Habé Roode is the chairman of the Board and Managing Director of the Hygrotech Group of Companies in South and Southern Africa since it’s inception on February 1984, when he established Hygrotech Seed Pty in Pretoria, South Africa.

He learned the seed trade during his involvement with the Roode-Lyon Seed Company started by Habé’s father, Chris Roode, in January 1966.

In 1969 he obtained a BSc Agricultural Economics degree at the University of Pretoria and became the Marketing Manager of Roode-Lyon in 1971, at the age of 24, and CEO in 1976, a position he held until 1983, when the company was sold to a venture capital group.

He has served on the Board of SANSOR (South African National Seed Oraganisation) since 1991, being the Chairman thereof from 1995 to 1997.

His vision to expand business into Southern Africa came into fruition when subsidiaries in Zimbabwe, Zambia, East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) and Namibia became operational. The latest venture includes the creation of a subsidiary in Mozambique.