24th Dec 2012 07:00
Plant Impact plc
("Plant Impact" or the "Company")
Retirement of Non-Executive Directors and Appointment of Scientific Advisors
Plant Impact today announces the appointment of Dr. David Evans, Dr. Steve McGrath and Dr. Ian Burns to its Scientific Advisory Board ("SAB") as well the retirement of two of its Non-Executive Directors: Dr. Edward Sharkey and David McNeilly from the Plant Impact Board. These appointments and retirements will be effective as of 7 January 2013.
Dr. David Evans will serve as the Chairman of the Company's Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Evans obtained his PhD in plant natural product chemistry at the University of Manchester and held fellowships at MIT and Cambridge University before being appointed in 1971 as lecturer in Organic Chemistry at the University of Southampton. In 1979, he joined the agricultural science industry, holding research positions at Fisons, Schering, ICI, Zeneca and Syngenta. He was ultimately appointed as Head of Research & Technology of Syngenta International AG, based in Basel, Switzerland where his responsibility included the oversight of 2,300 research personnel and the direction of the Company's $700 million research and technology effort in chemicals, genes and germplasm. Since retirement, Dr. Evans has held several honorary positions including visiting professorships and membership of advisory boards. He is involved with learned societies, including SCI, RSC and IUPAC as well as multiple outreach activities aimed at improving the appreciation of science and its benefits by government, the media and the public.
Professor Steve McGrath is currently Senior Principal Scientist, Deputy Head of Department for the Sustainable Soils and Grassland Systems Department at Rothamsted Research, where he also serves as the chair of the Rothamsted Strategic Capital Development Committee. His current work is focused on the optimization of micronutrient status in food crops, the risk assessment of metals and metalloids in soils and the bio-indicators of pollution. Prof. McGrath gained a BSc in Plant Science followed by a PhD in Physiological Ecology at Sheffield University. To date he has published 237 papers in referred Journals, and in 2003 Prof. McGrath was recognised as a top 1% cited research publisher in his field.
Ian Burns currently holds a Personal Professorship at Warwick HRI and is an Independent Consultant to Warwick Crop Centre (Warwick University). Prior to that, he was Head of the Nutrient and Pesticides Dynamics Team and Head of Science Operations at Warwick HRI. He is also a member of the UK Food Standards Agency Nitrates Advisory Group. Dr. Burns has over 40 years' experience in horticulture and crop nutrition, with areas of expertise including the nutrition of vegetable and ornamental crops, modeling of nutrient process in soil and crop and the impact of nutrients on the environment. He holds a PhD on the Physico-chemical interactions of bipyridyl herbicides with soil organic matter from Birmingham University.
John Brubaker, CEO of Plant Impact, commented "Plant Impact is proud to attract such experienced scientific advisors to assist in the direction of the Company's research and product development. Drs. Evans, McGrath and Burns bring years of senior practical experience in agrochemical product development, crop nutrition and soil science. They cement our connection to the process of basic and applied science and validate the Company's recent decision to relocate to the Enterprise Science Park at Rothamsted Research."
The Company also announces today the retirement of Dr. Edward Sharkey and David McNeilly from the Board of Directors. Both have served as Non-Executive Directors since 2008, and they were instrumental in guiding the Company through its early stages of development and the recent US EPA registration of its BugOil insecticide technology.
David Jones, Chairman of Plant Impact, added "The Board extends sincere thanks to Ed and Dave for their years of service to the Company. They have provided the Plant Impact board with consistently wise counsel and initiated many important contacts for the company based on their long and senior participation in the industry. They have been an essential part of Plant Impact's early and recent progress, and we wish them well in the future."
For more information please contact:
Plant Impact plc |
|
David Jones, Chairman John Brubaker, Chief Executive Officer | Tel: +44 (0) 1582 465 540 |
WH Ireland Limited - Nominated Adviser and Broker |
|
Dan Bate
| Tel: +44 (0) 161 832 2174 |
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