Lifetime Achievement – Industry

Priscila Vansetti has prospered in a 35-plus year career that has been filled with a remarkable number of breakthrough achievements as a female pioneer.  

She was the first woman to graduate as valedictorian from the Universidade de São Paulo’s Superior Agricultural School in her native Brazil; The first female engineer hired by DuPont’s agriculture business – one of Corteva’s predecessor companies; the first woman expatriate sent for career development at DuPont’s Global Technology Research Center;  and the first woman named president of one of DuPont national offices, serving as President of DuPont do Brasil, to name just the highlights.

Throughout her distinguished career, Ms. Vansetti’s has excelled in multiple roles.  She’s led Research and Development operations, built the technical and scientific capabilities of different organizations, and led the growth of Corteva’s business in emerging and developed countries.  She’s also credited with applying Corteva’s science and innovation toward food production solutions for farmers.

Born and raised amid flourishing sugar cane fields and citrus orchards near São Paulo, Brazil, Ms. Vansetti quickly came to understand agriculture’s important role in providing food and economic stability for her region and the world.

Her very first job at the Universidade de São Paulo was a research-funded project on yeast breeding to improve fermentation yield for production of ethanol from sugar-cane, at a time when Brazil’s renewable energy policy was a national priority.

After joining Dupont upon graduation, Ms. Vansetti proceeded to spend 15 years working across Latin America in crop protection division, blazing a trail for many more women who joined the company through her effort to attract and develop young talent in Latin America.

During her 12 years at the Global Technology Research Center at Dupont’s Delaware global headquarters, she held technical and project leadership positions in plant disease, leading the Primary Screens of fungicide discovery, and insect management with focus on development of recombinant Baculovirus as biological solutions for insect control in vegetable crops .

In addition to mentoring and sponsoring young professionals in her field, Ms. Vansetti helped establish a global mentorship and advancement program for women leaders.  She also developed a hiring framework to ensure the unbiased and equitable development of candidate pools.

Under her leadership, DuPont do Brasil became signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and the United Nations Global Compact.

Currently, Ms. Vansetti leads the global strategy and operating plans for Corteva’s $6.2 billion crop protection business. By networking with internal colleagues, customers, value-chain partners, and external influencers, she applies her broad global business and technical knowledge to accelerate innovation and expand market opportunities, making strategic business recommendations with far-reaching implications.