AgroPages-John Muliken Joins Indigo As Its Chief Integrated Product Officer-Agricultural news

Indigo Agriculture, a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet, announces the appointment of John Mulliken as Chief Integrated Product Officer (CIPO). As Indigo's first CIPO, Mulliken will drive the creation of integrated offerings for growers that leverage technology and data science.

"I was struck immediately by Indigo's purpose and scope of ambition," Mulliken said. "That purpose represents an unparalleled opportunity for positive impact on dimensions that affect not only one of the world's largest and most critical industries, but also every single one of us as individuals."

After a career building e-commerce products, Mulliken will play a key role in expanding Indigo's comprehensive grower offerings, including the recently launched Indigo Acres, a tiered package of agronomic tools and services. Mulliken will lead Indigo's regenerative and microbial product teams in the design of regenerative agricultural systems, a cohesive set of practices, tools, and insights that help growers sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide and enrich their soils. These systems will equip farmers with global-level insights to inform hyper-local, field-level - and ultimately sub-field-level - decision-making.

"I am excited to use advancements in technology and data in new ways to drive greater profitability for farmers, improve health outcomes, and mitigate climate change through the drawdown of carbon dioxide into agricultural soils - benefits which we can begin to deliver and scale today," Mulliken said. "That's a level of tangible, multi-faceted impact with staggering potential scope that you don't get a chance to be part of very often."

Mulliken most recently served as the Chief Technology Officer at Wayfair, where he helped to redefine online home furnishings shopping by driving the development of a user-friendly e-commerce catalog and deep integration with suppliers. Leveraging data science, computer vision, and personalized recommendations at scale, Mulliken helped propel the company's growth from startup to Fortune 500 leader. He joins Indigo at a critical moment in agriculture, as rising urgency to ensure the sustainability of one of the world's largest industries has spurred the need for innovation beyond single-point solutions.

"John has built his career driving innovation to deliver new value for consumers," said Geoffrey von Maltzahn, Indigo's Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer. "To maximize outcomes for growers, Indigo is delivering systems that integrate multiple technologies, enabling growers to make a set of unbiased and data-driven decisions. We're fortunate to share in John's expertise as we evolve those offerings and reimagine the food and agriculture system."

Also joining Indigo today is Persis Elavia, a former general manager at Uber, and Amit Menipaz, a former eBay executive, as Marketplace General Manager and Head of Global Transport, respectively. Their arrival alongside Mulliken underscores the opportunity for digital technologies and scientific innovation to transform agriculture in support of growers, consumers, and the environment.