhD, a highly experienced agricultural scientist with extensive expertise in developing cutting-edge technology, has begun his role as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, effective January 1, 2021. Reporting to Chief Executive Officer James C. Collins, Jr., Eathington has responsibility for the Company’s industry-leading portfolio of products and technology and spearheading global agricultural innovation and sustainability. Eathington joins Corteva from The Climate Corporation (part of Bayer Crop Science) where he was Chief Science Officer. He spent nearly two decades focused on quantitative traits and molecular breeding at Monsanto.
“We are excited to have Sam take over as the leader of our R&D organization,” Collins says. “Sam has a long history of driving commercially successful scientific innovation and his insights and experience will be a tremendous advantage for Corteva. With Sam’s leadership and expertise, we will continue to launch transformative solutions that meet the evolving needs of consumers and empower farmers to produce more, building on the success of recent key product launches while further diversifying our portfolio across crops and geographies. At the same time, we will continue to advance the efficiency and productivity of our R&D operations and deliver greater value for our shareholders.”
“Corteva’s vast portfolio of products and services and deep relationships throughout the agriculture community reflects its commitment to helping farmers thrive and build for the future,” Eathington says. “Corteva has established significant momentum with a robust pipeline of patented and differentiated products, award-winning technology and leadership in sustainable chemistry. I am excited to be joining this talented team of scientists at Corteva as we continue to develop technology that positively impacts farmers’ livelihoods and advances environmental sustainability and agricultural resiliency throughout the global food system, while driving accelerated competitive advantages and long-term growth for the business.”
Eathington holds more than 50 patents, patent applications and publications and is an expert contributor to numerous periodicals. He is a sixth-generation Illinois farmer and his family has been farming the same land for 150 years. He holds a B.S. in agronomy, an M.S. in soybean breeding and genetics and a PhD in quantitative genetics and maize breeding, all from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Eathington succeeds Neal Gutterson, PhD, who retired from the Company at the end of 2020.
