So the non-secret is out – I leave #TeamBayer at the end of September to break out on my own. My decision. On my terms. The first day of the rest of my life…it is an old cliché when you leave a company and yet it feels much like a very apt description. Having worked for over 30 years for Bayer and companies such as Aventis CropScience and Rhone-Poulenc Agriculture that are now part of Bayer as a result of M&A, it does feel as if I am starting again.
I leave Bayer with a huge amount to thank them for so many things not least for allowing me to follow my own advice that when walking down the corridor of a career, to always take a look around the doorways along the way, and be prepared to change direction. But in addition, this company has:
- Never asked me to compromise my own standards
- Never asked me to lie for the company
- Always asked me whether what we wanted to communicate was appropriate
- Always prepared to indulge me when I wanted to try to do things differently
and for that I thank them.
And so here I am starting afresh and yet, whilst I have definitely left the Bayer bubble, I remain in the relative comfort blanket of agriculture, plant science, communications, issue management, public affairs and media relations. Outside of the company and yet doing many of the things I used to do for the company.
Slightly bizarre yet somehow fascinating, and definitely exciting….
As for the future, who knows where it will take me. The new company is called
(yes, highly innovative, I know) and even if it doesn’t change the world, it’s going to have fun trying!
Julian Little Communications 