AgriNovus CEO headed to Rome

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — The president and chief executive officer of AgriNovus Indiana is leaving the organization for a prominent role at a United Nations agency. Beth Bechdol has been confirmed by the UN to be the deputy director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization.

The FAO is an agency focused on world hunger and is headquartered in Rome, Italy.

In a statement, AgriNovus said the appointment is a reflection of the FAO’s desire for a new approach to feeding the world through food and ag innovation and has thrust Indiana’s agbioscience effort on a global stage. 

Bechdol has led AgriNovus, the state’s agbioscience organization, since its inception in 2014.  She is the former director of Agribusiness Strategies at Indianapolis-based law firm Ice Miller LLP and has been a high profile leader in the state’s emerging agbioscience profile.

AgriNovus says it will conduct a national search for Bechdol’s successor and expects the transition to take place in early 2020.