UPL appoints Mike Frank as President and Chief Operating Officer; Stock down 2.5%

27 Jan 2022 , 11:22 AM

UPL, a leader in global food systems and sustainable agriculture technologies, on Tuesday, said that it is appointing Mike Frank as President and Chief Operating Officer UPL Crop Protection. Mike brings deep industry knowledge and extraordinary ‘end-to-end’ expertise, gleaned from his years at Monsanto and most recently at Nutrien, where he served as Executive Vice President and CEO, Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Jai Shroff, Group CEO of UPL, said “Agriculture is one of the only systems on the planet that has the ability to reshape and reverse the effects of climate change. Mike’s global perspective, entrepreneurial style, and hands-on approach, coupled with a deep understanding of global food security challenges and driving passion for environmental and economic sustainability, makes him an excellent cultural fit to take UPL to the next level.

Mike Frank said, “I’m very impressed with UPL’s leadership in sustainability and the OpenAg ‘Reimagining Sustainability’ platform, which takes a unique approach at bringing together the various stakeholders in the food and agriculture ecosystem, focusing on helping farmers, advancing new and more sustainable technologies and feeding a growing planet. It’s an honor to join this dynamic team.”

The company said in a filing that Carlos Pellicer, Chief Operating Officer, continues his long association with UPL and will be working with Mike Frank for a handover of responsibilities to him on April 1, 2022 with the start of the new financial year. Carlos will drive UPL group’s growth strategy, leading multiple projects under OpenAg, including UPL’s post-harvest business, carbon and digital projects, as a member of the Group Executive Committee to enhance farmer resilience.

UPL Group is reimagining sustainability across the breadth of its operations, powered by its OpenAg purpose to create sustainable growth for all.

At around 11.19 am, UPL Ltd was trading at Rs769.60 per share down by Rs20.5 or 2.59% from its previous closing of Rs790.10 per share on the BSE.