Agrinos is headed by an executive team whose primary goal is to lead our company to the forefront of the crop biologicals industry. With diverse backgrounds, each team member contributes to the collective experience that will push Agrinos towards excellence.
Kevin Helash joined Agrinos in 2017, bringing over 27 years experience in the agricultural crop input industry. His background includes sales, marketing, supply chain and various senior management roles with Agrium’s retail and wholesale businesses. He has worked in major agricultural markets including Canada, the United States and Argentina. He also served on the Board of the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) and CropLife Canada. Mr. Helash received his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Manitoba.
Jim Thompson joined Agrinos in 2018 and brings extensive experience in growth strategy, fundraising, and mergers and acquisitions. He leads all finance and accounting activities for Agrinos’ global commercial operations and manages the company’s investor relations program. Previously, he served since 2000 as CFO for Gold Standard Diagnostics, which was acquired by Eurofins. Thompson holds a degree in business administration from California Polytechnic State University and a Master of Business Administration from Santa Clara University.
Michael Austin joined Agrinos in 2015 and leads the global agronomy team. Before joining Agrinos, Dr. Austin served as Head for North American Continuous Nurseries in Hawaii and Puerto Rico at Syngenta Seeds, research scientist and agronomist at DuPont Pioneer, and diversified crops scientist with the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center. He holds a Master’s of Science in Agronomy from the University of Florida and a Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Breeding from the University of Hawaii.
Fabricio Benatti joined Agrinos in 2016 with a strong record in product development, strategy, and marketing as well as developing and leading sales teams. He previously served in leadership positions at Bayer CropScience and BASF in Brazil and Ourofino Agronegocio in Africa. Mr. Benatti has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Finance and Mathematics from the University of Octavio Bastos, a Bachelor’s in Agronomic Engineering from CREUPI, and a Master of Business Administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas.
Indranil Das joined Agrinos in 2012 and offers a successful history leading business development, strategic planning, budgeting, supply chain management and development, and sales and marketing activities. Prior to Agrinos, he held key roles in sales and business management at Chemtura Corporation, Dow AgroSciences India and Zeneca/Syngenta India. Mr. Das holds a Master’s in Agriculture from the Indian Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University and a management degree from the Indian Institute of Management–Ahmedabad.
Valerie Leddy joined Agrinos in 2018 and leads the strategy, structure and measurement activities necessary for long-term growth, including the implementation of talent management, organizational design and a results-driven culture. Ms. Leddy previously served as director of human resources for a global biotech and medical device company. She holds certifications for Senior Professional Human Resources, SPHR (HRCI, SHRM), Professional Excellence in Coaching (IPEC) and a Master’s in Organizational development from the University of San Francisco.
Breen Neeser joined Agrinos in 2018, bringing over 25 years experience in the agriculture industry with an emphasis in strategic management, marketing, sales, operations and supply chain management. Prior to joining Agrinos, he served in key sales leadership roles for Nutrien’s industrial and feed products division and Agrium’s global fertilizer business. Mr. Neeser holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Alberta.
Rose Reifsnyder joined Agrinos in 2016 and provides a comprehensive background in marketing strategy, corporate communications, branding and media relations. Prior to Agrinos, she served as Sr. Vice President of Marketing for a specialty finance company and held MarComm leadership roles in several Syngenta business units. Ms. Reifsnyder holds a Bachelor’s in art history from the University of Redlands and a Master’s in critical art theory from the University of Southern California.
Terry Stone joined Agrinos in 2015 and brings over 30 years experience in plant biotechnology, regulatory affairs and sustainable agriculture. He directs all global regulatory affairs initiatives. He previously held leadership roles with Syngenta, The Scotts Company and Monsanto. He earned a Master of Business Administration in International Business from St. Louis University, a Master’s of Science in Entomology from Mississippi State University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Invertebrate Zoology from Southern Illinois University.
Mylavarapu Venkatramesh joined Agrinos in 2014. He has over 33 years experience in plant pathology, soil microbiology, plant biochemistry and metabolic engineering, and has lead biotechnology discovery research. He previously served at Dow AgroSciences, Exelixis Plant Sciences, Monsanto and Renessen. Dr. Venkatramesh received an Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation fellowship and holds a Bachelor’s of Science from Bangalore University, a Master’s of Science in Botany from Madras University and a Doctor of Philosophy in Botany from S.V. University.
