Agrinos appoints Douglas Ry Wagner as CEO

Lysaker, Norway - June 16, 2014 - Agrinos today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed D. Ry Wagner as Chief Executive Officer. Effective July 1, 2014, Wagner will transition to CEO from his current role as Chief Technology Officer of Agrinos and Head of Agrinos US and Brazil Business Units.

“During this unique time in understanding the potential of biological solutions for agriculture productivity and crop health, there is no better person to lead Agrinos than Ry Wagner” said Kristian Johansen, Chairman of the Board of Agrinos “He is a proven technology leader with more than 30 year experience that includes leadership roles in a multinational agricultural company, technology start-ups, and academic research. The combination of his substantial technological and commercial competence is what Agrinos needs as the company enters its next phase of focused growth and technology development. At the same time, the Board is grateful for the way Interim chief executive officer Kjetil Bøhn has led the company through an important restructuring and we are pleased that he will continue his service to Agrinos supporting Dr. Wagner in the upcoming transition”.

Since joining the company in 2013, Wagner has had global leadership responsibility for all technical aspects of Agrinos’ business around the world, including research and product development programs, application methods, and product registration and managing all aspects of the technical organization. In addition he has taken on the commercial responsibility for several significant markets, leading the Agrinos businesses in both the US and Brazil.

Wagner came to Agrinos from Dow AgroSciences where he was Global New Ventures and Technology Leader for 5 years. His career before Dow is divided between 16 years in research, and 10 years leading technology-driven start-up companies. Dr. Wagner received his B.Sc.in Botany and Plant Pathology from Michigan State University, and his Ph.D. in Genetics from University Washington. He spent 3 years as a researcher in the Division of Plant Industry, CSIRO, in Australia before joining the University of Oregon, where he became Professor of Biology. He then moved into business, becoming both VP Plant Genetics and Biotechnology at Exelixis, Inc., and Head of Exelixis Plant Sciences, before Exelixis Plant Sciences was acquired by Dow AgroSciences. 

“I am honored by the opportunity to work in this capacity, along with the rest of management and staff of Agrinos, as we continue strengthening the company, our technology and our markets” said Wagner.  “Agrinos is a leader in developing novel solutions for increased crop yield and quality, and the Company has already established a strong market presence in many countries around the world. The future opportunities for Agrinos are tremendous. We have an exceptional team, promising partnerships and an outstanding product portfolio pipeline to continue building upon our leadership position in bringing unique biological solutions to agriculture. An important part of my new role will be to ensure that Agrinos is has a clear focus on key markets and technologies as we continue the international industrialization of the Company.” 

Further information
Harald Bjørland
EVP Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
+47 908 58 221
harald.bjoerland@agrinos.com

About Agrinos

Agrinos is a biological crop input provider committed to improving the productivity and sustainability of modern agriculture. Agrinos’ range of High Yield Technology^® (“HYT^®”) products helps farmers to practice profitable agriculture by providing increased crop productivity, improved efficiency of conventional fertilizer and a reduced environmental footprint. 

Certified as organic and based on Agrinos’ proprietary technology, the HYT^® products provide benefits by strengthening the soil-based microbial ecosystem, stimulating crop development at key points in the growth cycle and boosting natural plant resistance to pathogens and threats. With solutions for a variety of crop categories, the technology comprising the HYT^® products has demonstrated its value in third-party trials in key agricultural regions worldwide.