Brian Barker

President, and Chief Executive Officer

As president and chief executive officer, Brian Barker presides over AgReliant Genetics in North America leading the company’s three commercial brands – AgriGold, LG Seeds, and PRIDE Seeds. Brian oversees all divisions guiding employees in a collective mission to Help Farmers Grow. 

Appointed in 2023, Brian brings to AgReliant Genetics a strong background in the seed industry and a proven record of delivering new business growth. With over two decades of seed and leadership experience, Brian has demonstrated his aptitude for building and nurturing high-performing teams.  

Prior to joining AgReliant, Barker served as the Vice President for the Multi-Channel Seeds Business Unit at Corteva, where he spearheaded the development and successful implementation of the new U.S. multi-channel brand strategy, achieving margin growth objectives across all functions. Additionally, as the Global Business Director for Corn Biotech and Seeds, he directed business strategy, technology development, and asset management efforts, resulting in doubled sales within four years. 

Brian holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Bachelor of Science in Business and Marketing, both from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He recently served on the executive board of the American Seed Trade Association, as well as the Purdue University Center for Agribusiness Board and School of Agriculture Deans Advisory Board. 

Peter Lynch, Ph.D

Vice President of Research

As vice president of research, Peter Lynch drives the strategic direction of corn breeding and research at AgReliant Genetics. Peter leads a diverse and talented team of researchers focused on developing unique, highly productive inbred lines and commercial hybrids.  He is a member of the company’s operating committee and board member of Genective, LLC, a biotech discovery joint venture of KWS and Limagrain.

Peter’s interest in agriculture began while helping on a relative’s farm in central Iowa. From that experience, he homed in on his passion – plant breeding. Peter holds his Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy from the University of Minnesota and Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in plant breeding from Iowa State University.

Prior to joining AgReliant, Peter spent 12 years with Monsanto Co. in various breeding and leadership roles and 10 years as a corn breeder with Dow AgroSciences. He started his commercial breeding career as a popcorn breeder for a small, family-owned seed company with operations in Ohio and Iowa.

Heather McClintock-Imel

Vice President People & Culture

As vice president of people and culture, Heather leads the human resources, talent management and professional development functions implementing strategies to enable our mission and goals. She oversees the day-to-day execution of talent development, performance management, company benefits, recruitment, and cultural leadership across all AgReliant Genetics locations and brands.

Heather served in successive roles at Cargill as the business human resources director and transformation & integration HR director before joining AgReliant in 2021. During her time with Cargill, she led HR strategy and execution focused on talent, development, performance, engagement, culture and workforce planning for three businesses and their leadership teams. She also led multiple global and North American-based business and functional transformation projects for the animal nutrition division of Cargill and her prior 4 companies and industries.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business and Marketing from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business and her Master of Business Administration from Anderson University.

Sarah Oznick, J.D.

Vice President of Legal, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Sarah Oznick is vice president of legal, general counsel and corporate secretary of AgReliant Genetics. She is a member of the company’s operating committee and oversees the legal, human resources, safety and compliance functions of the company.

Sarah is responsible for directing corporate legal affairs and governance, participating in executive management activities, and providing advice and legal support on a wide variety of business transactions, including commercial transactions, employee relations, mergers and acquisitions and intellectual property licensing.

She has over a decade of broad in-house experience across legal subject matters and in diverse industries. Sarah first joined the AgReliant Genetics in 2016 as legal counsel and was quickly promoted to deputy general counsel, and ultimately was appointed to the General Counsel role in 2019. Sarah’s legal experience spans various industries and settings, including non-profit and government.

Sarah received her Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Indiana University and her Juris Doctor from New England School of Law.

David Pugh

VP of Finance and Chief Financial Officer

As vice president of finance and chief financial officer, David Pugh steers the financial direction of the company on the development of key, long-range strategies and tactics that ensure financial performance objectives, audit compliance and risk mitigation procedures are achieved. He is a member of the company’s executive team and has more than two decades of experience in finance.

David’s strategic planning and support spans multiple departments across AgReliant Genetics as he guides day-to-day requirements of the finance, accounting, and information technology functions.

Prior to joining the team, Pugh was the treasurer and vice president of finance strategy and risk management for Elanco Animal Health, where he established the treasury and risk management teams upon Elanco’s IPO and spin off from Eli Lilly. While at Elanco, David also secured funding for the acquisition of Bayer Animal Health. Prior to that, David spent 24 years with Eli Lilly & Company where he held a number of positions in finance and information technology including director of global financial planning, CFO of Lilly Russia and executive director of Lilly diabetes finance.

David has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Purdue University and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. He serves on Elements Financial Credit Union’s Supervisory Committee.

Brad Shipman

Vice President of US Commercial

Brad Shipman is the vice president of commercial at AgReliant Genetics. In this role, Brad leads sales, agronomy, product management, brand marketing and pricing for the company’s seed brands – AgriGold and LG Seeds. Brad draws upon over a decade of experience in the seed industry, as he empowers his teams to deliver unique seed solutions that farmers want.

Growing up on a farm in central Pennsylvania, Brad has a deep-rooted passion for agriculture. Before joining AgReliant Genetics, he spent more than a decade with Monsanto and Bayer in marketing, distribution strategy and sales management roles. Most recently, Brad served as the Division Sales Leader for AgReliant’s North Central Division.

Throughout his career, Brad’s ability to inspire teams, foster customer relationships, and build trust among colleagues and stakeholders through collaborative decision-making, cements Brad as the right choice to lead the commercial organization.

Brad holds a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.