Neal Gutterson

Neal Gutterson’s life’s work is to create value for farmers. He does this through a combination of scientific and technological expertise, broad-based management and board experience, and the ability to convert innovative ideas and thinking into results.

Neal joined DuPont Pioneer in 2014. After DuPont merged with Dow, he was named Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the combined entity’s agriculture division, which was subsequently spun off and renamed Corteva Agriscience. There, he led the integration of three research and development organizations into one, developed the new company’s first integrated R&D strategy, and oversaw the growth and expansion of its award-winning pipeline. While at Corteva, he championed and brought strategic clarity to the company’s efforts to use its expertise, intellectual property, and technologies to address challenges facing smallholder farmers globally.

Prior to joining Corteva, Dr. Gutterson filled a number of senior roles with Mendel Biotechnology, which he joined as the Head of Research when it was a start-up company, subsequently becoming the President and Chief Executive Officer. He led Mendel Biotechnology's re-invention from a pure technology provider to a market-focused developer of bioenergy seed products, and as the market evolved, to a developer of biological solutions raising over USD 70 million in equity financing and securing USD 90 million in strategic research collaborations. Before that, he filled a number of research roles with DNS Plant Technology Corporation. He has served on the board of various industry organizations, including a couple in their formative stages as well as others with a more stable structure. He also spent six years on the Board of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), including five years as the Chair of the Program Committee.

Dr. Gutterson brings valuable insights, gained from combining strong scientific and technology expertise with very broad-based management and board expertise to focus on innovating to create value for farmers. He has a strong understanding of organizational design principles and what it takes for successful collaborations and partnerships. He combines an insider's understanding of CGIAR with the perspective afforded by operating at a senior level within the private sector, including as a key leader in a very large industrial merger, with strong appreciation for the importance of implementing change through direction, indirect influence, gaining champions, and influencing culture.