Article

by Carey Gillam

Monsanto Co (MON.N), the world's largest seed company, said on Wednesday it plans to divest all of Syngenta AG's SYNN.VX seeds and traits businesses as well as some overlapping chemistry assets to get regulatory approval for a takeover of its Swiss rival.

The $45 billion transaction would create an industry giant with combined sales of over $31 billion before any divestitures and a market capitalization of nearly $100 billion, based on current share prices. It would likely attract scrutiny from regulators in Europe and the United States.

Following are brief profiles of the companies:

MONSANTO

Products:

• Genetically-modified seeds and genetic traits to grow corn, soybeans, cotton and other crops
• Weed killer Roundup, which contains the active ingredient glyphosate, whose use is being reviewed European and U.S. regulators.

Recent acquisitions:

• Weather and crop data company Climate Corp, acquired in 2013 for $930 million

Leadership:

• 57-year-old CEO Hugh Grant, named to post in 2013. Grant joined the company in his home country of Scotland in 1981 as a product development representative.
• Grant unveiled a plan last year to double earnings per share by 2019 and raise gross profits by $4 billion.

SYNGENTA

Products:

• Herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and seed treatments that protect crops from insects, weeds and disease
• Seeds for a variety of crops, some of which are also genetically engineered.
• Syngenta, like Monsanto, is developing crop protection products that use naturally-occurring microbes. It has one such product, targeting a soybean pest, already on the market.

Recent acquisitions:

• Two small European seed makers in early 2014, both for undisclosed amounts

Leadership:

• CEO Mike Mack is an American appointed in 2008 after starting work at the company in 2002. The 55-year-old has held leadership roles in both Syngenta's seeds unit and its crop protection business.