Biotalys appoints Markus Heldt as Independent Director
Biotalys, an AgTech company focused on addressing food protection challenges to enable a more sustainable and safer food supply, is pleased to announce the appointment of Markus Heldt to the Board as independent Director, effective 5 July 2021. This appointment follows the appointment of Simon Moroney and Catherine Moukheibir as Chairman and Director of the Board respectively, and strengthens Biotalys’ leadership as it enters a planned phase of growth driven by its biocontrol AGROBODY Foundry™ technology platform.
Markus brings to Biotalys over 40 years of international experience in the agricultural industry, during which he has built a strong global industry network and an unparalleled in-depth knowledge of agricultural value chains. Throughout his career, Markus has been involved in growth strategies and acquisitions, including in the areas of crop protection, biologicals and biotechnology assets.
Markus worked for BASF SE between 2000 and 2019, where he served as Group Vice President of the Agricultural Products and Fine Chemicals division in Latin America, and as Group Vice President for Crop Protection in North America. Between 2009 and 2019, Markus was President of BASF SE’s Agricultural Solutions division. Prior to joining BASF SE, Markus held positions at Cyanamid Agrar GmbH & Co KG, Shell International Ltd and Celamerck GmbH & Co KG. He is currently a Member of the Supervisory Board of K+S Aktiengesellschaft. Markus has a passion for customers, technology, innovation and sustainable solutions to support farmers and food production.
“I am delighted to welcome Markus to the Board as we continue to strengthen Biotalys’ leadership post our successful flotation on Euronext Brussels last week,” commented Simon Moroney, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Biotalys. “As an established leader in the agricultural sector, Markus brings an outstanding range of experience and expertise, which will be invaluable to Biotalys as we explore partnerships in the field of protein-based biocontrol solutions and drive the Company’s growth.”
“Forward looking agriculture needs an innovator like Biotalys to support the important steps towards safer and more sustainable food production,” added Markus Heldt, newly appointed Independent Director at Biotalys. “I am excited to be able to apply my many years of experience and deep knowledge to support the Company in forging relationships and collaborations across the entire food value chain, and support Biotalys’ ambitions to become an impactful player.”
About Biotalys
Biotalys is an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company focused on addressing food protection challenges with proprietary protein-based biocontrol solutions 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 has developed a strong and diverse pipeline of effective products 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 was listed on Euronext Brussels on 2 July 2021. The company is based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium. More information can be found on www.biotalys.com.