SYNGENTA
individuals to learn and then invest in their training.” The plan incorporates its mission to support farmers and feed the world as a motivator to attract talent. Showcasing the rapid adoption of digital tools and AI in agriculture as an exciting and meaningful tech opportunity. Kris adds: “Internally, it looks to develop talent from within its existing IT departments.” Another avenue is tapping into its strong partnerships with tech and service partners to discover and nurture new talent.
Partners are more than just numbers
Syngenta depends on many key partners to manage significant parts of its network infrastructure. Therefore, picking partners involves a deep dive that goes beyond typical purchasing decisions.
Kris stresses the need for partners to align with Syngenta’s mission and values; top-notch service, SLAs and KPIs are just the starting point. He adds: “It really is about who they are and how they respond when the chips are down.” Apart from BT Group, Syngenta's two other significant partners are SecureOps and GTT.
“The network was not reliable, we were having daily outages and there was an overall lack of stability and predictability,,” Kris recalls. “We relied on SecureOps and the team stepped up and delivered.”
Partnership in action: SecureOps and the network comeback
He credits his team, SecureOps and BT for stabilising the network, providing operational backup and providing vital high-level tech skills and architectural advice. “They’ve got an excellent team that includes high-level senior network engineers and architects who gave us a level of expertise that we just didn’t have at the time.”
SecureOps is crucial in managing Syngenta’s global backbone – the vital network linking hundreds of sites globally. The partnership was essential when Kris joined Syngenta in late 2021 during what was called the “network crisis.”
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August 2025