DowDuPont announces top executive changes, senior leaders of Corteva Agriscience

DowDuPont announced the senior leaders of the independent companies that will be created following the separation of its Agriculture (Corteva Agriscience) and Specialty Products (DuPont) Divisions, which is expected to occur by June 1, 2019. In addition, the company announced that Ed Breen, chief executive officer of DowDuPont, will become executive chairman of DuPont following the separation. 

 

The senior leaders of Corteva Agriscience include: 

 

• James C. Collins, Jr., currently chief operating officer of the Agriculture Division, will be chief executive officer; 

 

• Greg Friedman, currently head of finance for the Agriculture Division and vice president, DuPont Investor Relations, will be executive vice president, chief financial officer; and 

 

• Cornel Fuerer, currently head of legal for the Agriculture Division, will be senior vice president, general counsel. 

 

The senior leaders of DuPont include: 

 

• Marc Doyle, currently chief operating officer of the Specialty Products Division, will be chief executive officer; 

 

• Jeanmarie Desmond, currently head of finance for the Specialty Products Division and co-controller of DowDuPont, will be executive vice president, chief financial officer; and 

 

Erik Hoover, currently head of legal for the Specialty Products Division, chief compliance officer for DuPont, and assistant secretary for DowDuPont, will be senior vice president, general counsel. 

 

In his full-time role as executive chairman of DuPont, Mr. Breen will work closely with the senior leadership team and focus on the company's portfolio management strategy, capital allocation decisions, and, in conjunction with Marc Doyle, shareholder engagement. As CEO, Mr. Doyle will lead the organization and remain focused on business execution, growth initiatives, and further establishing a culture of innovation and operational discipline in order to maximize shareholder value. He will report to Mr. Breen. 

 

"As we continue to make strong progress and build momentum toward the intended separations next year, we are pleased to announce the senior leadership teams that will take Corteva Agriscience and DuPont into the future," said Ed Breen. "Over the past three years I have seen first-hand the ability of each of these leaders to develop and execute on their respective business strategies. They have successfully delivered growth, driven integration initiatives, and captured synergies, while also taking the steps needed to build world-class organizations that will position the independent companies to win in the marketplace." 

 

Mr. Breen continued, "Marc and Jim are highly qualified executives who have an unparalleled depth of knowledge and expertise in their respective businesses. I am confident they are the right leaders to drive each company forward and capitalize on the tremendous value creation opportunity ahead for all our stakeholders - including shareholders, customers, employees, and partners." 

 

Jim Collins said, "I am privileged to lead Corteva on behalf of all the important stakeholders we serve every day. Our combined rich history, balanced portfolio, and deep connections to our customers give me enormous confidence in Corteva's future as a focused, pure-play agriculture company. We will compete and succeed by delivering to farmers the most innovative products and value-added services in our industry. I could not be more proud to lead such a highly qualified team who are committed to accelerating innovation, executing operational efficiencies, and creating exceptional solutions for customers to grow our business and enhance value for shareholders." 

 

"It is an honor to have the opportunity to lead the new DuPont, one of the premier innovation companies in the world," said Marc Doyle. "We have an exceptional opportunity to shape our future by capitalizing fully on our disciplined approach to solving complex customer challenges with value-added specialized solutions that give our customers sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. I am confident in our team's ability to continue to drive growth and results for customers and shareholders alike. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Ed in his role as executive chairman as our company benefits from his unique strategic and operational experience." 

 

As previously announced, Jim Fitterling will become chief executive officer, Howard Ungerleider will become president and chief financial officer, and Amy Wilson will become general counsel of Dow upon completion of the Materials Science Division's separation from DowDuPont, which is expected to occur by April 1, 2019. The boards of directors of the three future companies are expected to be finalized and announced by the end of October 2018. 

