Syngenta AG’s headquarters in Basel, Switzerland
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Agriculture may be the world’s oldest industry, but at Syngenta, it is being reshaped by some of the most advanced technologies available today. As Chief Information and Digital Officer, Feroz Sheikh leads efforts to integrate data, artificial intelligence and digital platforms into how food is grown and how farmers make decisions.
“Syngenta is an agriculture inputs provider,” Sheikh explained. “We make the crop protection products that farmers use on their fields, and we develop seeds for crops like corn, soybeans and tomatoes.” Operating in more than 100 countries with roughly 60,000 employees, Syngenta Group reported approximately $28.5 billion in sales in 2025. This scale increases Syngenta’s global reach and influences highly localized farming realities.
For Sheikh, the role extends far beyond traditional IT. His remit spans everything from foundational infrastructure to cutting edge AI, with a strong emphasis on driving innovation that benefits both researchers and farmers. “A lot of my time goes into helping use data and technology in meaningful ways,” he said, “whether that is accelerating product development or helping farmers make better decisions in the field.”
Organizing for Interdisciplinary Innovation
A defining feature of Syngenta’s approach is how it organizes for innovation. Rather than isolating technical expertise, the company builds interdisciplinary teams that combine deep domain knowledge with advanced computational skills. Sheikh points to computational agronomy as a core example, where data scientists and engineers work alongside soil experts and entomologists.
Syngenta Chief Information and Digital Officer Feroz Sheikh
Syngenta
“That intersection allows us to develop solutions that take data about the soil and feed it into models,” he noted. “From there, we can make recommendations on how farmers can improve outcomes.”
This blending of disciplines reflects a broader shift in how talent is evolving. Increasingly, success depends not just on technical proficiency, but on the ability to bridge domains. Syngenta is also investing in roles like knowledge managers, who ensure that AI systems are trained on accurate, current and relevant information. “It is about making sure the expertise behind these tools is consistent and usable,” Sheikh underscored.
The Digital Layer on a Physical Industry
Yet even as digital capabilities expand, agriculture remains fundamentally physical. Seeds must still be planted, crops must still be harvested and environmental conditions remain unpredictable. Sheikh describes modern agriculture as a kind of “jigsaw puzzle,” where advances in chemistry, genetics and machinery have laid the groundwork, but data and AI are emerging as the final piece.
