At Hazera, we are proud of our dedicated team, which works passionately to provide our growers with the best products. While we tend to put our products in the headlines, it is the Hazera team who are behind our success. Let’s shine the spotlight on Denis Tsilibin, Product Development Manager for Central Asia.

Denis Tsilibin grew up in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where he discovered his love for gardening on his family’s 40-square-metre vegetable patch. He fondly recalls spending springs and summers with his grandfather, growing fruit trees, flowers, and vegetables. Family has always been central to Denis’s life, with his parents, brother, wife, and two children supporting him throughout his journey.

His path to the seed industry came about through a chance encounter. After college, while holidaying in the mountains, Denis met an agronomist working for a seed company. “He told me about his job, working conditions, and so on. I was very interested in listening to him and immediately remembered my childhood,” Denis says. Just a week later, he interviewed for a sales manager position, launching a career in the seed business that began in 2008. While he officially joined the Hazera team as Product Development Manager for Central Asia in April 2024, he spent the previous nine years developing Hazera’s assortment as part of the distribution team in Uzbekistan. Outside of work, Denis stays active with sports and fishing, which he believes build the discipline, focus, and endurance needed for his fieldwork and travels.

 If you had to explain your job to a 5-year-old, how would you do it?

Denis views his role through a lens of service and utility. “My job is to help people—farmers, nurseries, and all our customers—and do useful things,” he explains. “Every day I learn something new, make decisions, and try to do everything well so that the result is useful to others.”

What’s something you’ve learned during your career at Hazera from working with colleagues or partners from different cultures?

Working at Hazera has taught Denis the value of flexibility and listening. “I learned to better understand people from different cultures—their approach to work, communication, and decision-making,” he says.

He summarises his philosophy on cross-cultural collaboration with a simple equation: “Respect + curiosity + patience = success.” For Denis, differences are not obstacles but sources of growth. “Be open, listen more than you speak, and don’t be afraid to ask simple questions. Show respect for your colleagues’ traditions. Differences are a source of new ideas.”

What’s the most unusual or memorable thing that’s ever happened to you in your career?

Over the past eight years, Denis has helped significantly expand the commercial range of tomatoes and cucumbers. “We have established trials in all seasons throughout Central Asia,” he notes, highlighting how distributors have now started purchasing seeds based on these successful introductions.

Denis also points to his early days at Hazera as a unique stage where he could fully utilise his skills to change regional operations. He recalls a time when conventional marketing wasn’t working for a new tomato variety launch. “I decided to take a creative approach—I organised a colourful promotional campaign and personally participated in the product presentation, even dressing up as a tomato!” he laughs. “This immediately attracted customers’ attention, created an emotional connection, and helped to quickly increase interest.”

If you could look ahead 10 years, what change in your job field would excite you most?

Looking to the future, Denis sees his field becoming a powerful tool for transformation. “I imagine that technology and new approaches will allow us to not only work more efficiently, but also to create truly innovative solutions that change the lives of customers and partners,” he says.

He is inspired by the prospect of shaping new industry standards. “Most importantly, it is the feeling that my work has a long-term effect, brings real benefits, and leaves a noticeable mark that I can be proud of.” For Denis, the future is one where professional growth and innovation go hand in hand, filling his career with energy and meaning.