Press Release – May 7, 2024
Amyris, Inc., a vertically integrated synthetic biology company that creates sustainable, market-ready ingredients utilizing proprietary advanced precision fermentation technology and world-class platforms, today announced that, following the effectiveness of its reorganization, Amyris has appointed Kathy L. Fortmann as Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) effective immediately.
Ms. Fortmann brings almost 35 years of global business experience across a range of industries including specialty chemicals and ingredients. She most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of ACOMO N.V., a Dutch publicly-listed company focused on conventional and organic niche food products and ingredients for the food and beverage industry from 2021 to 2023. Prior to that, Ms. Fortmann held various roles at International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (“IFF”) from 2020 until 2021, including Division President of Nourish, Division Chief Executive Officer, Taste, and Head, Taste Strategy and Cross Fertilization. Prior to IFF, she was a senior executive at Friesland Campina, a dairy cooperative in Europe from 2017 to 2019, serving as Business Group President, Ingredients and a member of the Executive Committee. From 2005 until 2017, Ms. Fortmann held various leadership positions at Cargill, Incorporated, a leading world provider of food ingredients and agricultural services and products. Prior to Cargill, she held positions of increasing responsibility at E.I. DuPont de Nemours, Inc. from 1989 until 2005. Ms. Fortmann currently serves as a director on the boards of FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC), a global agricultural sciences company, and PPG (NYSE: PPG), a global supplier of paints, coatings and specialty materials.
“I’ve long admired Amyris’ leading science and technology capabilities and its impressive product portfolio and R&D pipeline,” commented Ms. Fortmann. “I’m excited to lead the company through this next stage of innovation and growth. I look forward to working closely with the Board and my new colleagues in developing and executing on Amyris’ go-forward strategy.”
Ms. Fortmann, along with Scott White, will join John Doerr and Ryan Panchadsaram as members of the Board of Directors of Amyris. Han Kieftenbeld, who has served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer since March 2020 and as interim CEO since June 2023, has decided to leave Amyris to pursue other opportunities.
About Amyris
Amyris is a vertically integrated, synthetic biology company that creates sustainable, market-ready ingredients utilizing proprietary advanced precision fermentation technology and world-class platforms. Leveraging two decades of experience, Amyris collaborates with companies to co-create innovative ingredients at unprecedented speed and scale. This enables partners to deliver products with differentiated performance that meet sustainability and economic objectives. Its renewable and traceable ingredients are included in over 20,000 products from the world’s top brands, reaching more than 300 million consumers. For more information, please visit http://www.amyris.com.
Media Contact:
Amyris, Inc.
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