Neil Comben

Neil Comben is the current General Manager of Longreach at Advanta Seeds. Neil has held this position since February 2016. Prior to this, they were the Business Manager for Wheat at ADVANTA SEEDS from August 2015 to January 2016. From February 1990 to July 2015, they were the General Manager of Advantage Wheats Pty Ltd at Dow AgroSciences.

Neil has extensive experience in the agricultural and food industries. Neil is skilled in wheat breeding, plant and food research, strategic planning, commercial modelling, start-ups, contract negotiation, leadership, financial management, general management, governance, communication, collaboration, innovation, commercialisation and risk management.

Under their leadership, the wheat crop team at Dow AgroSciences operated effectively and collaboratively across two legal entities. Neil was also successful in fast-tracking the 100% share acquisition by DAS, completing share transfer three years ahead of schedule. In addition, they developed a new channel to market for the DAS wheat business in the face of increasing competition which had made the previous commercial model redundant. This innovative and collaborative distribution strategy increased DAS wheat revenue by 45% at maturity.

Neil Comben has an Associate Diploma in Rural Techniques from Queensland Agricultural College and a Field in Cereal Science from Kansas State University.

Their manager is Bhupen Dubey, CEO. They work with Ramesh Cheruku - Global Supply Chain Director, Seema Singh - Global Legal Lead, and G V Radhakrishna - Global HR Director.