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Robert Berendes, Ph.D., joined Flagship Pioneering in 2014 as an advisory partner and in 2019 became an executive partner. Robert focuses on innovations that address sustainability in the agriculture and nutrition sectors. He currently serves as the chairman of Indigo Agriculture and also serves on the boards of CiBO Technologies, Inari, and Invaio Sciences. His industry experience draws from his roles at Proctor & Gamble and Syngenta and consulting experience at McKinsey and a-connect, a global consulting firm headquartered in Switzerland that he co-owns.

Robert’s career has spanned leadership roles in consulting, business development, research & development, and operations. Previously, he was head of business development and a member of the executive committee at Syngenta and in addition, he was responsible for Syngenta’s research and development on an interim basis. Prior to that he headed the diverse field crops unit, and from 2002 to 2005 was head of the strategy, planning and M&A department at Syngenta. During his tenure at Syngenta, Robert was responsible for more than 30 acquisitions and for establishing the leading Corporate Venture Capital group in the agricultural industry.

Before joining Syngenta he was a partner at McKinsey & Company, co-heading the firm’s European Chemical Practice. He started his career as a process engineer at Procter & Gamble. Robert has a degree in chemistry from the University of Cologne and a doctorate in biophysics from the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry/Technical University of Munich.