Plant cell technology firm Ayana Bio has announced the appointment of Jill Zullo to the company's board of directors.

Zullo is the former president and CEO of NatureWorks and was global managing director of bio-intermediates at Cargill. Zullo has experience in forging strategic partnerships, with an ability to ‘swiftly establish trust and foster collaboration,’ which Ayana Bio expects to aid in accelerating its commercialisation.

In her role at Cargill, Zullo created a joint venture between Cargill and HELM called QoreTM that utilises Geno BDO technology to produce QIRATM (renewable 1-4,butane diol) for use in the apparel, automotive and packaging industries, among other applications. With this in mind, Zullo will support Ayana Bio's development platform to deliver innovation and profitable results.

As a board member, Ayana Bio expects Zullo to bring a balance of strategic perspective and market discipline to business planning, driving scalable growth.

Zullo said: “I am excited to join Ayana's board of directors as we work to establish Ayana Bio as a leader in the plant cell culture space. Ayana Bio's customer-centric focus to develop bioactives aligns with my values in bringing sustainable biotechnology innovation to the consumer product goods market.”

Frank Jaksch, CEO of Ayana Bio, commented: "Jill's expertise in biotechnology and her customer-focused approach to innovation aligns perfectly with our mission to collaborate with customers and introduce products to the market that solve the challenges in the botanical supply chain”.

Ena Cratsenburg, a member of Ayana Bio's board of directors, added: “Jill's extensive career of leading biotechnological advancements across food and industrials will bring a fresh yet valuable perspective to the Ayana Bio board".

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