Energy | Natural Resources











Keller Executive Search is a leading agriculture executive recruitment firm that helps organizations navigate the challenges of the industry by sourcing the most well-qualified candidates the sector has to offer. Our track record speaks volumes about our ability to connect you with leaders who can create efficient solutions to the issues you face and help your business thrive.
Over recent years, climate change has affected the agriculture industry’s ability to grow food. Increasingly volatile weather, changing seasons, limits to available water, and soil erosion all contribute to reduced crop productivity. These have forced companies to innovate operations.
We assist by helping agricultural businesses get access to the human capital they need to devise solutions for maximizing food production while ensuring a sustainable future.
The agriculture industry is worth trillions of dollars around the world. Trends like precision farming, regenerative and sustainable practices, vertical and indoor farming, biotechnology and gene editing, and digital agriculture platforms are driving this market. Some of the biggest companies in the field are Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Bayer Crop Science, Syngenta, BASF, John Deere, and Corteva Agriscience.
The most important executive positions in the agriculture industry are CEO, COO, CFO, VP of Operations, VP of Agronomy, and Chief Technology Officer. Base salaries for VPs usually fall between $350,000 and $550,000. C-suite executives can expect to make between $800,000 and $1.5 million or more in total.
Our agriculture recruiters combine deep industry knowledge with a rigorous search process, aiming to identify and attract qualified applicants for executive and leadership roles. We achieve this through:

The entire process begins with a comprehensive analysis of the firm we’re working with to identify areas that could be lacking in terms of talent. This also helps us understand their culture, values, and goals, and reveals the qualities we should prioritize in candidates during our search.
Every applicant goes through an extensive assessment phase, during which we evaluate their professional track record and factors such as personality, motivational drivers, management style, and work ethic to determine whether they meet the client’s hiring requirements.

We aim to supply our clients with a large pool of diverse candidates. We take several steps to do this, including posting job ads on numerous online job search platforms, making queries across social media, leveraging our wide network of industry connections and NPAworldwide partnership, and making cold calls and emails to passive candidates who could be looking for new opportunities.
Over and above securing the right candidates, our firm offers insights on current job market trends and oversees the entire recruitment lifecycle, from sourcing talent to facilitating interviews and negotiating employment and compensation packages for successful hires.

Our network and industry expertise allow us to provide clients with services beyond executive search. We can guide clients in improving their HR processes and workflows and boosting employee engagement and retention. We can also help clients determine if their compensation packages are aligned with industry standards.
Large-Scale Grain and Oilseed Farming Operation
Precision Agriculture and AgTech Solutions Company
Livestock and Poultry Genetics Corporation
Fresh Produce and Horticulture Exporter
Dairy and Pastoral Farming Group
Fertilizer and Crop Protection Manufacturer
Seed and Plant Breeding Company
Farm Equipment and Machinery Distribution Corporation
Aquaculture and Seafood Production Enterprise

Each search presents its own unique needs and objectives. As such, we first work to gain an in-depth understanding of our client’s recruiting needs, what they expect from the candidate, and their organization’s work culture. We then use these insights to form a strategy for finding the best candidate for the open role. Only once we have a recruitment plan that aligns with our client’s needs do we start mapping the market for potential hires.
We are committed to supplying the best professionals for roles in the industry while ensuring there is diversity and inclusion during the search process. Our approach is designed so that each candidate is treated fairly and without bias in relation to their gender, beliefs, age, or ethnicity.
When we have established a pool of candidates with the right skill set, we begin to analyze each individual on a deeper level. This involves psychometric tests, competency-based assessments, behavioural interviews, and background and reference checks. Our rigorous evaluation phase allows us to ascertain whether the candidates we have selected possess the necessary mindset and abilities to drive success and fit in with the rest of our client’s team.
What we end up with is a list of pre-screened individuals that we present to our client, who decides who they want to hire.
Our position as a top-tier executive search firm is the result of our recruiters’ passion for connecting companies with amazing candidates and the understanding that every company is built differently. However, it took many years of trial and error to develop the approach we currently use, and we did not simply arrive at success overnight. As the saying goes, trust is earned, not given.
We learned this the hard way during one particular assignment for a prominent client, which required us to find a suitable individual for a leadership role. At that moment in time, we were using a cut-and-dry recruitment method that overlooked the more intricate factors that separate a good placement from an average or even a sub-par one, such as a candidate’s character traits.
While we succeeded in finding someone who was appropriately qualified for the position, we soon realized where our approach fell short. The candidate failed to integrate with our client’s current management because we had not considered their cultural fit. Consequently, the placement fell through, and we decided to reform our approach as a measure to reduce the likelihood of a similar incident occurring again in the future.
Our changes included putting our customers’ needs first and making our approach more flexible to accommodate these needs, as well as account for cultural alignment. In overhauling the way we approach the hiring process, we increased our placement success and retention rates, earning us a stellar reputation for high-quality, reliable recruitment services.
To learn more about how to make your workplace appeal to prospective candidates and support more engaged employees, refer to our Insights below.

