Dr Edward Green has joined NCIMB as Chief Executive Officer. He takes over from Dr Carol Phillips who is retiring after 12 years in the post.
Based in Aberdeen, NCIMB is a well-established provider of analytical services, microbial cultures, and biological material storage to a growing global client base across multiple sectors including life sciences. The company provides essential underpinning services such as microbial identification and monitoring to companies, including many household names, from the food, drink, supplements, energy and pharmaceutical sectors.
Green joins NCIMB from CHAIN Biotechnology, a microbiome therapeutics company, which he founded and led since 2015. Prior to that, he founded Green Biologics, a biotechnology company using bacteria to manufacture renewable chemicals.
Green said: “I am very much looking forward to being a part of NCIMB, and the opportunity to shape the future direction of a company that has that has such high standing amongst industrial microbiologists and the research community. It’s great to be starting this new chapter with a move to new purpose-built premises, which will provide a fantastic foundation for continued growth and development of this innovative company.”
NCIMB was first established in 1950 as a publicly funded microbiology resource before being successfully spun-out and transitioned to a commercial company, which celebrates its 40 the anniversary this year. As well as working to help companies identify and monitor microorganisms where they are causing problems, NCIMB provides essential support for customers developing new or improved microbial products and processes.As an NCIMB customer in his previous roles, Edward has a good understanding and appreciation of the high-quality services we strive to deliver for our clients
Commenting on the appointment, NCIMB’s chairman Barry Philpott said: “I’m delighted to welcome such a high calibre candidate as the new CEO of NCIMB. His experience in raising finance and building successful biotech companies makes him ideally placed to contribute to the next phase of NCIMB’s growth, at a time when a shift towards an increasingly bio-based economy is expected. Of course, I would also like to thank Dr Carol Phillips for the huge contribution she has made over the past 12 years, to making NCIMB the thriving, customer-focused company it is today. I’m pleased that Carol will remain on the board as a non-exec director”.
Out-going CEO Carol Phillips added: “I am very pleased to be handing the reigns over to somebody with so much experience in realising the potential that microorganisms have for industrial application, as this is at the heart of NCIMB. What’s more, as an NCIMB customer in his previous roles, Edward has a good understanding and appreciation of the high-quality services we strive to deliver for our clients.
“It has been a privilege to have been CEO of NCIMB, and although I will miss working with the wonderful team there, I’m looking forward to seeing how the company develops in the future”.
Green concluded: “This is a fantastic post for anyone with a passion for microbiology and its role in a cleaner, healthier and carbon-free future. There are so many issues that microorganisms have the potential to solve, and NCIMB is in a great position to contribute”.