Unfold names president, chief executive officer

Unfold, a seed and digital solutions company advancing the vertical farming industry, has announced Sonia Lo has been appointed president and chief executive officer, and as a member of the company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. She takes over from John Purcell, who will remain with Unfold but who has stepped down from the CEO role to support his family.

Sonia Lo is an experienced agtech industry executive who has served as CEO of Sensei AG, Crop One Holding, Inc. and held various leadership roles at Google and eZoka, which she co-founded. Lo currently also serves on the Board of Directors of Griffith Foods International, a 103-year-old, purpose-driven company, where she chairs the Climate Action and Corporate Venture vertical; Urban-Gro, a NASDAQ listed design-engineering firm focused on indoor growing facilities; and Hart Dairy, the U.S.’s only Certified Humane dairy. Lo earned her bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in mathematics from Stanford University and an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School. She also holds professional chef and pastry degrees from London and City College.

“Sonia’s wealth of experience and deep understanding of the indoor agriculture industry worldwide paired with her commitment to building and maintaining an inclusive company culture are invaluable as Unfold scales operations and expands its partnerships globally,” said Derek Norman, a member of the Unfold Board of Directors.

“In a short period, Unfold has become a trusted premium seed provider in the vertical farming industry as evidenced by its Innovation Partner Program, which includes nearly ten leading companies across four continents. I’m honored to join the company at such an important moment for both Unfold and the industry,” said Lo. “I’ve dedicated my career to scaling indoor agriculture operations with investment strategy and technology. Unfold has a unique opportunity with its industry-leading germplasm and team, to help feed the world sustainably. I look forward to working with the team and its partners to propel the business to its next chapter of growth.”