21st May 2008 16:59
21 May 2008
Appointment of Directors
D1 Oils plc (D1), the biofuels technology company, is pleased to announce that Dr Henk Joos, Plant Science Director, and Ben Good, Finance and Commercial Director, are appointed to the Board with immediate effect.
Dr Henk Joos - Plant Science Director
Dr Joos joined D1 as Agronomy Director in September 2006 from Bayer CropScience. Since its creation in June 2007, Dr Joos has led the activities of D1 Oils Plant Science Limited, which acts as the exclusive supplier of Jatropha curcas material to D1-BP Fuel Crops Limited, D1's jatropha planting joint venture with BP.
Dr Joos has over twenty years of experience in commercial research and development and project management in the fields of plant breeding and genetics. He began his business career with Plant Genetic Systems in Belgium in 1986 and founded the global 'In Vigor' canola breeding programme in the early 1990's, which formed the basis for Bayer CropScience's global leadership in canola crop production. He became the Global Head of Breeding and Product Development at Aventis CropScience in 2000, supervising activities in corn, soybean, cotton, canola, rice and various tropical crops in 20 different temperate and tropical countries. In 2002, the year Bayer CropScience was formed through Bayer's acquisition of Aventis, he was appointed Head of Molecular & Biochemical Analytical Services, and reorganised the analytical and quality control laboratories of Bayer CropScience worldwide. He holds a Ph.D. in Biology (Genetics) from the University of Ghent.
Ben Good - Finance and Commercial Director
Prior to joining D1, Ben Good held a variety of senior positions in financial and commercial management, corporate finance and business development. Having started his career in strategy consulting, he joined AWG Plc, the parent company of Anglian Water, where at different times he held the roles of Director of Finance and Planning, Commercial Director and Projects Director. These positions included responsibility for group finance functions, plus a range of projects including restructuring the finance teams, a major systems implementation, and significant M&A and commercial development projects in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Ben subsequently moved to British Nuclear Group, where as Head of Projects, he led a number of corporate finance transactions and the commercial negotiations on a major engineering outsourcing deal. Ben has a degree in Engineering, Economics and Management from Oxford University.
Commenting on the appointments, Lord Oxburgh of Liverpool, Chairman of D1 Oils, said:
'We are very pleased to appoint Henk to the Board. Since joining the business Henk has created a leading commercial development programme for Jatropha curcas. Having taken the strategic decision to focus D1's business exclusively on the technology and services for the upstream breeding, development and planting of new varieties of biofuel crops, it is an appropriate time to bring Henk's expertise and experience on to the Board.
We are also very pleased to appoint Ben Good as Finance and Commercial Director. Ben has made a very significant contribution to the business in negotiating our joint venture with BP. He combines a thorough understanding of all the aspects of our business with significant commercial experience. We welcome both Henk and Ben to the Board. "
In accordance with Schedule 2(g) of the AIM Rules, the following information is
provided:
Henk Jean Pierre Joos, aged 49, is a Director of D1 Oils Plant Science Limited; D1 Oils Asia Pacific Pte Limited; D1 Oils Plant Science Belgium BVT; D1 Oils plant Science West Africa Sociedad Unipessoal, SA; D1 Oils Plant Science Swaziland Limited; D1 Oils Plant Science Thailand Limited; D1 Oils Plant Science Zambia Limited; D1 Oils Plant Science Philippines; D1 Oils Plant Science India Pvt; and Agristeps BVBA.
Over the past five years Dr Joos has additionally been a Director of FlandersBio; Bayer BioScience NV; and BelgoBiotech, the Belgian Association of Bioindustries.
Dr Joos holds 10,685 ordinary shares and 1,644,165 options in the Company.
Benjamin Richard Good, aged 43, holds no current directorships. Over the past five years he was a Director of UK Nirex Ltd.
Ben Good holds 1,492,696 options in the Company.
There are no further disclosures required to be made pursuant to Rule 17 and Schedule 2 - paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for companies in relation to either
Dr Joos or Ben Good.
Contacts
D1 Oils:
Graham Prince, Head of Corporate Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 1642 755580
Mobile: +44 (0) 7973 323840
Brunswick Group:
Mark Antelme
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7404 5959
Notes to Editors:
D1 Oils plc is a biofuels technology company. Our strategy is to develop new energy crops into sustainable commercial fuels. We provide technology and services for the breeding, development, planting and harvesting of new varieties of commercial biofuel crops, focusing on alternative, sustainable feedstocks that are not subject to the same price pressures as food-grade crops. We have an established plant science and planting programme for Jatropha curcas, a robust, tropical oilseed bearing tree. Jatropha produces inedible oil feedstock for biodiesel and is able to make use of land not suitable for arable agriculture. D1 has a 50:50 joint venture with BP for the global planting of jatropha.
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