EMERYVILLE, Calif., Dec. 3, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMRS) announced today the appointment of Raffi Asadorian as the Company's Chief Financial Officer, effective January 6, 2015. The Company's interim Chief Financial Officer, Paulo Diniz, will transition to a new role as Chairman of Amyris Brasil.
"Raffi's global finance and business leadership experience will be valuable to Amyris as we enter a new growth phase leveraging our stable and low cost manufacturing and advantaged technology platform to strengthen our leading position in the emerging industrial biotechnology industry," said John Melo, President & Chief Executive Officer of Amyris, Inc. "Paulo Diniz, who led our global finance operations on an interim basis since earlier this year, will work closely with Raffi during the transition period and then take on a new role as Chairman of our Brazilian operations."
"As we complete two years of successful manufacturing operations at our Brotas biorefinery, we are focused on our increasing product demands as well as expanding our collaboration portfolio in Brazil. As Chairman of Amyris Brasil, Paulo is ideally suited to lead us into a new growth phase in Brazil with our strong team there and in the United States," Melo concluded.
Prior to joining Amyris, Mr. Asadorian was the Chief Financial Officer at Unilabs, a private equity-owned medical diagnostics company based in Switzerland. Previously, he held a senior executive finance role at Barr Pharmaceuticals and was a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, in its Transaction Services (mergers and acquisitions advisory) group.
"This is an exciting time to be joining Amyris and its talented team. The Company is well positioned, and I look forward to supporting the next phase of growth and continued execution of its business strategy. I am confident that, with Paulo's support, we will ensure a seamless transition in the leadership of the finance function," said Raffi Asadorian.
About the Company
Amyris is a global renewable products company providing sustainable alternatives to a variety of non-renewable resources. Amyris uses its innovative bioscience technology to convert plant sugars into hydrocarbon molecules. Amyris creates ingredients and is commercializing its No Compromise® products in the flavors and fragrances, cosmetics, specialty fluids, polymers, lubricants, and fuels industries. Amyris Brasil Ltda., a subsidiary of Amyris, oversees the establishment and expansion of Amyris's production in Brazil. More information about Amyris is available at www.amyris.com.
Amyris Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements, and any statements other than statements of historical facts could be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding future events (such as expectations for growth and management transition) that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on management's current expectations and actual results and future events may differ materially due to risks and uncertainties, including those associated with any delays or failures in development, production and commercialization of products, liquidity and ability to fund capital expenditures, Amyris's reliance on third parties to achieve its goals, and other risks detailed in the "Risk Factors" section of Amyris's quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed on November 7, 2014. Amyris disclaims any obligation to update information contained in these forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
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