Bayer announced today that Dr. Mike Graham will become the new Head of Research & Development (R&D) for Bayer’s Crop Science division and serve as member of the Leadership Team. He will succeed Dr. Robert Reiter who has decided to retire after 27 years with the company and 34 years in the industry. In his current role, Graham is leading the company’s Plant Breeding organization and has profound expertise in R&D and agriculture. The change will become effective as of April 15, 2025. 

Reiter joined the company in 1998. He helped revolutionize breeding through the use of genotypic selection and led the development of an industry-leading genotyping platform. Over the years, Reiter has held various senior roles in R&D helping to further shape Bayer’s industry-leading seed and trait capabilities. After serving as Head of Global Supply Chain, he became Head of R&D for the Crop Science division in 2018. Under his leadership, Bayer successfully advanced upcoming blockbuster products like the new herbicide Icafolin and the Preceon Smart Corn System which has the potential to revolutionize corn production going forward. 

“Throughout his career, Bob has been a strong advocate for agricultural innovation. He has truly advanced and supported farmers' ability to produce more while saving natural resources at the same time. I want to express my sincere appreciation to Bob for his tremendous contribution and commitment to the company,” said Rodrigo Santos, Member of the Board of Bayer AG and President of the company’s Crop Science division.

Reiter will actively support his successor in taking over his new responsibilities to ensure a smooth transition. Graham joined the company in 1996. Most recently, Mike Graham has led Bayer’s global Plant Breeding organization, driving the advancement of the industry-leading breeding pipeline by reimagining breeding and technical methodologies as well as spearheading the digital evolution. He will be based in St. Louis, MO. The successor to Mike Graham as Plant Breeding Lead will be announced at a later point in time. 

“I am really excited to work together with Mike as new Head of R&D. He will be contributing to our success with his deep industry knowledge, profound expertise in R&D, diverse experiences and his intimate understanding of what farmers really need. He has consistently demonstrated visionary ways in delivering new innovation to customers around the world,” added Santos.