We have been an established player in the German strategic communications market for 30 years now. Over the course of our company’s history, a number of our colleagues have moved on to other companies, associations, institutions, start-ups or other consultancies. We have maintained collegial, friendly contact with many of them since. From now on, every six weeks we will ask one former colleague: What are you up to right now?

We begin with Christopher Sieler, Global Head of Political Engagement and Analysis at the Syngenta Group. He worked at H/Advisors Deekeling Arndt from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2017 to 2019. We’re delighted that he has agreed to answer a few questions and give us some insights into his everyday working life.

Has your experience in strategic communications consulting been helpful in your in-house position?

After six years in-house, I can safely say that consulting taught me three essential skills: how to manage complexity, mediate conflicts and develop action plans under time pressure. In-house, there is often little time for detailed analysis. What counts here is the ability to quickly arrive at viable decisions. Consulting was the perfect training ground for this, and I still think back on it a lot.

The agrochemical industry is under constant public pressure. What major challenges do you see going forward?

In Europe, the agrochemical industry is developing very differently than in the rest of the world. Regulatory hurdles are much higher here. This is evident from the fact that only one in six innovations makes it onto the European market and returns here are 30 per cent below the global average. This will have a lasting impact on European agriculture. At the same time, we are faced with the immense global task of bringing together seemingly incompatible goals, whereby on the one hand we must protect biodiversity and tackle climate change, while simultaneously increasing agricultural productivity. Finding this balance will be our central challenge in the coming years.

You were head of Syngenta’s office in Berlin for several years. What do you like most now about your more global role?

The move from the German capital to a global role has opened up completely new perspectives for me. Suddenly, I am dealing with things like rice cultivation in Thailand or soil erosion in Brazil – topics that hardly featured in my work in Berlin. What is particularly exciting is the changing nature of public affairs work – without a world government, but with a multitude of international organisations. Completely new dynamics are emerging here. Added to this is the growing importance of geopolitical analysis, which takes up a large part of my daily work. Navigating a global company with 60,000 employees through increasing international tensions is a fascinating task that challenges and inspires me every day.

More about Christopher Sieler on LinkedIn.