Philippe Boisseau Joins Amyris, Inc. Board of Directors
EMERYVILLE, CA (December 9, 2010) -- Amyris, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRS) announced today that Philippe Boisseau has joined the company's board of directors. Mr. Boisseau is currently president of Total's Gas & Power division.
"Philippe brings exceptional perspective and experience to our Board," said John Melo, chief executive officer of Amyris. "Philippe's personal commitment to our company emphasizes the strong relationship we are building with our partner Total, a major international oil and gas company, and will help us tremendously as we ramp up our commercial operations."
Boisseau, 48, graduated from the leading French engineering school Ecole Polytechnique, and has a master's in particle physics. He began his career in 1986, serving in a number of French government ministries before joining Total in 1995. He worked in several management positions within the Refining and Marketing division in the US and France until 1998. Boisseau then moved to the Exploration and Production division and was appointed general manager of Total Austral in Argentina in 1999 and president, Middle East, between 2002 and 2007. Since then, he has been president of Total Gas & Power with the role to develop the downstream segment of the natural gas chain and alternative energies. He has been a member of Total's Management Committee since January 2005.
"Biotechnology broadens perspectives for the development of industrial production in which Total has decided to position itself, and Amyris is at the heart of our initiatives in this area," said Boisseau. "I am excited to be personally engaged in helping Amyris grow to fulfill its extraordinary potential."
In June, Amyris and Total announced a strategic partnership encompassing Total's investment in Amyris and a wide-spectrum master development and collaboration agreement. Total currently owns 22% of Amyris and, under their collaboration agreement, Total and Amyris R&D teams will work together to develop and commercialize certain renewable products.
About Amyris
Amyris is building an integrated renewable products company by applying industrial synthetic biology to genetically modify microorganisms to serve as living factories. Amyris designs these microorganisms to produce defined molecules for use as renewable chemicals and transportation fuels. Amyris Brasil S.A., a subsidiary of Amyris, oversees the establishment and expansion of Amyris's production in Brazil, including SMA Indústria Química S.A., its joint venture with São Martinho. In addition, Amyris is building fuels distribution capabilities in the United States through its subsidiary, Amyris Fuels LLC. More information about Amyris and its subsidiaries is available at www.amyris.com. Amyris is a trademark or registered trademark of Amyris, Inc.