UK-based vegetable seed specialist CN Seeds has announced major changes to its team with the retirement of business development manager Charles Seddon, and the recruitment of two new members of staff.
A well-known figure in the seed industry, Seddon has played a key role in the development of CN Seeds since joining the company in 2004, helping to bring many new products to market in the herb and salad sector.
Seddon has also been crucial to the development of new markets for CN Seeds to help realise the export potential of specialities such as Babyleaf pak choi and kale, which have become more popular worldwide.
A graduate of Bath University in Horticulture, Seddon began a career in the seed industry that was to span 38 years with Samuel Yates, an Australian company specialising in brassica and lettuce breeding.
There, he worked on a wide range of crops and was instrumental in bringing the first F1 hybrid cauliflowers to Europe. A further 10 years was spent managing Sakata UK’s ornamental division before taking up a position with CN Seeds.
CN Seeds’ commercial manager, Craig Thomas, said: “Charlie is a well known person in the seed industry having dedicated his working life to the trade and has seen some great changes in the sector over the years. Charlie will continue working on projects with CN Seeds and will also continue as chair of the British Herbs trade association.”
CN Seeds has also announced the arrival of two new members of staff.
Natasha Lane joins the sales team as trainee. Lane joins from University of Nottingham where she studied Biochemistry, and she will take up a role working initially in new product development, liaising closely with CN Seeds’ breeding team. Lane comes from the heart of the vegetable growing area in Lincolnshire, and has worked on several farms.
Roshni Badgami recently graduated in Plant Biology from Cambridge University and has been appointed as assistant plant breeder. While working with CN Seeds, she is going to do a part-time MSc in Plant Genetics and Crop Improvement at the University of East Anglia. Badgami’s MSc will focus on helping CN Seeds develop marker-assisted breeding. She will additionally work on in-house PCR-based seed quality control kit development on the top of breeding activities.
For further information, please contact:
Craig Thomas or Dan Nye
CN Seeds
Tel: +44 01353 699413