Sumitomo Chemical Announces Valent U.S.A. Leadership Appointments

SAN RAMON, Calif., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., April 7, 2022 – Sumitomo Chemical Company (SCC), parent company of Valent U.S.A. and Valent BioSciences, today announced senior executive appointments, effective April 1.

Matt Plitt, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Valent U.S.A. since 2014, has been appointed president and CEO of Valent U.S.A., which includes subsidiaries Valent de Mexico and Valent Canada. Plitt joined Valent in 2010 as vice president, Sales and has a proven track record of understanding and delivering on customer expectations in the agriculture industry.

Plitt will report to Juan Ferreira, who has been named managing executive officer of SCC and executive vice chair of Valent U.S.A. Ferreira joined Sumitomo Chemical in 2019 and leads the business for the Latin America region. He has served as a global advisor to SCC’s Health & Crop Sciences Sector, including the Valent group of companies, and now becomes executive vice chair of the Valent U.S.A. Board of Directors. Ferreira will continue to report to Dr. Nobuaki Mito, Representative Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer of Sumitomo Chemical.

Ted Melnik, executive vice president and COO of Valent BioSciences (VBC), has been named president and CEO of Valent BioSciences, which includes Pace International and Mycorrhizal Applications. He was named COO of VBC in 2013 and has led the expansion of the global biorational business, a major focus area for Sumitomo Chemical. Melnik will continue to report to Dr. Nobuaki Mito.

Andy Lee, president and CEO of Valent U.S.A. and Valent BioSciences, has been appointed president and CEO of a newly created company that will integrate and provide corporate services across the Valent group of companies. Lee will continue to report to Dr. Nobuaki Mito and will serve on the Board of Directors for Valent U.S.A. and Valent BioSciences.

About Valent U.S.A.

Valent U.S.A. LLC, headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., develops and markets products in the United States, Mexico and Canada that advance sustainable agriculture, protect crops, enhance crop yields, improve food quality, beautify the environment and safeguard public health. Valent products include a well-known line of herbicide, insecticide, fungicide and plant growth regulator products for agricultural, seed protection and professional use.

Valent is a leader in marketing and sales of both traditional chemical products and biorational products developed by its affiliate, Valent BioSciences LLC. For more information about Valent or the full product line, please call 800-6-VALENT (682-5368) or visit valent.com.

About Valent BioSciences LLC

Headquartered in Libertyville, Ill., Valent BioSciences is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sumitomo Chemical and is a global leader in the development, manufacturing and commercialization of biorational products, with sales in 95 countries. Valent BioSciences is an ISO 9001 certified company. For additional information, visit www.valentbiosciences.com.

About Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited

Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sumitomo Chemical is one of Japan’s leading chemical companies. It offers a diverse range of products globally in petrochemicals, energy and functional materials, IT-related chemicals and materials, health and crop science products and pharmaceuticals. For additional information, visit https://www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp/english/.

For more information, contact:
Steve Tatum
(925) 951-3164
[email protected]