Our Elements of Success: Nicola Mitchell, CEO

👩‍🔬 Nicola’s formulation:

1000g/L Enthusiasm 100000 g/L Brainstorming 548219 g/L Sound effects

• What I one thing you wish farmers knew about the crop protection industry? How frustrating it is that science comes second to politics!

• What motivated you to start LS? Freedom to do it my way! Which I always want to be the best way, the right way, the way best for our customers and the ag industry!

• What’s one innovation you’d like to see in agriculture in the next decade? SUSTAINABILITY! All to do with sustainability and growth – let’s see the industry dream big. Think precision biological, genetics, digital, a heathy dose of AI, new modes of action, biologics as well understood as small molecules, all things precision. Dream even bigger? A new research and development paradigm, red tape reduction, the ability to cut through regulatory complexity and TRANSPARENCY. We want all partners, farmers, stakeholders to understand the science and our all parts of the industry and how it’s working for them.

• What food or drink gets you through working across many time zones? Decaf latte (EDITOR’S NOTE: for those of you that know Nicola you know she does NOT need caffeine on top of all the existing energy!)

• What book has been most impactful on your career or mindset? Thinking fast and slow. I love all books about developing EQ!

• What would you be doing in life if you weren’t changing the agriculture industry? I think I’d still be doing this even in a parallel universe! There’s nothing I’d rather do more than scale a science company, not for exit for the sake of growth and doing more.

• What’s your most used phrase during meetings? It depends on the meeting hahaha! To people with the wrong answers I say ‘help me understand’. To angry me, I tell myself you won't get the best out of me when you are angry.