Merger Creates Aventis CropScience

Applied Genetics News, Dec, 1998

The merger of life science giants Hoechst AG and Rhone Poulenc SA will result in a combination of their agricultural subsidiaries. AgrEvo and Rhone Poulenc-Agro will combine their assets to form a new entity, to be called Aventis CropScience. The merger will create one of the largest global agricultural companies with sales of approximately $4.5 billion, and about 15,000 employees.

Alain Godard will be CEO of the new company, which will be headquartered in Lyon, France. Gerhard Prante, deputy to the CEO, will be responsible for strategy, seeds, crop improvement and non- crop businesses. Dr. Jurgen Asshauer will be chief technology officer, Jean-Pierre Lac will be chief financial officer, and Jan Stranges will be responsible for the crop protection business. Aventis CropScience will have a global market share of about 13% in herbicides, 15% in insecticides, 15% of fungicides, and 7% of environmental health. Aventis will have crop production programs for canola, corn, vegetables, rice, and cotton.