DULUTH, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 2012-- AGCO, Your Agriculture Company (NYSE: AGCO), a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment, announced today that the Business to Business magazine has recognized Debra E. Kuper, AGCO Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, as a Women of Excellence honoree. Ms. Kuper was honored yesterday at an Award Luncheon in Atlanta. “We are very pleased and proud that the professional leadership achievements and commitment of Ms. Kuper are recognized and honored,” said Martin Richenhagen, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of AGCO.

Debra Kuper, AGCO Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary (Photo: Business Wire)

Debra Kuper, AGCO Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary (Photo: Business Wire)

Each year Business to Business magazine recognizes Atlanta’s most exceptional professional women as Women of Excellence honorees. The award highlights their outstanding professional achievements and commitment, their leadership skills and their positive community impact.

Debra Kuper joined the Company in January of 2008. As Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, she is responsible for all of the Company’s legal matters, including compliance, litigation, regulatory and securities filings, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance matters. She supervises all of the Company’s 30 in-house attorneys, of whom 17 are women. She was the first female executive on AGCO’s senior management team and the first female in their boardroom in her role as the Corporate Secretary. She is the co-executive sponsor of the newly formed AGCO Global Women’s Network, a business advisory group committed to developing, promoting and advocating leadership of women within AGCO.

Kuper joined AGCO from Caterpillar Inc. in Peoria, Illinois. She received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and a J.D. from Marquette University, where she also taught as an adjunct professor. She is a member of the Diversity Council, the National Association of Women Lawyers, the National Association of Professional Women, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, and the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms. She serves as a director on the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, is an Audit Committee member of the Association for Corporate Counsel, and is on the Advisory Board of Best Lawyers publications.

Kuper received several awards in the past honoring her professional achievements and her commitment to leadership and empowerment of women. Among others, she was one of the National Diversity Council’s 2010 Most Powerful & Influential Women of Georgia, and the Board of Directors Network 2011 Executive Leadership Honor Roll. It was also announced this week that Kuper will receive Inside Counsel magazine’s 2013 Transformative Leadership Award for the Pamela L. Carter Award for her unyielding vision, core values and philosophy of using her achievements as inspiration to other women.

ABOUT AGCO

AGCO, Your Agriculture Company, (NYSE: AGCO), is a global leader focused on the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery. AGCO supports more productive farming through a full line of tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage equipment, tillage, implements, grain storage and protein production systems, as well as related replacement parts. AGCO products are sold through four core machinery brands, Challenger®, Fendt®, Massey Ferguson® and Valtra® and are distributed globally through 3,100 independent dealers and distributors in more than 140 countries worldwide. Retail financing is available through AGCO Finance for qualified purchasers. Founded in 1990, AGCO is headquartered in Duluth, GA, USA. In 2011, AGCO had net sales of $8.8 billion.

Source: AGCO

AGCO
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