Katie Hayes is Head of North America Seeds Human Resources for Syngenta. She is responsible for end-to-end Human Resources strategy and operational excellence for over 2,000 employees in Syngenta’s North American Seeds organization. She is a member of the Global Seeds Human Resources Leadership Team, the North America Human Resources Leadership Team, and the US Benefits Committee. She has over two decades of experience leading HR and commercial teams across multiple industries. Katie is a strong advocate for innovation in Human Resources and focuses on cross-functional partnerships that promote inclusion and deliver impactful results. Katie holds an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Katie also maintains the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) designation through the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.