Former Tyson Foods CEO lands new gig at Indigo Ag

Former Tyson Foods CEO Dean Banks was named CEO of New England-based Indigo Ag effective Feb. 1. He will also become the CEO-partner at biotech firm Flagship Pioneering on the same date.

Banks has been an Indigo board member since July 2022 and will continue in that role.

“Dean has been a strategic and deeply engaged board member for Indigo, drawing on his extensive experience as an entrepreneur, technologist, innovator and business executive,” said Robert Berendes, chairman of the board for Indigo Ag and executive partner at Flagship Pioneering. “He is an energizing leader and visionary, and I am confident he will steward the company into this next critical phase of growth and profitability, and ultimately realize the full potential of the Indigo platform for companies, farmers and the planet.”

Following a two-year stint on the Tyson Foods board, Banks was named Tyson’s president in December 2019. Less than ten months later, Banks was also named the CEO, succeeding the retiring Noel White, who remains with Tyson as a board member.

Banks remained with Tyson Foods until June 2021, when the company announced that Chief Operating Officer Donnie King had been promoted to president and CEO, with that appointment being immediately effective.

Banks also logged time at Alphabet, the company formerly known as Google, where he worked in leadership and entrepreneurial positions in the food, agriculture, technology and life sciences industries.

Banks earned his bachelor’s degree from Miami University and a master’s degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School.

“I’m thrilled to take on the role of CEO of Indigo Ag,” Banks said. “Over the last year on the board, I have witnessed the tremendous investment we’ve made to build scientifically validated digital sustainability tools and biological products that farmers, agribusiness, our CPG partners and our planet urgently need.”