Bill Kleschick, Global Discovery Leader at Dow AgroSciences has been awarded the Agrow Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his distinguished career in crop protection that has included the discovery of new active ingredients that are widely used in Britain today.

The citation for the award, given in Amsterdam this week, states: “Few individuals have helped shape such a broad range of chemical and trait technology offerings over the course of their careers, and left such a legacy or products, work processes and future leaders.”

During his long career, Bill has been involved in the groundbreaking discovery of the sulfonamide family of herbicides. His innovative approach led to the identification of seven new active ingredients for weed control in maize, cereals, rice, soybeans and other crops. Bill’s work has resulted in 239 commercial products registered in 78 countries and totalling sales of more than $3.2 billion.

In Britain, the ingredients most widely used include florasulam and more recently pyroxsulam which can be found in such products as the broad-leaved weed cereal herbicide Spitfire™ as well as the increasingly popular grass weed herbicides for winter cereals such as Broadway™ Star and UNITE™.

One of Bill’s most enduring contributions to the company is his dedication to developing the next generation of scientists, helping interns and young scientists connect their ideas to practical solutions.

“Bill Kleschick is an unwavering champion for scientific discovery and advancement, and his work has been integral to both the breadth and depth of Dow AgroSciences’ success,” said Scott Boothey, Managing Director of Dow AgroSciences UK. “I can’t think of a more deserving individual to be recognized with the Agrow Lifetime Achievement Award.”