Sound Agriculture welcomes Diego Angelo and John Riley
SAN FRANCISCO, CA May 22, 2019 – Sound Agriculture is pleased to announce the hiring of Diego Angelo as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), and John Riley as Vice President of Manufacturing and Supply. Bringing decades of global agriculture industry expertise to the team, they will fill vital roles as the company prepares to launch sustainable technology products that support farmers and the environment.
As CCO, Diego will oversee global commercialization of Sound’s technology and products, with a focus on accelerating product adoption and identifying channels for growth. With 20 years of experience in the agriculture industry, he has held senior roles at Monsanto, Bayer CropScience, and BASF Agricultural Solutions. He is passionate about utilizing technology to help resolve global food and environmental challenges.
Diego has broad expertise in seeds and crop protection in all major agricultural markets, including the United States, Brazil, Argentina, and Europe. Throughout his career, he led the growth of the soybean seeds and traits business for Bayer and made it a global franchise. Specifically, in the United States he was instrumental in launching the LibertyLink technology, which is now a foundational technology for weed control. He also played a key role in the seamless integration of the Bayer Soybean Seeds and Traits business into BASF. He has an MBA from CEMA University, and a BSc in Ag Management from U.A.D.E., both in Argentina.
John joins the company to oversee procurement, formulation, planning, and logistics. He spent over two decades at Syngenta in increasingly senior roles. Most recently, he was Head of Global Engineering, stationed in Basel, Switzerland. Prior, he led Syngenta’s global formulation and seeds processing operations. He also oversaw supply operations and production in North America for the crop protection and seeds businesses. John was a member of Syngenta’s operational excellence leadership team. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Drexel University, and an MBA from Ryder University.
“We are thrilled to have two leading industry experts join our team to help drive the company’s success,” said Eric Davidson, CEO. “Diego and John both come to Sound Agriculture with a deep understanding of the agriculture landscape and the importance of making fundamental changes to ensure a sustainable future for the planet. Their knowledge and passion will be instrumental to our continued growth.”
A winner of the 2019 AgFunder Innovation Award, Sound Agriculture is supporting large scale trialing of its first product, Source™, prior to launch in 2020. Source™ is a foliar spray that stimulates beneficial soil microbes, causing them to unlock existing nitrogen and phosphorous so they can be used by the plant, providing a more economical, earth-friendly, and sustainable solution for crop productivity.