Message From the Managing Board

It is with great admiration for East-West Seed’s work over the years that I am speaking to you as the new CEO of this incredible and purpose-driven company.

I am deeply grateful to the Supervisory Board, shareholders, and especially our founder, Simon Groot, for their trust. I have found East-West Seed to be a strong and healthy organization with a robust strategy, a clear mission and vision, and a unique focus on smallholder vegetable farmers in the tropics. I am confident that we have many growth opportunities and a bright future ahead.

In my first months as CEO, I have prioritized listening — to our customers, to better understand their needs; to our employees, to learn how they feel and what support they require to better serve our farmers; and to our shareholders, to understand their vision and expectations. What I see is immense passion from our people, both for the business and its purpose. However, everyone understands that we can only sustain our purpose as long as the company remains financially healthy and commercially successful.

Through my conversations with farmers in different markets, I have observed a deep sense of trust in our company, our brand, and our ability to deliver quality products that meet their constantly changing needs. We have built this trust over 40 years of excellence and commitment to our mission. Building trust is essential, but establishing trust is even more crucial. We must always innovate to offer better products and services and regularly review and update our strategy to remain relevant, thus ensuring we can continuously deliver value to customers. With our five years strategy, PACE in place, we are doing exactly that. We are striking a balance between continuity and leadership in our existing core markets and pursuing profitable growth in new regions. In addition to Asia, we have entered selected markets in Africa and Latin America, and together with the East-West Knowledge Transfer team, we are laying the groundwork for further market expansion in the near future.

A key aspect of our strategy is our commitment to sustainable farming. As a market leader, we have a responsibility to protect the environment for future generations. In collaboration with the EWS Knowledge Transfer, we are focusing on training farmers how to adopt sustainable practices and how to adapt farming practices for climate change. East-West Seed’s uniqueness lies in our close relationship with our smallholder farmers. By working alongside them in their fields, we truly understand their wants and needs. I strongly believe that together with our farmers, we can make a significant positive impact on the future of farming in the tropics.

But for me personally, sustainability goes beyond environmental concerns. It encompasses inclusion, openness, fairness, equality, and equity in doing what is right for our employees and customers. In 2022, East-West Seed hosted the first Women Farmers Congress in Amsterdam, Netherlands. We recognize that achieving gender parity in agriculture is a long journey, but we are committed to leading the way and promoting diversity among our farmers. The future of agriculture is diverse, and this presents a significant opportunity for our industry and East-West Seed. Now is the time to accelerate and move forward.

On behalf of the Managing Board, -

JC FilippiChief Executive Officer