Former Bayer CEO named AgBiome chairman

AgBiome, a leader in developing innovative products from the Earth's microbial communities, announced Dr. Marijn Dekkers as the company's Chairman, effective January 1, 2021.

Dr. Dekkers is the founder and chairman of Novalis LifeSciences, an investment and advisory firm for the Life Science industry. He formerly served as the CEO of Bayer AG, and before that, as CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Last year, Dr. Dekkers joined AgBiome as a strategic advisor -- lending his expertise, knowledge and business resources as AgBiome continued to execute on its growth phase objectives. Novalis joins AgBiome's elite group of investors that includes Polaris Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, Fidelity, UTIMCO, Pontifax AgTech, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Innotech Advisors, Syngenta Ventures, and Leaps by Bayer.

Eric Ward, co-CEO at AgBiome said, "With decades of exceptional leadership experience as a chief executive and in chairing boards of successful companies, alongside deep institutional knowledge across AgBiome's business and strategic prospects, Dr. Dekkers is the ideal next Chairman of the Board to lead AgBiome to the next chapter of success." Ward continued, "AgBiome is well positioned to execute on its strategic business model focused on our proprietary products, partner programs, joint ventures, and new company formations, all of which represent significant value opportunities for AgBiome in the near- and longer-term."

"I'm honored to have the opportunity to chair the AgBiome Board and work alongside Scott Uknes and Eric Ward, whose leadership and vision as co-CEOs have positioned the company to achieve extraordinary success over time," said Dr. Dekkers. "AgBiome's focus on developing naturally derived biological alternatives for traditional crop protection products is of high importance to the future of more sustainable farming and the environment. AgBiome's industry-leading microbial discovery platform plays a key role in accomplishing this mission," concluded Dr. Dekkers.