Makhteshim Agan Appoints Jean-Marc Dardier as Head of Global Marketing

TEL-AVIV, Israel, December 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

The Makhteshim Agan Group ("MAI" or the "Company"), the world leader in branded off-patent crop protection solutions, today announced the appointment of Jean-Marc Dardier as Head of Global Marketing. The appointment is effective as of January 1, 2013.

As Head of Global Marketing, a newly created position, Jean-Marc will lead MAI's marketing activities, as well as define and implement MAI's global marketing and branding strategies. The appointment supports MAI's strategic vision to enhance its global commercial and marketing orientation through a number of business initiatives. Along this line was the recent appointment of Ignacio Dominguez as MAI's Chief Commercial Officer. Jean-Marc's addition to MAI team will allow the Company to further improve its global market orientation and branding capabilities.

Jean-Marc is a senior marketing, branding, strategy and business development executive with experience inside and outside of the crop protection sector. For the past six years, Jean-Marc held a number of senior posts at Syngenta, including Head of Marketing & Strategy for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. More recently, he was appointed global project manager for the integration design of Seeds and Crop Protection and the restructuring of the global seeds R&D footprint. He also served in senior commercial positions in the flavors and fragrances industry in the USA, France and Switzerland, as head of Global Personal Care at Symrise and VP for North America at Givaudan USA, a leading flavors and fragrances company.

Jean-Marc holds a B.Sc in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Besancon, France, a MBA from ESCP Europe in Paris, and a post-graduate degree in European Affairs from ENA, the French National School of Administration.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Ignacio Dominguez, Chief Commercial Officer of Makhteshim Agan, said, "We are very happy to welcome Jean-Marc to MAI in his new capacity as Head of Global Marketing. Jean-Marc's hands-on experience in formulating and implementing growth strategies, combined with his broad and deep skill-set in marketing, branding and business development, make him the ideal person to fill this important new position which we have created to better harness our global marketing strengths and execute our market strategies. His appointment solidifies our strategic approach to focus on delivering our purpose of crating simplicity in agriculture to our end customers. We look forward to working closely with Jean-Marc and benefiting from his diverse talents as we execute on our long-term goal to secure MAI's position as a pace-setting player in our industry."

About Makhteshim Agan

Makhteshim Agan Industries Ltd. is a leading manufacturer and distributor worldwide of crop-protection solutions and the largest off-patent player in the industry. The Company supplies efficient solutions to farmers that assist them in combating disease and increasing yields. In 2011, the Company's revenues were over $2.69 billion, and it is ranked seventh in the world in the overall agro-chemicals industry. The Company is characterized by its know-how, high-level technological-chemical abilities, expertise in product registration, and observance of strict standards of environmental protection, stringent quality control and global marketing and distribution channels. For more information, visit us at http://www.ma-industries.com.

Contact:
Rony Patishi-Chillim
SVP of Global Corporate Communications
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +972-73-232-1941

SOURCE Makhteshim Agan Group