Biotalys, an ag tech company focused on addressing food protection challenges to enable a more sustainable and safer food supply, announces the appointment of Simon Moroney as chairman of the board, following the company’s annual general meeting last week.
Moroney brings over 30 years of industry leadership and research experience to the Biotalys board. From 1992 to 2019, he was co-founder and CEO of MorphoSys, a leading biotechnology company focused on the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. At MorphoSys, Moroney played a central role in establishing the company as a driving force in the field of therapeutic antibodies and led the company to a $239 million initial public offering on the Nasdaq stock exchange in 2018. He currently sits on the board of Novartis as a non-executive director. Moroney has been recognized and awarded with the German Cross of the Order of Merit for his work and contributions to the biotechnology industry.
“Simon is an eminent figure in the global life sciences community, and his appointment as chairman of the board demonstrates our ambition to establish Biotalys at the forefront of innovation in agricultural technology,” says Biotalys CEO Patrice Sellès. “Simon’s extensive experience and proven track record will be invaluable to our team as we continue to develop our pipeline of antibody-derived biocontrol solutions. On behalf of Biotalys and the board of directors, I warmly welcome Simon and look forward to drawing upon his strategic and operational judgment. I would also like to deeply thank Lieven De Smedt for his professional contribution as a consensus-building chairman over the past six years and, in particular, for his active role in the capital rounds and his mentorship in building the company’s management team.”
“I strongly believe that Biotalys has great potential to become an important force of innovation in the global ag tech sector, addressing the urgent need for more sustainable food production and offering effective alternatives to conventional crop protection products that are safer for the environment, grower and consumer,” says Moroney. “I am excited to join as chairman, where I believe my experience in both antibody technology and in building innovative companies from early stage through to commercialization leaves me well placed to guide the company at this key phase in its development. I look forward to working closely with Patrice and the Biotalys leadership team as we continue to build and develop our pipeline of transformative biocontrol solutions.”
This announcement follows the recent submissions to the EU and U.S. regulatory authorities of the registration dossier for Biotalys’s first protein-based biocontrol product, Evoca. Evoca is Biotalys’s first biofungicide. It aims to provide fruit and vegetable growers with a novel mode of action to control key pathogens in selected crops.