Nutrien Ltd., Saskatoon, on Aug. 8 announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Ken Seitz as its President and CEO, effective Aug. 8, 2022. Seitz will also join the Nutrien Board of Directors.
The news follows a seven-month search, during which Seitz was Interim CEO. Seitz stepped up after Nutrien announced in January the departure of Mayo Schmidt (GM Jan. 4, p. 1). Schmidt had only been in the position since April 2021 (GM April 23, 2021), replacing Chuck Magro, who stepped down to pursue other opportunities.
At the time of Schmidt’s departure, Seitz was Nutrien’s Executive Vice President and CEO of Potash, with the company noting that he had over 25 years of extensive global leadership experience in the agriculture and mining sectors and was the former President and CEO of potash supplier Canpotex Ltd.
“Nutrien’s record performance and disciplined execution of strategy during some of the most turbulent times we have seen globally underscore the strength of Ken Seitz’s leadership,” said Russ Girling, Board Chair. “As the company’s President and CEO, Mr. Seitz will continue to drive positive outcomes for all of our stakeholders as we strive to safely and sustainably feed the world.
“Mr. Seitz strongly aligned to our comprehensive leadership needs given his extensive international experience in our industries, passionate connection to our purpose, efficacy in driving our stated strategy, and personal commitment to employee safety and an inclusive workplace,” he added. “Additionally, Mr. Seitz demonstrated proven performance in an interim role this year, receiving an extensive range of positive feedback from our stakeholders. The Board has every confidence Mr. Seitz is the right leader to drive our strategy forward.”
“I look forward to continuing the important work of safely and sustainably feeding a growing world with the executive leadership team, our employees globally, and support of the Board of Directors,” said Seitz. “Growing up on a dairy farm in Saskatchewan, I am honored and humbled to work alongside growers during these challenging times today and going forward. Nutrien is extremely well positioned to help meet the global goals of food security and climate action, partnering across the food system. Our purpose is to feed the future, and I am invigorated by the noble pursuit to help solve these critical world needs.”