Jedd Govender fulfils the role of Laboratory Analyst at the Syngenta Seedcare Institute. As an analyst, he is responsible for the quality assessment of all seed samples.
Syngenta Seedcare is a global leader in seed treatment technologies and therefore, places great emphasis on ensuring the quality of their products used on various seeds. Testing the quality of the applications is a highly specialised and technical job and one could say, the hub of quality control.
Jedd comes from Durban and is new to the agricultural sector. “My parents were born and raised in Durban. My dad is a teacher, and my mom works in sales. I have one younger brother who works in marketing.”
He says that his parents had an enormous influence on his life and how he sees the world because, by example they showed that with hard work and determination one can achieve anything.
To choose a career in science is not an easy path, but just like Spiderman, the superhero he would have liked to be, he chose the path of science, with the only difference that he ended up in the agricultural sector.
His love for science landed him in agriculture and for that he is grateful. “The knowledge base that is available in the agricultural sector gives me hope for agriculture and the future of our society. There is such a collaborations between brilliant minds in agriculture and all are just trying to make a difference.”
Equally he says, that is what he embraces in the Syngenta culture as well. “The people in the company makes is a great place to work. They embrace everyone as family and treat everyone as their own.”
Jedd’s favourite quote is one by Jerry Seinfeld and he uses that to steer his life: Keep your head up in failure and your head down in success.
His advice to young people entering the agricultural sector is to have a growth mindset. Hy also points out that they must realise that learning is not a once-off course but a life-long experience.