Deere & Co. announced this morning that its board of directors has elected John May as president and chief operating officer, effective April 1. May, 49, has worked for the manufacturer for 22 years and in 2012 joined the senior management team as president of Agricultural Solutions and chief information officer. 

Last year, May was named president of the Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division, with responsibility for the Americas and Australia; the global harvesting, turf and utility, and crop care platforms; and the intelligent-solutions group. Earlier in his career, he headed the company’s China operations, was factory manager at the Dubuque Works, and was vice president of the turf and utility platform.

“John’s record of success and proven leadership skills make him highly qualified for this broader role,” said Samuel Allen, chairman and CEO. “In addition, his leadership of the company’s precision-agriculture initiative and experience as chief information officer will serve him well as Deere moves ahead on its digitalization journey.”

Deere also announced the election of three other leaders to new positions effective April 1. They are:

• Cory Reed, 48, to president, Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division, Americas and Australia, Global Harvesting and Turf Platforms, and Ag Solutions. Reed joined the company in 1998 and most recently was president of John Deere Financial.
• Rajesh Kalathur, 50, to president of John Deere Financial and chief information officer. Since joining Deere in 1996, Kalathur has held positions in finance, business development, logistics, operations and marketing. Since 2012, he has been a member of the senior leadership team as senior vice president and chief financial officer. He assumed the added responsibilities of chief information officer in 2018.
• Ryan Campbell, 44, to senior vice president and chief financial officer. Campbell joined John Deere in 2007 and has held a number of management positions within the finance function. He became vice president and comptroller in 2016 and last year was named deputy financial officer.