ANDREY SKOTNIKOV, PH.D. - RESUME

SENIOR TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS EXECUTIVE

Strategic Marketing | Business Development | Product Development | R&D

International expert in high tech technology agriculture with a global business and operational perspective consulting in the Americas and Europe on the development/creation of sustainable Agro systems / businesses from crop production to food marketing and distribution.

Strong conceptual and strategic thinker with innovation based on a systems approach. Flexible leadership capable of thriving despite rapidly changing markets and organizational ambiguity. Contributed advanced top-line product feature and marketing ideas to expand and shift industry boundaries to create interaction with customers through the products.

Broad industry visibility and network connections in agriculture, agricultural engineering, government, equipment manufacturing, and education/research communities. Comprehensive educational background with experience in academic research and as Associate Professor. Ph.D., M.B.A., M.S., and B.S. degrees encompassing the mechanization of agriculture, advanced crop management technology, technology automation, and marketing.

Key skills and leadership attributes include:

Agricultural technology and crop production systems
Equipment design, testing, and validation
Technology transfer, manufacturing start-up, and production
Fleet management, maintenance, and repair
Budget and resource direction
Engineering and product development leadership
Project management
Regulatory and industry compliance

HIGHLIGHTS OF RECENT TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS LEADERSHIP

NEW AG SYSTEMS - CONSULTANCY, Minneapolis, Minnesota (2011 - present)
Consulted in strategic marketing, business development, product development, R&D of ag systems, and precision agriculture worldwide (USA, Canada, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, UK, Italy).

Worked with many companies in combining R&D, IS, IT and Customer Success Services to create more efficient businesses for customers via creation of smart farming infrastructure. Tought companies how to create interaction with customer through the products instead of simple transactions, how to create more efficient businesses.

Contract farming development in Moldova (IFAD funded project)
Co-Chair and Content Provider for IDEAg Interconnectivity Event
Business Solutions

JOHN DEERE / DEERE & COMPANY - PRODUCT ENGINEERING CENTER, Waterloo, Iowa (2000 – 2011)
$26+ billion leading global manufacturer of agricultural machinery. Develops, produces, sells, and finances agricultural, turf, construction, and forestry equipment, employing than 50,000 people.

Staff Engineer - Energy Management (2002- December 2010) / Advanced Farming Systems (2000-2002)
Led development of advanced farming and tractor energy management systems, managing up to 12 technical staff and partnering with more than 80 worldwide contributors. Consulted in agricultural systems development, product verification and validation, production start-up, and ongoing problem resolution. Enhanced John Deere company image, business intelligence gathering, and contacts with Russia as consultant in business, technology, and patent negotiations, receiving multiple commendations from the CEO. Consulted in meetings with agricultural ministers, quality inspectors, and agricultural equipment unions.

Conceived and championed process and value improvement initiatives, competitive benchmarking, and market strategy evaluation. Monitored performance of current and new tractor products to ensure continuous quality improvement. Developed new validation process using live data analysis for enhanced problem detection and designed new product evaluation matrix. Maintained performance quality reports.

Developed alternative system for crop production, projected to generate new U.S. revenue of $53 billion while cutting engineering staff by 30%. System included full IT and services support, embedded identity preservation, automated equipment lines, and training system.
Initiated creation of new Intelligent Vehicle Solution Division, currently a multimillion-dollar equipment sales producer. Served as key contributor to business growth through research memos detailing systems/systems engineering approaches and development of marketing strategy demonstrating customer value propositions.
Produced 80% of business report that shaped John Deere's business development and market strategy for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), with CIS equipment sales worth more than $500 million.
Provided strategic Russian business consultation in demographics, geography, customer requirements, equipment design, regulations, suppliers, and branch structure. Championed and facilitated establishment of supplier and manufacturing base in Belarus.
Enabled new revenue of $8+ million by recommending agricultural and construction branch expansion into Far East Russia.
Instituted the creation of $15+ million Frontier Implements product line by recommending certification of equipment produced by other manufacturers.
Conceived and drove single GreenStar™ electronic monitor solution for multiple application/product integration, allowing lower cost production of the John Deere Ag Management Solutions (AMS).

CNH GLOBAL N.V. / CNH, Burr Ridge, Illinois 1998 – 2000
$13+ billion international agricultural and construction equipment company. Engineers, manufactures, markets, and distributes equipment to 170 countries through 11,000+ dealers and distributors.

