Ghent, Belgium
March 14, 2023
Biotalys (Euronext - BTLS), an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrol solutions for crop and food protection, announced today that its Board of Directors has approved a succession plan under which Douglas Minder will be promoted to Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective July 1, 2023. He will take over responsibility from Wim Ottevaere, who, after a long and successful career in finance in the life sciences industry, will conclude his operational role and will continue to serve Biotalys in an advisory capacity.
Douglas Minder
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to extend our deep appreciation to Wim for his outstanding service to Biotalys. During his tenure, the company successfully completed its IPO, transitioning to a publicly listed entity preparing for commercialization,” said Simon Moroney, Chairman of the Board. “We are delighted to have Douglas take on the CFO role. He is a highly knowledgeable, proven financial leader who has already demonstrated his capabilities since joining Biotalys. We know that he will continue to be a great asset as he steps into his new role and joins the executive committee.”
“I warmly congratulate Douglas on his promotion. Having already worked together for more than two years at Biotalys, I know he is an excellent choice to become our next CFO. He has a long, successful track record in finance and life sciences that will serve our growth ambition,” said Patrice Sellès, Chief Executive Officer. “I also want to express my sincere gratitude to Wim and acknowledge his strong leadership and dedication to Biotalys. It has been a great pleasure to work with him, and I look forward to his continued contribution as an advisor to the company.”
“It has been a privilege for me to work at Biotalys and to have led its IPO in 2021, together with Patrice, Douglas and the team,” said Wim Ottevaere, CFO. “I am proud to have helped bring a platform-based company in the agtech sector to the stock exchange, just like I did previously in my career with similar technology platform companies in pharmaceuticals. I look forward to continuing to support the company once Douglas takes over as CFO and know I am passing the leadership of the financial function into highly capable hands.”
Douglas Minder joined Biotalys in January 2021 and was appointed Deputy CFO after the company’s IPO to prepare for the role of CFO and start leading the finance team. He has over 30 years of financial experience, which includes more than eight years at Belgium-based multinational biopharmaceutical company UCB. His most recent position there was Finance Business Partner, where he worked across many groups to help them align strategic objectives with the company’s long-range financial plans. He also worked for 20 years as an auditor and consultant at Deloitte, both in Belgium and in the U.S., where he served various Fortune 500 companies across multiple industries, including biopharma, technology, chemicals and manufacturing. He is an expert in U.S. GAAP and IFRS standards and reporting requirements for both the U.S. and European markets and has built successful cross-departmental relationships to develop continuous improvement solutions throughout an organization.
Douglas Minder commented: “I am excited to take on the position of CFO and look forward to leading the finance function and meeting with the investment community. As we advance our pipeline programs through development and onto the market, I will be highly focused on working with the executive committee and Board to effectively grow the business.”
About Biotalys
Biotalys is an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrol solutions for the protection of crops and food and aiming to provide alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides for a more sustainable and safer food supply. Based on its novel AGROBODY™ technology platform, Biotalys is developing a strong and diverse pipeline of effective product candidates with a favorable safety profile that aim to address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain, from soil to plate. Biotalys was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and has been listed on Euronext Brussels since July 2021. The company is based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium. More information can be found on www.biotalys.com.
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