Redag Crop Protection appoints new head of biology

UK agrochemical company Redag Crop Protection has appointed Dr Mikael Courbot to the key role of head of biology.
 
Dr Courbot joins from multi-national agribusiness Syngenta, where he spent nine years working across sites in Switzerland and the UK.
 
His areas of expertise include mechanisms of heavy metal transport and homeostasis in fungi and plants, in depth knowledge on abiotic stresses, along with the development of screening platforms.

His brief at Redag will be to develop state-of-the-art screening capabilities to gauge efficacy of the novel herbicides, fungicides and insecticides that the company is developing.

Dr Courbot obtained his PhD from the Université Henri Poincaré in Nancy, France, on Plant Biology & Genetics, focusing on ectomycorrhizal fungi.

He went on to undertake post-doctoral studies across Europe and in the United States, at The Free University of Brussels, the University of Oxford and Ohio State University.

Dr Courbot said: “I’m delighted to join Redag Crop Protection at what it is clearly a very exciting time for the company.

“The chance to work for a company that is fast-developing a reputation across Europe as being at the forefront of addressing the agrochemical innovation gap appealed greatly to me.

“The facilities at Alderley Park were also a major draw. They are genuinely world-class and there is a real sense of energy generated by the multiple companies in co-habitation at the site.”

Bill Thompson, founder and chief executive of Redag Crop Protection said: “Mikael is an important appointment for us and we’re very pleased to welcome him to the team. “Adding the right expertise to our senior personnel has been a key part of our growth strategy over the past 12 months.”

“By recruiting carefully selected professionals from some of the agrochemical industry’s largest companies, we’re bringing in invaluable experience and knowledge, and in turn giving these individuals the chance to work in an innovative and agile company, free from the constraints of larger organisations.”

The appointment is the latest senior hire at Redag, which recently appointed Syngenta’s former senior global R&D Leader, Dr Deborah Keith, as a non-executive director.