Nutrien undergoes CEO transition

Nutrien Ltd., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, has started a global search to find a new long-term CEO after the company’s president and CEO Mayo Schmidt resigned. Throughout the international search process, Ken Seitz, executive vice president and CEO of Potash, will serve as the interim CEO of Nutrien.

“On behalf of the board of directors and the Nutrien team, I would like to thank Mayo Schmidt for his years of service to the organization,” says Russ Girling, chair of the Nutrien board of directors. “We wish him the best in his next endeavors.”

Nutrien’s board of directors will work with an executive search firm to find a new CEO. Both internal and external candidates will be considered for the role.

“Nutrien has delivered exceptional results in 2021 and is well positioned to continue this strong momentum into 2022,” Girling says. “Nutrien has a talented and deep executive team, and we are confident that Ken Seitz and this team will continue to build on the organization’s record financial and operating performance.”

Seitz brings with him 25 years of global management experience crossing more than 60 countries. He has a background in agriculture and mining sectors. Previously, he was the president and CEO of Canpotex, where he gained skills in global fertilizer marketing and logistics.

Seitz received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, a Bachelor of Engineering degree and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Saskatchewan. He is a professional engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan and is a professional agrologist with the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists.

He also holds a certificate in management from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

“I look forward to working with the executive leadership team, our tremendous employees and the board of directors to execute on our plan, continue this exciting progression across our business to serve our stakeholders, and deliver on our commitment to advance sustainable solutions to feed a growing world,” Seitz says.