Jon Erik Fyrwald

In 2016, Fyrwald was appointed chief executive officer of Syngenta, mainly because of his long experience in the chemical industry. A year later, Syngenta was acquired by the state-owned China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina) and delisted from the stock exchange. Fyrwald expressly supported the takeover by ChemChina, as he considered the acquisition an important step with regards to growth prospects, especially in China. To date, the transaction has been the largest acquisition of a Chinese company abroad. In 2020, the Syngenta merged with Sinochem and Adama to create the Syngenta Group.

Fyrwald began his professional career at the chemical company DuPont. He held various management positions in production, sales, and marketing, for example. In 2003, he assumed responsibility for the entire agriculture and nutrition division. Alongside, Fyrwald was appointed to the board of directors of CropLife International, too. In 2008, Fyrwald was appointed chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors of Nalco, a water treatment provider. Following the acquisition by EcoLab in 2011, he served as president at the parent company. In 2012, Fyrwald became president and chief executive officer of Univar, a distributor of chemistry and related products.

J. Erik Fyrwald (born July 29, 1959 in West Virginia, United States) is an American businessman and Chief Executive Officer of the Syngenta Group. He serves executive director of the board of directors and chairman of the Syngenta Foundation.

Fyrwald was born in the United States in 1959, where he spent much of his childhood. Fyrwald’s parents are originally from Norway, where he also lived. After school, he attended the University of Delaware, where he received a bachelor of science in chemical engineering. He also completed the advanced management program at the Harvard Business School.