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Jeffrey Simmons

President and Chief Executive Officer, Elanco Animal Health

Search every verified Jeffrey Simmons interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Jeff Simmons, President and CEO of Elanco Animal Health, discussed the company's growth and mission in a 2023 podcast interview. He recounted that when he became president in late 2007, Elanco was not in the top 10 of the industry, had the worst portfolio, was U.S.-based, and focused on livestock rather than pets. Simmons described how a small group of employees in Mexico pushed to acquire a dairy technology, a transaction he said later funded the company's pet business, which now makes up 55% of Elanco. He stated the company's mission is "making animals' lives better makes life better" and that it reaches animals in over 150 countries across 19 species. Simmons also reflected on Elanco's 2019 separation from parent company Eli Lilly, comparing it to leaving home for college, and emphasized avoiding regret by staying "in the game." In a 2009 interview, Simmons spoke about Elanco's role in the World Food Prize symposium, focusing on the need to double food production as the global population grows from 6.5 billion to 9 billion people. He argued that 70% of that increase must come from technology rather than more land. Simmons expressed concern that a small minority of consumers seeking "luxury foods" could influence laws that restrict technology choices for producers, potentially harming the 95% who need affordable, nutritious food. He warned that the U.S. risked following Europe in limiting such options.

Recent appearances

Notable quotes

“I think we've been in a supply side, not a demand side economy for too long. most of the growth is coming from either price growth or AI growth. And so even globally that's a concern. Population 70% of the planet's not, you know, not repopulating to the to the level it needs to. And we got an aging population that doesn't have retirement. So as you look ahead, you have to innovate to drive volume.”

“Elanco has created an inset carbon market to where we can monetize productivity. We've set up the largest database, especially in the dairy industry, where every intervention a farmer takes is captured. It is certified by an independent body to where carbon credits can be sold and then there's a bank that actually monetizes them and CPG companies can get the benefit of that. And farmers are receiving 20 to $30 a cow ”

“How we can reduce methane and that's the way we can cool the climate. So very quick greenhouse gases, there's carbon and there's methane. Carbon lasts a thousand years, that's fine for the long term, but how we cool the climate in the next nine years, it's actually making animals healthy and impacting and reducing methane from animals. And actually farmers can get credits from other industries and make money. There's”

“We've helped bring 25 candidates into our pipeline to remove human used antibiotics for growth promotion and animals. We've we've been a leader, we spoke at the White House in 2012 and I can say we've helped do that. At the same time though, when a consumer wants something or it's been labeled that way, it doesn't necessarily mean the animal. We've got, you know, healthy animals make great healthy food. And so the im”

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