Verisem Appoints Seed-Industry Veteran Ibrahim El Menschawi as Chief Executive Officer

AMSTERDAM, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Verisem Group B.V ("Verisem"), the collection of leading global seed production operations, and a portfolio company of Paine Schwartz Partners, today announced that Ibrahim El Menschawi has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective February 1, 2020. Mr. El Menschawi succeeds Philippe Rousseau, who will work with Mr. El Menschawi and the rest of the team in the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition.

Mr. El Menschawi is an accomplished seed industry executive with diversified experience in a range of agriculture environments. He has been with Bayer Crop Science (previously Monsanto) for more than 20 years, where he has held a variety of roles throughout the business across numerous regions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He most recently served as the VP Regional Head for Bayer Crop Science's EMEA Vegetable Seed Business.

"Ibrahim is an industry veteran with an impressive track record of driving growth at diversified multinational businesses, and we are very pleased to appoint him as Verisem's next CEO," said André Goig, Chairman of the Verisem Board of Directors. "Ibrahim brings significant leadership experience in sales channel management and product development, marketing and strategic business planning, among other areas. We are confident that his global experience will help drive Verisem's continued growth in key and emerging markets while supporting our growers and customers around the world. On behalf of the entire Verisem Board, we thank Philippe for his leadership and contributions."

"It is an honor to be appointed as Verisem's CEO and to lead the Company at this exciting time," said Mr. El Menschawi. "I am thrilled to bring my years of international business development experience to build on Verisem's global presence and its renowned best-in-class seeds and services. I look forward to working closely with my colleagues on the Board and management team, as well as our partners at Paine Schwartz, to capitalize on the significant growth opportunities that lie ahead."

About Verisem
Verisem is a leading global producer, packer and distributor of specialty vegetable seeds for the professional, semiprofessional and hobby garden markets around the world, and a contract supplier to a diverse set of global seed companies. The company maintains production expertise across an expansive variety of more than 90 different seed types and more than 2,000 different varieties including beans, cabbage, carrots, chicory, coriander, onions, peas and radishes. Verisem today has operations in the Netherlands, France, Italy and the United States and offers production services for customers located in more than 90 countries worldwide. www.verisemseeds.com.

About Paine Schwartz Partners
A global leader in sustainable food chain investing, Paine Schwartz Partners is a private equity firm focused exclusively on investment opportunities in the fast-growing, dynamic global food and agribusiness sectors. The firm's investment, operations and finance professionals invest throughout cycles across the food and agribusiness value chain, and bring a collaborative and active management approach to portfolio companies. For further information, please see www.paineschwartz.com.

Contacts:
Andy Brimmer / Aaron Palash 
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
+1 212-355-4449

SOURCE Paine Schwartz Partners