Senior Engineer - Advanced Technology Engineering
Managed project teams in the development of new technologies and equipment concepts. Led design and development of a self-propelled sprayer while driving new technological advances in seed planting, variable rate application, yield monitoring, and various automated systems and sensors. Consulted in business development and supply chain partnership in Russia and CIS.

Recognized for innovative development (eight patents) in the Case Corporation Inventor Recognition Program.
Established connections in Belarus, as partner to the global supply chain. Contributed to negotiations with Russian business partners, receiving recognition from the CEO.
Created new features for prototype self-propelled sprayer development, including adjustable suspension for crop clearance, wheel tread width, weight distribution, and driving conditions, with additional steep-slope capabilities and electronic steering.

BUSINESS AND ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE

Manufacturers Representative (Independent Contractor) - Tyler Industries, Inc., Benson, Minnesota: Represented agricultural equipment manufactured by Tyler in presentations to companies and research facilities in the former USSR. Negotiated and secured barter contracts with collective farms in Belarus for industry-first self-propelled sprayer. Led development and commercialization of enhanced chemical/fertilizer application equipment, automated soil sampler/packager/analyzer, and GIS/GIP software.

Facilitated $2 million agricultural equipment sale to companies in the NIS.

Director / Founder - Antares, Minsk, Belarus: Established and led start-up development company for the design, development, and manufacture of new fertilizer application technology, in partnership with Tyler Industries. Developed opportunities in vertically integrated agricultural industries.

Managed professional and scientific staff of 24 (nine Ph.Ds) in development, pre-commercialization, and technology transfer projects. Accomplished 10 patent filings and presented findings at three international conferences (U.S., Holland) and in five professional publications.
Developed and manufactured automated soil sampler prototype forecasted to eliminate 90% of soil sampling costs. Sampler system included conveyer packaging unit and workstation for preparation/analysis that processed 14 parameters per minute.

Chief Engineer - Zarya Collective Farm, Grodno district, Belarus: Managed 120+ employees, including eight engineers, and 300 units of agricultural equipment in the fleet and engineering operations of a 14,000 acre farm. Optimized maintenance and repair through the introduction of new technology, while improving profitability through effective management.

Reduced fleet repair costs by 20%, while increasing productivity by 18%.
Negotiated free equipment use contracts in exchange for field testing with tractor, diesel fuel pump, and plow companies.

RESEARCH AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Research Assistant - University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota: Performed agricultural research, advancing site-specific crop management (grant from Tyler Industries), yield map interpretation, and spatial decision support systems. Researched development of potato yield monitor, yield/residue monitoring, and automated grain harvester technologies. Initiated conceptual design for new automated soil sample preparation/analysis developed by Antares.

Associate Professor, Farm Machinery Department / Chief, Laboratory of Precision Farming - Belarussian Agro Technical University, Minsk, Belarus: Taught courses in agriculture equipment analysis/design and soil mechanics. Created new courses in new age farming and marketing. Established the Laboratory of Precision Farming, leading research team of 5 Ph.Ds. Expanded lab studies, farming a full season in Alberta, Canada as participant in BASF-sponsored study of herbicides retardation in soils.

Senior Engineer Researcher - Central Research Institute of Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture of Non-Chernozem zone of USSR (CRIMEA): Managed development of automated control systems for tomato, grape, forage, grain, and tobacco self-propelled harvesters, sprayer chemical flow, baler, auto guidance, and pre-planting potato treatment. Provided marketing and engineering support from prototype development, through testing and state validation, to production. Published more than 30 papers and 12 patents. Recognized as Best Young Scientist/Engineer (of 400) for eight consecutive years and served of dissertations evaluation and staff evaluation committees.

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

KELLER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT - DEVRY UNIVERSITY, Chicago, IL
Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, St. Paul, MN
Master of Science (MS) in Soil Science / Thesis - Site-Specific Crop Management: A System Approach

UKRANIAN AGRICULTURE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, Kiev, Ukraine
Ph.D. in Automation of Technological Processes

BELARUSSIAN INSTITUTE OF MECHANIZATION OF AGRICULTURE, Minsk, Belarus
Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mechanical Engineering with Honors

70+ publications and 32 patents – US (11), Canada, European Union, USSR, Belarus, Russia, and Australia.

Publications, papers, and patent number available on request.