 

 

James C. Collins, Jr. is the chief operating officer for the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, Corteva. He was previously an executive vice president at DuPont responsible for the company's Agriculture segment, including DuPont Crop Protection and Pioneer. Over the past year, he has led the integration of Dow AgroSciences into the division, making Corteva the only pure-play agriculture business offering a comprehensive, balanced and diverse seed, crop protection and digital service solutions portfolio with a focus on helping farmers maximize the value of their investment through high-performing genetics and effective science-based solutions. 

 

Since the DowDuPont merger, Mr. Collins has worked with the division's leadership to put in place the foundation that will drive Corteva's top and bottom line performance into the future, while delivering cost synergies. This includes introducing a variety of new products from its significant innovation pipeline, successfully launching its new multi-brand, multi-channel growth strategy, and establishing a best-in-class cost structure. 

 

Mr. Collins joined DuPont in 1984 and has served in a variety of roles supporting and leading DuPont businesses. His work in the Agriculture segment began 34 years ago with manufacturing, as a sales representative and product manager, and he subsequently served in a variety of roles supporting DuPont's seed and crop protection businesses around the world. Prior to leading the Agriculture segment, a role he took in 2016, Mr. Collins spent the previous three years leading two of DuPont's other large business segments, Performance Materials and Electronics & Communications. 

 

Mr. Collins earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Christian Brothers College and an MBA from the University of Delaware. 

 

 

Marc Doyle has served for the past year as chief operating officer of the Specialty Products Division of DowDuPont. During his tenure, he has delivered progress on all key financial metrics while also leading the integration of DuPont and Dow businesses to establish a strong, independent global company upon separation, which is expected to occur by June 1, 2019. 

 

Mr. Doyle has played a pivotal role in improving the speed and effectiveness of the company's new product development, operating efficiency, and cost discipline with a rigorous focus on shareholder returns. Prior to leading the Specialty Products Division of DowDuPont, he served as executive vice president of DuPont with responsibility for the company's diverse industrial businesses, and led the pre-merger planning for a best-in-class cost structure, lean operating model, and synergy targets for the division. 

 

He joined DuPont as a research engineer in 1995 and subsequently held positions spanning new business development, marketing, strategic planning, and business management. In these roles, his focus has been on building and leading customer-centric teams-driving growth and value. 

 

Mr. Doyle earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. 

 

Edward D. Breen is the chief executive officer of DowDuPont and will become the executive chairman of the new DuPont upon separation, which is expected to occur by June 1, 2019. 

 

Prior to his role at DowDuPont, Mr. Breen was the chair of the board and CEO of DuPont, a role he assumed on November 9, 2015. He joined the DuPont board of directors in February 2015, was named interim chair of the board and CEO on October 16, 2015, and assumed those roles permanently on November 9, 2015. 

 

Mr. Breen served as chairman and CEO of Tyco International plc ("Tyco") from July 2002 until September 2012. Over the course of his tenure, he transformed Tyco into a strong market leader, reviving the company from near bankruptcy and rebuilding the company's brand and credibility. He oversaw a successful restructuring, including divesting non-core operations resulting in the spin-offs of Covidien, TE Connectivity, ADT Corporation, and the merger of Tyco Flow Control with Pentair. He also established and met goals within areas of operational excellence and corporate governance. 

 

Prior to joining Tyco, Mr. Breen held several senior management positions at Motorola from 2000 to 2002, including as president and chief operating officer. Mr. Breen is credited with instituting cost management programs that made Motorola a more efficient and effective organization and led the company back to profitability. From December 1997 to January 2000, he served as chairman, president and chief executive officer of General Instrument Corporation where he created significant long-term shareholder value by driving a revenue growth strategy. Between 1994 and 1997, Mr. Breen was president of the Broadband Networks Group for General Instrument, president of Eastern Operations for the Communications Division, and served as executive vice president of Terrestrial Systems. 

 

Mr. Breen currently serves as a director of Comcast Corporation. He also serves as a member of the advisory board of New Mountain Capital LLC, a private equity firm.

Mr. Breen has been awarded numerous governance awards including being named one of the "100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics" by Ethisphere.