John Atkin is an Operating Director at Paine Schwartz Partners.

Mr. Atkin retired from his position as Chief Operating Officer of Syngenta, a global leader in technology for agriculture and horticulture, in December 2014. He was a member of the leadership team that created the company in 2000, and by 2015, sales had more than doubled and Syngenta was serving farmers and growers in 90 countries with around 30,000 employees.

In 2016, Mr. Atkin was appointed to the board of AgBiTech, a biologicals company, and currently serves as chairman. He was also appointed as a board member of AgroFresh, a leader in post-harvest solutions, in 2021. Since March 2011, Mr. Atkin has been a member of the board of Driscoll’s, a U.S. based global fresh produce company, and since 2015, he has served on the board of the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. He is also a member of the board of 5Metis, a venture capital funded company innovating in crop protection chemicals.

Mr. Atkin earned his PhD and Bachelor’s degree from Newcastle University, U.K.