31st March 2025

Sumitomo Chemical is pleased to announce the appointment of Ruth Stanley as Commercial Agro Manager for the UK & Ireland, reinforcing the company’s commitment to growth in one of Europe’s most important crop protection markets.

With a strong background in agriculture and crop protection, Ruth brings a wealth of experience and firsthand farming knowledge to the role. She is an active partner in her family’s arable farming enterprise in Leicestershire and has held key leadership positions, including Country Manager for Life Scientific UK & Ireland and Campaign Manager for BASF, specialising in herbicides and plant growth regulators (PGRs). Additionally, she is a BASIS examiner.

Driving Innovation in Crop Protection

Commenting on her appointment, Ruth Stanley said: “As a leading R&D-driven company with a global reach, Sumitomo Chemical is well known for its biorational agricultural products and solutions. The company already has a presence in the UK crop protection market, but it is fully committed to further innovation and the development of new, exciting conventional and biorational strategies.

“I am delighted to lead its ambitious growth plans with a strong focus on delivering innovative and sustainable crop protection solutions to British farmers.”

Sumitomo Chemical has several new conventional active ingredients in its immediate pipeline, currently progressing through the approval system. This includes two new fungicides targeting key diseases such as Septoria, net blotch, Ramularia, and rusts, with approvals anticipated in the near future.

“We are already working with key organisations such as NIAB and ADAS on trials to further optimise the potential of these products, and we look forward to presenting the data on these new actives soon,” Ruth adds.

Strategic Growth & Leadership

Remy Lyczko, Director Commercial SSBU AgroSolutions Division – EMEA region, highlights the importance of Ruth’s appointment:

“Ruth’s deep-rooted knowledge of UK agriculture, combined with her extensive industry experience, makes her an invaluable addition to the Sumitomo team. Her leadership will be instrumental as the business continues to expand its presence in the UK and introduce innovative solutions to support farmers.”

Sumitomo Chemical remains dedicated to advancing sustainable agriculture and strengthening its position as a key player in the UK crop protection market.

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Media contact:

Niamh Tye

Siafu PR Ltd

Email: niamh@siafu.biz

Mobile: 07704 631836

About Sumitomo Chemical

Sumitomo started as a family-owned company with its founder Masatomo Sumitomo running a business mining and refining copper. In 1913 Sumitomo Chemical was founded, producing fertilizer from sulfur dioxide, which was recovered during the copper smelting process, thereby removing a potential pollutant from the environment and using it to produce fertilizer. In the 1950’s Sumitomo Chemical made the transition into the crop protection business Today Sumitomo Chemical has over 32,000 employees working in over 150 group companies across the globe. In agrochemicals Sumitomo Chemical are ranked at No. 8 globally with a turnover at circa 3.5 Billion USD per annum Global headquarters are based in Tokyo and the EMEA head office is in Lyon, France The UK office is based in London where the EHD (Environmental Health business) is located.

 

Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sumitomo Chemical is one of Japan’s leading chemical companies. It offers a wide range of products across four business sectors:Agro & Life Solutions, ICT Solutions, Advanced Medical Solutions, Essential & Green Materials. For additional information, visit the company’s website at https://www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp/english/.

In the Agro & Life Solutions, Sumitomo Chemical is the 8th largest company, with strong R&D focused on both crop protection chemicals and biorational products. The EMEA headquarters, Sumitomo Chemical Agro Europe, are based near Lyon in France. As part of significant investments in R&D, Sumitomo Chemical aims to strengthen its efficiency and responsiveness in the AgroSolutions Division of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region (EMEA). For additional information, visit the company’s website at https://sumitomo-chem-agro.com.