Nov 29, 2021

Sakata Seed America Appoints COO

Sakata Seed America has announced the appointment of Eduardo Flores to the role of chief operations officer for Sakata Seed America, effective Nov. 29.

Flores will assume responsibility for all of Sakata’s logistics, operations and seed production activity in North/Central America, reporting to John Nelson, executive vice-president, and administratively to Dave Armstrong, president-CEO. Flores will be based in Sakata’s Morgan Hill, California, headquarters.

Flores has extensive experience leading supply chain operations for vegetables seeds, having served as regional operations director for Monsanto’s North American vegetables business. He was also the commercial lead for De Ruiter, a global leader in hi-tech greenhouse tomato seeds and other crops, acquired by Monsanto and, most recently, Flores led global strategy for Dummen Orange, the Netherlands-based ornamentals company.

Flores holds a B.S. (Honors) in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from The Institute of Technology and Higher Education of Monterrey (Mexico) and an MBA from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is fluent in Spanish and English.

“We are excited to have Ed join Sakata,” Armstrong said in a news release. “Ed’s strong operational background and cross-cultural experience is a great fit for Sakata.”

“Ed will be an immediate contributor to Sakata,” Nelson said. “Ed brings the ability to enhance Sakata’s industry leading supply chain team.”

“Across my career, I’ve shared Sakata’s belief that seeds have the potential to improve lives and create healthier communities,” Flores said. “This is a remarkable opportunity to combine my passion for seeds and merge it with my professional business experience to contribute to Sakata and our colleagues.”

Sakata Seed America is a major research, seed production and marketing-distribution subsidiary of Sakata Seed Corp., established in 1913.

Sakata Seed America serves as the headquarters for the North American operations. Sakata’s objective is to quickly and efficiently meet industry expectations for quality seed, innovative genetics and excellent greenhouse and field performance.