Our executive search solutions are focused on delivering top-notch leaders to organizations of all types and sizes across the food and agricultural industry. We serve a wide range of sectors, including, but not limited to:

As dedicated agriculture executive recruiters, we have spent decades mapping every corner of the industry and job market. We maintain a proprietary database, refined through repeat engagements with global agribusiness firms, family-owned producers, non-profits, and emerging AgTech start-ups. This database provides us with direct access to both active and passive candidates whose career goals align with your organization’s strategic direction.
No two searches are identical, which is why we never confine our outreach to a predetermined list of titles. Instead, we evaluate and take into account the existing leadership structure in our client’s business and identify where hiring fresh talent can drive measurable growth. In practice, this means we routinely recruit highly qualified candidates for every level of the AG industry – whether it be C-suite leaders who oversee corporate strategy and P&L stewardship, function-specific Vice Presidents who transform supply chain efficiency, or Technical Directors who translate cutting-edge research into field-ready solutions.
Our AG headhunters routinely navigate the full spectrum of agricultural staffing, sourcing top talent from agronomy and animal health to grain merchandising, biotech R&D, and sensor-driven precision farming. We combine AI-powered market mapping with relationship-driven outreach to engage the most suitable candidates who are rarely visible to traditional search methods, then subject each prospect to multi-layer behavioral and technical vetting calibrated against your unique needs and culture.
We have a genuine interest in securing your organization’s next leader. We also understand the nuances of recruiting for the agriculture industry, allowing us to identify the right prospects quickly. Our search professionals follow a tried and tested approach, asking the right questions and listening to comprehend your needs.
As a result, you get a bespoke search service tailored to meet your company’s hiring needs and business goals. This means the talents you receive will have the personal attributes, skills, and qualifications your business needs to succeed.
Your privacy is important to us. Thus, when we engage in a search, our agriculture recruitment experts ensure that all information given to us is handled with discretion and kept within secure data storage systems. In addition to upholding strict NDAs, we comply with the information protection laws and regulations relevant to your region, ensuring your safety and security are never compromised.
We are dedicated to finding the perfect match for your business. However, if the hired executive fails to meet expectations or deliver results up to 365 days from the first day of employment, we may conduct a new search at no additional cost to you.
Connect with our expert consultants today, and let us elevate your business to the industry’s top agricultural leader.
"They know the agriculture industry well. They listened to what we needed and brought us strong candidates. The executive we hired has already made a real difference. Happy to recommend them."
- Raphael H., Chief Executive Officer
"The search went easier than we thought. Their vetting meant we only spoke to candidates who were truly qualified. They were very involved throughout, and we are very happy with the executive that we hired."
- Carmen R., Director of Human Resources
"They went above and beyond on this search. Their knowledge of the agriculture sector meant the people they introduced us to were a fit for both the role and our culture. The executive we hired has already streamlined our operations and made us noticeably more efficient. Would work with them again without a second thought."
- Michael W., Vice President of Operations