Mona Erchinger on courage, customer focus and her own personal path at KWS.
Make yourself grow.
As Head of KWS Germany, Mona Erchinger is responsible for the entire German country organization – the largest within KWS. With energy, structure and courage, she is driving the transition to a future-oriented, customer-centric organizational structure. What motivates her is a clear value compass, enjoying responsibility, and the will to make a difference together.
When Mona Erchinger talks about change, she does so with a clear gaze and a smile. As Head of KWS Germany, she is responsible for sales, product management, marketing, customer service and logistics for the German market. Her mission is to lead the largest KWS team into a successful future – amid all the current challenges in agriculture and the business world. “We don’t just want to supply products, we want to be real partners for our customers, holistically, over the entire growing season.” That includes having only one contact per farm in the future instead of several for each crop. The aim is to deepen relationships and make consulting easier, closer and more effective. “We support our farmers with comprehensive seed expertise. For us, that’s not an empty phrase but a commitment.”
I can only advise everyone to have confidence in themselves
Mona Erchinger | Head of KWS Germany
Growing through our brand essence.
The fact that Mona Erchinger now manages around 170 employees is the result of a remarkable journey: In 2018, the agricultural economics graduate started out as an intern in Global Marketing & Communications at KWS. She then became an expert for market analyses and KPIs and got involved early on in strategic projects. “I simply raised my hand,” says the now 31-year-old. “My boss had confidence in me, and I wanted to make a contribution.” This was followed by positions in Business Development Corn and as Head of Region North, Central & Southeast Europe in the Sugarbeet Business Unit. In 2024, she assumed responsibility for the whole of KWS Germany. Today, her daily routine is all the more varied: strategy workshops, staff appraisals, operational topics and customer visits – from farmers to retailers and the sugar industry. “I want to make a difference. This attitude has helped me grow.”
Growing – that’s also part of the philosophy of KWS as an employer. True to the brand essence “Make yourself grow”, KWS supports the personal and professional development of its employees. Mona Erchinger also benefited on her career path from the supportive feedback culture, further training opportunities, project work and internal role changes. “For me, our brand essence means seizing opportunities, keeping an open mind and leaving your comfort zone by taking the initiative.” She advises young people: “You don’t have to have the perfect plan. Staying curious and having the courage to try new things – that often creates opportunities that you wouldn’t have expected.”
Communicating a joint vision.
Her agricultural roots help her to never lose sight of the benefit for KWS customers. She grew up on an arable farm in the foothills of the Harz Mountains, where she still helps her family today. “It makes for an ideal work-life balance and helps me better understand the perspective of our customers with all their challenges.” Climate change, the current global political situation and increasingly stringent framework conditions such as the discontinuation of plant protection products are making it difficult for farmers to run their businesses and are causing yield losses, for example. “This is where KWS comes in as a breeder. We find solutions to improve the performance of our varieties under adverse growing conditions – for a steady increase in yield, for example under stress from drought and increasing disease pressure.”
For Mona Erchinger, understanding customers individually and offering solutions is about “an attitude, really listening, recognizing needs and aligning our processes so that we can provide targeted advice.” Together with her management team, she wants to create a real sense of unity at Team Germany, with a strong portfolio and a clear focus on customers.
