SAN DIEGO, May 6, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genomatica announced the appointment of Kaspar Evertz, Ph.D., as Executive Vice President, Commercial. Evertz will lead the company's business development, licensing, and technology transfer teams with a focus on licensing its process technologies, and the delivery and execution of those licenses. He also will be responsible for securing strategic partners to support the development of additional commercial processes through sponsored development programs.
Evertz brings 24 years of major chemical industry experience, particularly in licensing. He ran one of the major technology licensing organizations in the chemical industry at Basell, which later became LyondellBasell, one of the top five chemical companies in the world today. As senior vice president of licensing at Basell, Evertz led them to the #1 position in polyolefin process licensing. As vice president of licensing at LyondellBasell, he was responsible for licensing 20 percent of the total global installed polyolefin production capacity.
Evertz joins Genomatica from Ferrostaal AG (GmbH), a major engineering firm in Germany, where he was executive vice president and managing director of industrial projects. Prior to his work at Basell, Evertz held multiple management, engineering and research roles at BASF, where he rose to group leader, production & catalysts, technology-transfer polyethylene. He then joined BASF's spinout Elenac as vice president technology, catalysts & engineering, where his responsibilities included management of technology transfers to licensees in Asia, Europe and the United States.
Evertz's business results are built on a deep background in technology. He holds a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Konstanz, Germany; served as a research fellow at the California Institute of Technology; and currently is named on more than 30 patents.
"Kaspar's extensive experience in licensing and partnering at some of the world's largest chemical companies makes him a perfect fit for Genomatica," said Christophe Schilling, Ph.D., CEO of Genomatica. "Bringing on a high-caliber industry leader such as Kaspar highlights our progress in establishing a commercial licensing business and becoming the biotechnology partner of choice for the chemical industry."
Genomatica's current Chief Business Development Officer, William H. Baum, will transition to a part-time role, where he will focus on special projects and continue his role on the company's Board of Directors, where he has been a member since 2006.
About Genomatica
Genomatica is a widely-recognized technology leader for the chemical industry. It develops manufacturing processes that enable its licensee partners to produce the world's most widely-used chemicals a 'better way,' from alternative feedstocks, with better economics and greater sustainability than petroleum-based processes.
Genomatica has the distinction of driving the first genuine commercialization of a biobased production process for a major high-volume intermediate chemical. Its GENO BDO™ process for producing butanediol (BDO) has been licensed by BASF and by Novamont. Many of the largest firms in the chemical industry have publicly confirmed that BDO produced using Genomatica's process can be used the exact same way to make downstream products as petro-based chemicals, simplifying and accelerating adoption. Genomatica is developing processes for additional major chemicals; the next is for butadiene, with Versalis and Braskem as partners, and over $100 million in industry support.
Genomatica's recent recognition includes the Kirkpatrick Award, for the most noteworthy chemical engineering technology commercialized in the world; the EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award; the 2014 Bloomberg New Energy Pioneer award; the 2014 Bioeconomy Leadership Award; the Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation award; and being voted #1 Hottest three years in a row by Biofuels Digest.