My name is Cyrille, I am the Marketing Manager for Koppert France and Global Product Manager for Entomopathogenic Nematodes (EPNs). But since there is so much to do within our Nematode Product portfolio, I will tell you about my global role.

I joined Koppert in 2008 to start as Product Manager after spending several years with international companies active in the same field.  In my current job I deal with Entomopathogenic nematodes. These are microscopic and beneficial worms, obligate parasites of insects (meaning, not harmful for any other organisms). It is a cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural environment I operate in; you need to be technically skilled on the one hand, but also marketing and sales orientated on the other. And on top of this, I also need to (indirectly) manage a lot of stakeholders. This requires coordination and aligning market needs with product characteristics.

I rarely need to motivate myself when I wake up
I have “energy to sell” (as we say in French) and I am, like many other employees, passionate about my work. I rarely need to motivate myself when I wake up in the morning as this comes naturally. I am also based at a subsidiary, which is quite unique for a global job at Koppert. This allows me to stay connected with my markets. France is very diversified in term of markets. Think of Horti, Agri, Urban Greens and even Home & Garden and Animal Husbandry. “With my feet in the field, and my head at headquarters,” – that statement could define my position best.

Designing the future crop products portfolio
The Business Development Department I currently work in is brand new. We are now working on defining its roles and missions, which includes designing and launching the future crop products portfolio. The team includes other Product Managers, Crop Team Leaders and Business Developers. In addition, I am also part of the Koppert Agri team, under the direction of Martin Koppert, Director Agri.

Koppert is entrepreneurial and dares
The Dutch know how to make foreigners feel comfortable – there is a pleasant international work culture here at Koppert. For most colleagues English is the routine work language. Koppert offers a lot of freedom for entrepreneurship and allows you to make mistakes. I like this “risk-taking” philosophy!