This caught my eye.
>Leadership of Dow's venture capital investments and biotechnology development efforts * Chairman of the Board of Cargill Dow, a Cargill and Dow JV producing polylactic acid based polymers
11/04 06:31 Diversa Appoints Fernand Kaufmann, Ph.D. to Its Board of Directors
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Diversa Corporation (Nasdaq: DVSA) today announced that Dr. Fernand Kaufmann was appointed to serve on its
Board of Directors. Dr. Kaufmann brings to the Company more than three decades
of experience in industries ranging from specialty chemicals and biotechnology
to pharmaceutical development. As part of a successful career with The Dow
Chemical Company, Dr. Kaufmann served as a key member of Dow's senior management
team and management executive committee before his retirement in 2001.
"We are fortunate to bring Dr. Kaufmann's broad expertise to Diversa's Board of Directors. His perspectives will be extremely valuable as we continue to
advance both our Bioscience product portfolio and our pharmaceutical programs,"
stated Dr. Jay M. Short, Diversa's President and Chief Executive Officer.
Dr. Kaufmann joined Dow R&D in Switzerland in 1969. From 1974 to 1983, he held various business positions at Dow in the specialty chemical products and
pharmaceuticals businesses. In 1983, Dr. Kaufmann was named Managing Director
of Dow in Germany. In 1985, he was named Vice-President of Agricultural
Products for Dow Europe. In 1987, Dr. Kaufmann was named Vice-President of
Performance Products, and in 1990 he was appointed as Vice-President of
Marketing and Sales for all products of Dow Europe. In 1992, he transferred to
Dow's Headquarters in the US as Group Vice-President for New Businesses. In
1995, he took on the additional responsibility of Strategic Development and
Planning and became a member of Dow's senior management team and management
executive committee. Until his retirement in April 2001, Dr. Kaufmann also held
the following additional responsibilities at Dow:
* Leadership of Dow's venture capital investments and biotechnology development efforts * Chairman of the Board of Cargill Dow, a Cargill and Dow JV producing polylactic acid based polymers * Board member of Dow AgroSciences, a pesticide and plant science company
Dr. Kaufmann currently serves as chairman of the board of HPL SA, a Swiss technology start-up company in the field of novel lithium-ion battery technology
and as an advisor to two private equity funds. Dr. Kaufmann received a Ph.D. in
Polymer Chemistry from the University of Strasbourg in France in 1969.
About Diversa
Diversa Corporation is a leader in applying proprietary genomic technologies for the rapid discovery and optimization of novel protein-based products.
Diversa is directing its integrated portfolio of technologies to the discovery,
evolution, and production of commercially valuable molecules with pharmaceutical
applications, such as optimized monoclonal antibodies and orally active drugs,
as well as enzymes and small molecules with agricultural, chemical, and
industrial applications. Diversa has established alliances and joint ventures
with market leaders, such as Amgen, BASF, Bayer Animal Health, The Dow Chemical
Company, DSM Pharma Chemicals, DuPont Bio-Based Materials, Givaudan Flavors
Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Invitrogen Corporation, Medarex, and Xoma. In
addition, Diversa has formed a broad strategic relationship with Syngenta AG, a
world-leading agribusiness company. Diversa has commercialized products both
independently and in collaboration with strategic partners and licensees.
Additional information is available at Diversa's website: www.diversa.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are " forward-looking" and involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty. These
include statements related to the value of Dr. Kaufmann's experience and
expertise to Diversa, which are prospective. Such statements are only
predictions, and the actual events or results may differ materially from those
projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or
contribute to differences include, but are not limited to, risks involved with
Diversa's new and uncertain technologies, Diversa's dependence on patents and
proprietary rights, Diversa's protection and enforcement of its patents and
proprietary rights, Diversa's dependence on its existing collaborators (
including Syngenta) and collaborations and ability to enter into and/or maintain
and perform under collaboration and joint venture agreements in the future,
delays in obtaining regulatory approval for proposed Diversa products, Diversa's
ability to commercialize products, customer adoption of Diversa products,
Diversa's ability to penetrate the market with new products, and the development
or availability of competitive products or technologies. Certain of these
factors and others are more fully described in Diversa's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Diversa's
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2004. These
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Diversa expressly
disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Contacts: Martin Sabarsky Corporate Development & Investor Relations Diversa Corporation (858) 526-5166 Jason Spark for Diversa Atkins + Associates (858) 527-3491SOURCE Diversa Corporation /CONTACT: Martin Sabarsky, Corporate Development & Investor Relations ofDiversa Corporation, +1-858-526-5166; or Jason Spark of Atkins + Associates,+1-858-527-3491, for Diversa/ /Web site: diversa.com / (DVSA)
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