Charles “Charlie” Baxter is Global Head R&D Traits for Syngenta Seeds Field Crops and is a member of the Global R&D Leadership Team. He is accountable for delivering the trait pipeline from discovery to Commercial Trait Introgression handover, including all trait discovery, trait development, and trait enabling technology. In addition, he leads teams that deliver product safety, regulatory acceptance, registration, and commercial acceptance of traited products.

Charlie is based out of Syngenta’s Research Triangle Park (RTP) Seeds Research Innovation Center in North Carolina, U.S. where he also serves as site business lead. He is passionate about translating biotech and plant breeding based innovations into new seed varieties that support growers around the world.
Prior to this role, Charlie served as Global Head of Traits, Regulatory and Product Safety responsible for leading scientists that deliver different aspects of Syngenta’s trait pipeline, from discovery to registration. He also spent 13 years working for Syngenta’s Vegetable Seeds business in various roles in traits and technology with R&D. During this time, he enjoyed developing native trait solutions for vegetable growers as well as participating in several public-private partnerships that advanced the genetic tools available to the plant breeding industry.

Charlie represents Syngenta in a variety of industry association forums and is currently a member of the plant biotechnology strategy group at Crop Life International.
Charlie grew up in the UK in a farming family where he gained interest in agriculture through working on various arable operations. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in plant sciences, he went on to complete his PhD in Plant Biochemistry at The University of Sheffield in the UK. He then spent five years as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Oxford before joining the Syngenta team.