Sakata Seed America Appoints Bill McCarthy as Director of R&D; Dave Armstrong Comments
MORGAN HILL, CA - The path for growth is always developing, and one leader taking his well-deserved spot is William (Bill) McCarthy. Sakata Seed America recently appointed McCarthy as the new Director of R&D. McCarthy assumes the role from Jeff Zischke, who is retiring after 32 years with Sakata in roles as Tomato Breeder, Global Product Manager, and Senior Director of R&D.
“I actually started my career at Sakata,” said McCarthy. “It feels like coming home. Since rejoining Sakata in October 2020, I have been regularly impressed by the passion and devotion to develop market-leading varieties that will have a positive impact on society and the environment. Thanks to Jeff Zischke’s great leadership, I’m taking over a strong program with a motivated team of breeders, scientists, and horticulturalists.”
McCarthy will be assuming responsibility for all of Sakata Seed America’s vegetable research and development activity. He will be taking his place at the company’s R&D stations in Burlington, Washington; Woodland and Salinas, California; Fort Myers, Florida; and Culiacán, Mexico.
Prior to rejoining Sakata, McCarthy held key positions at major companies leading global hot and sweet pepper R&D programs, creating over 45 commercial pepper hybrids for open field and protected culture in the U.S., Brazil, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Australia, and Venezuela.
According to the release, McCarthy received his Ph.D. in horticulture and plant genetics from North Carolina State University. He will be based at Sakata’s Woodland Innovation Center in California, reporting to Dave Armstrong, President and Chief Executive Officer.
“Bill brings deep knowledge and a history of many successful product introductions to the industry,” said Armstrong. “We know Bill will build on our current success in developing a broad portfolio of competitive vegetable crops.”
Congratulations to Bill McCarthy as he takes on his new role!
