FBN’s Co-Founder Steps Down As CEO, New Leader Comes From Investing Background

FBN has new leadership as Amol Deshpande will step down as CEO effective Feb. 28. 

Coming in as CEO is John Vaske, who has served on the board of directors since 2017. For the past six years Vaske has served as the head of Americas and agribusiness for investment group Temasek. For 28 years before that he was at Goldman Sachs. 

FBN stated in the announcement that Vaske aims to “lead the company’s next chapter with a focus on long-term, sustainable profitable growth by empowering family farms around the world.” 

“Having grown up on a farm in Iowa, I know firsthand the challenges of the work farmers do and recognize deeply the impact it has on the broader economy. Amol and the team founded FBN to empower farmers and enhance their livelihoods," said Vaske in the company’s announcement. “FBN has grown from a digital analytics network to a full commercial platform, spanning over 55,000 farmer members, supporting farmers with nearly all aspects of their operations. Our growth has been remarkable so far, but FBN is just getting started serving farmers. I’m excited to partner with the team to scale a technology-powered, farmer-centric commercial system for agriculture.” 

In the same announcement, Deshpande said: “FBN was founded with the mission to improve the profitability of family farms and assist the great small business entrepreneurs in rural America. While much has changed since founding, the mission has not. I am proud of what our team has accomplished and the impact we have had, building to a scale that hardly anyone expected when we started. John has been on the board of FBN for five years and has a family farming background. This mission alignment makes me excited about his future as CEO of FBN and the prospects for our continued growth.”  

FBN Board Chair Kathleen Ligocki added: "Amol and the FBN team have done the un-imaginable since founding FBN nine years ago. FBN has become a global platform disrupting one of the most complex, difficult and entrenched industries in the world, with one of the world’s most important customers, family farms. Humanity’s future literally depends on our farmers, and Amol and the team had the vision and tenacity to challenge the system to create a more financially and environmentally sustainable farm system. I believe that John, as a proven expert in agriculture and technology companies, is exactly the right person to lead the company, as it continues to transform the agricultural system in the coming years.”