Neil Bentley

Background

Neil Bentley is a seasoned business executive with experience across customer‑facing commercial domains. As Vice President of Market Management, Agricultural Solutions, North America at BASF, he is responsible for the strategic direction of BASF’s North American Agricultural Solutions business.

With more than 25 years of domestic and international leadership experience, Bentley has led complex commercial and strategic initiatives in highly competitive markets. His work has focused on driving business growth, leading organizational transformation and developing customer‑centric strategies that create sustainable value. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Gustavus Adolphus College and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Bentley is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration at UNC Charlotte to merge executive experience with applied research and deepen his understanding of the factors that drive success in both corporate and entrepreneurial ventures.

Research Interest

His research interests center on the success factors that influence new venture performance across corporate innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Drawing on his professional experience, Bentley’s research explores the role of social capital and relationship networks in shaping venture outcomes, organizational growth and long‑term business success. His long‑term goal is to develop practical, evidence‑based insights that help organizations build, scale and sustain successful new ventures through the strategic development and utilization of social capital.