Monsanto

Monsanto
Basic facts
Location:	St. Louis, Missouri
Type:	Company
Top official:	Hugh Grant, Chairman and CEO
Year founded:	2000
Employees:	21,183
Website:	Official website

Monsanto is a multinational corporation specializing in agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology. Its headquarters are in St. Louis, Mo., but it has hundreds of locations throughout 72 different countries consisting of administrative and sales offices, manufacturing plants, seed production facilities, research centers and learning centers.

Mission

Monsanto is a for-profit company. According to the company's website, the following statement is listed as its pledge:

“	The Monsanto Pledge is our commitment to how we do business. It is a declaration that compels us to listen more, to consider our actions and their impact broadly, and to lead responsibly. It helps us to convert our values into actions, and to make clear who we are and what we champion. Integrity Integrity is the foundation for all that we do. Integrity includes honesty, decency, consistency, and courage. Building on those values, we are committed to: Dialogue We will listen carefully to diverse points of view and engage in thoughtful dialogue. We will broaden our understanding of issues in order to better address the needs and concerns of society and each other. Transparency We will ensure that information is available, accessible, and understandable. Sharing We will share knowledge and technology to advance scientific understanding, to improve agriculture and the environment, to improve crops, and to help farmers in developing countries. Benefits We will use sound and innovative science and thoughtful and effective stewardship to deliver high-quality products that are beneficial to our customers and to the environment. Respect We will respect the religious, cultural, and ethical concerns of people throughout the world. The safety of our employees, the communities where we operate, our customers, consumers, and the environment will be our highest priority. Act as Owners to Achieve Results We will create clarity of direction, roles, and accountability; build strong relationships with our customers and external partners; make wise decisions; steward our company resources; and take responsibility for achieving agreed-upon results. Create a Great Place to Work We will ensure diversity of people and thought; foster innovation, creativity and learning; practice inclusive teamwork; and reward and recognize our people.	”
—Monsanto

History

In 1901, John F. Queeny founded the original Monsanto company, which initially produced saccharine. By 1945, the company was producing and marketing agricultural chemicals. In 1960, the company's Agricultural Division was established, and beginning in the early 1960s, the company began introducing herbicides. Over the years, the original Monsanto company acquired multiple other companies, diversifying its products to include, among other things, plastics, chemicals and seeds.

In 2000, the original Monsanto Company merged with Pharmacia Corporation, and according to Monsanto's website, "a new Monsanto Company, based on the previous agricultural division of Pharmacia, is incorporated as a stand-alone subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company." This new Monsanto was eventually spun off from Pharmacia and became its own independent company. According to its website, "The Monsanto of today is focused on agriculture and supporting farmers around the world in their mission to produce more while conserving more."

Work

Monsanto partners with farmers to provide them agricultural and vegetable seeds, plant biotechnology traits, and crop protection chemicals. According to its website, "Monsanto offers farmers a wide range of corn, soybean, cotton, wheat, canola, sorghum and sugar cane seeds. We use our elite seed genetics and cutting-edge traits and technologies to create products that meet farmers’ wants and needs. These products are offered through various brands – each of which provides farmers around the world with the solutions that best fit their farms."

Leadership

As of 2015, the leadership for the Monsanto consisted of company leadership and a board of directors. The officers and their positions are listed below:

Company leadership

• Hugh Grant (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer)
• Brett D. Begemann (President and Chief Operating Officer)
• Pierre Courduroux (Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer)
• Dr. Robert T. Fraley (Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer)
• Michael J. Frank (Vice President, Global Commercial)
• David Friedberg (Vice President, and Chief Executive Officer, Climate)
• Tom D. Hartley (Vice President and Treasurer)
• Janet M. Holloway (Senior Vice President, Chief of Staff and Community Relations)
• Steven C. Mizell (Executive Vice President, Human Resources)
• Kerry J. Preete (Executive Vice President, Global Strategy)
• Nicole M. Ringenberg (Vice President and Controller)
• David F. Snively (Executive Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel)
• Dr. Michael K. Stern (Vice President, and President and Chief Operating Officer, Climate)

Board of directors

• Gregory H. Boyce (Executive Chairman of Peabody Energy Corporation)
• David L. Chicoine (President of South Dakota State University and professor of economics)
• Janice L. Fields (Former president of McDonald’s USA, LLC, a subsidiary of McDonald’s Corporation)
• Hugh Grant (Chairman and chief executive officer of Monsanto Company)
• Arthur H. Harper (Managing partner of GenNx360 Capital Partners)
• Laura K. Ipsen (Senior Vice President & General Manager of The Global Industry Solutions Group for Oracle Corporation)
• Gwendolyn S. King (President of Podium Prose, a speakers bureau)
• Marcos M. Lutz (Chief Executive Officer of Cosan Ltd.)
• C. Steven McMillan (Retired chairman of the board and CEO of Sara Lee Corporation)
• Jon R. Moeller (Chief financial officer of The Procter & Gamble Company)
• William U. Parfet (Chairman of the board, chief executive officer and President of MPI Research Inc.)
• George H. Poste, Ph. D., D.V.M. (Chief executive of Health Technology Networks)
• Robert J. Stevens (Retired chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation)

Political giving

Monsanto has contributed to political efforts, primarily statewide and local ballot measures, that have addressed the issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Monsanto generally opposes ballot measures that seek to mandate the labeling of foodstuffs containing GMOs and seek to ban the use of GMOs.

External links

Suggest a link

• Monsanto website

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