HM.Clause announces arrival of new CEO

HM.Clause has appointed Rémi Bastien as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective as of September 1, 2017. In his role, Mr. Bastien serves as chair of the Global Strategy Team, the governing body of executives that is responsible for crafting and executing the company’s long term roadmap.


Mr. Bastien’s knowledge about the seed industry, and his leadership acumen, come from a career that spans nearly three decades and includes formational experience that began with marketing, developed into sales management, and culminated with several increasingly prominent roles in executive management.

Mr. Bastien comes to HM.Clause from Limagrain Europe, a business unit of HM.Clause’s parent company that is dedicated to the business of field seeds. There he served as CEO, while also serving as President of the Union Française des Semenciers (UFS) maize section. Preceding that, he was the Regional Director of Europe and Africa for Mérieux Nutrisciences, a company that specializes in food safety and quality. Prior to that, Mr. Bastien held a number of leadership positions for Monsanto, including General Manager of Eastern Europe based in Hungary, Seed Corn Marketing Manager for Europe and Africa based in Switzerland, and Commercial Manager for both Seed and Crop Protection based in France. Prior to joining Monsanto, Mr. Bastien served as Sales Director for Pioneer Seeds in France, and earlier as a marketing manager and product manager in the animal nutrition industry. Mr. Bastien earned an MS in Agricultural Economics from the Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon. He is based in Portes-les-Valence, France and will split his time between France and the US headquarters in Davis, California.

HM.Clause is a business unit of Limagrain and part of the company’s Vegetable Seeds division. Founded originally by farmers, Limagrain is guided today by both a farmer board and an executive team who work together to reach consensus on important management decisions. This business model is unique in the industry. It works to bring different perspectives to the table and helps to ensure that the interests of all parties are represented.

Mr. Bastien joins HM.Clause’s Deputy CEO, André Cariou, to complete the executive tandem that is the hallmark of Limagrain’s governance structure. “I see great value in this cooperative approach to governance because it promotes a culture of partnership, which in turn emphasizes collaboration and teamwork throughout the company,” said Bastien.

The mission of HM.Clause is to build trust with farmers throughout the world, providing quality and innovative vegetable seed products that meet their specific, local needs. “I am thrilled to be taking the helm as CEO of HM.Clause, a company that I believe stands out in the competitive landscape as one of the most respected and trusted in the industry,” said Bastien. “I wish to maintain and build upon this reputation as we endeavor to scale up the organization to meet the growing demand for our products worldwide,” he added.

Mr. Bastien believes that by staying true to who they are, HM.Clause can become the preferred vegetable seed company by 2023. For him, the key to this is farmer trust and grower intimacy. “We want to be as close as possible to our customers because proximity increases our ability to react to changing market needs,” he stated.

HM.Clause recently ended FY17 with its third consecutive year of double digit growth in annual revenues.