Kris Manning

As Global Head of IT Networks at Syngenta, Kris Manning is at the helm of a critical function underpinning the operations of a world-leading science-based agricultural technology company. His journey in IT began not in academia, but straight from school at 16, driven by a natural proficiency and eagerness to engage with the burgeoning technology landscape of the time. Starting as a programmer, he quickly gravitated towards IT support, specialising in networking as the internet became mainstream. His career path included significant time at Dell Technologies and stints with startups, ultimately leading him to Syngenta in late 2021.

Kris identifies tenacity and curiosity as his key strengths, qualities he actively encourages in his engineering teams. 

He believes that resolving a single network issue is just the starting point, prompting a deeper investigation to uncover and address similar potential problems elsewhere within the infrastructure. His proactive approach is vital in his role, where the primary challenge is meeting the dynamic needs of Syngenta's business. The focus is not on deploying the latest technology for its own sake, but on providing a stable, secure and high-performance network platform that enables the business to innovate, digitise and automate its operations. Stability, security, performance and enablement form the core tenets of his global networks strategy.

A formative personal experience demonstrated the importance of empathetic leadership and prioritising people. Witnessing the transformative impact of a supportive leader during a challenging time reinforced his belief that fostering a valued and motivated team is fundamental to achieving success, regardless of metrics or goals. This philosophy likely influences his approach to addressing the resourcing challenges in the networking field, which he observes is struggling to attract talent with expertise in legacy systems while competing in areas like cybersecurity and AI. 

Syngenta's mission to help farmers globally and the exciting advancements in agricultural technology are key attractors of talent, along with its focus on internal development and strategic partnerships.

Kris is a proponent of strategically leveraging technology. Syngenta is embracing AI company-wide, his network team is taking a proactive approach, focusing on areas like AI-driven anomaly detection and predictive maintenance to enhance operational efficiency and security. The adoption of tools with AI capabilities has already demonstrated significant results in reducing alert fatigue and allowing engineers to focus on more complex issues.

Looking ahead, Kris looks forward to continuing to drive the evolution of Syngenta's global network. His aim is to remove "bumps in the road" for users and simplify the network infrastructure while maintaining high levels of security and performance. He highlights the importance of staying ahead of business needs and adapting to emerging trends like edge computing, private 5G and network-as-a-service while managing technical debt in legacy networks.

To read the full article in the magazine, click HERE.