Business Advisors

Michael SUMMERS
Summers Associates, UK

	Michael SUMMERS received his BSc in Botany from Exeter University (UK) in 1964. He brings more than 35 years of broad, worldwide, hands-on general management experience in plant breeding, biotechnology and seeds. His consultancy activity and experience in non-executive director positions provide an unusually broad vision.
	After graduation he joined Fisons Limited (UK) Management Training Scheme followed by experience in agricultural and industrial chemicals, fertilizers and pharmaceuticals. In 1971 he joined the Nickerson Seed Company, already partly owned by Shell, originally in marketing and then in UK General Management.
In 1979, in France, Mr SUMMERS established Shell’s field crop breeding, production and marketing subsidiary. Profitability was achieved in only four years and Mr SUMMERS led the business for 8 years. In 1987 he moved as General Manger of Shell’s ailing vegetable seed subsidiary, Nickerson Zwaan (NL), to achieve a turnaround in two years. This objective achieved, in 1989 he returned to the UK to join the team responsible for Shell’s divestment of plant breeding and biotech and its sale to Groupe Limagrain. In 1990 he set up SUMMERS ASSOCIATES - a worldwide consultancy focussed on biotechnology and plant breeding in a uniquely wide range of crops- feed, food and industrial crops, vegetables and ornamentals. In addition to a number of non-executive board positions Mr SUMMERS has carried out missions for numerous financial investors and companies including Japan Tobacco, Groupe Limagrain, Seminis, Agricultural Genetics Company (UK), Paradigm Genetics, Anawah (now Arcadia), Norsk Hydro, Groupe Plan, Sakata, Preesman and others . Also in 1990 he became Managing Director of Floranova Ltd (UK). He negotiated the purchase of the Clause flower seeds business in 1995 and took the combined company from significant losses to a high level of profitability. He left Floranova at the end of 2006 having achieved its sale to a private investor. Mr SUMMERS now focuses on consultancy for a small group of clients including Japan Tobacco, NIAB, Paine and Partners and BenchBio.

David BUCKERIDGE, UK

David Buckeridge was born and raised in London. He has a bachelor degree and PhD in genetics and Plant Sciences from the University of Wales (UK). Dr. Buckeridge has more than 20 years of management experience in the pharmaceutical, genomics and chemical industries, with a particular emphasis on agribusiness.

Dr. Buckeridge began his career with the multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, spending approximately 20 years in a variety of management positions. During this time, he spent approximately 8 years in the agrochemicals business, holding several management positions with a European focus. Dr. Buckeridge also spent 5 years in Des Moines, Iowa, running the commercial operations for Astra Zeneca’s seeds business in the United States.

After this assignment he returned to the UK to head the company's biotechnology business unit, Zeneca Plant Science, a strategic business unit with a research budget in excess of $50M engaged in gene discovery, development, intellectual property management and commercialization.

In 1999 he returned to AstraZeneca’s Seeds business first as a main director and then as CEO of Advanta, a high-technology plant breeding company. Dr. Buckeridge was the CEO of Advanta, then the largest independent agronomic seeds businesses in the world, at the time of Fox Paine’s 2004 acquisition of the company. Dr. Buckeridge and his team were instrumental in growing Advanta during Fox Paine’s ownership period and managing multiple business dispositions during an 18 month period that provided the fund with more than a 4x return on its initial equity investment.

Dr Buckeridge served as a commissioner to the UK Government's Department of Trade and Industry Biotechnology Commission, advising Ministers on policy related to biotechnology and genetically modified organisms. He is also a non Executive Director of the pharmaceutical company Archimica BV. He resides in the UK with his wife and four children.

Dr Mei Lie MC Tan
Germany

	Dr TAN has more than15 years experience in licensing in/out technology and acquisition of R & D projects, subsidies and setting up collaborations worldwide. She did her studies and PhD in 1987 in Cell/Molecular Biology and Plant Breeding from Univ. Amsterdam, Agric. Univ Wageningen, Simon Fraser Univ. Canada.She started her career as a Biotech Research Manager at Zaadunie/Sandoz Seeds (the Netherlands) followed
by Product Development Manager and Business Development Manager at Mogen International BV.
in the Netherlands, later Zeneca Ltd (UK/Germany) & Syngenta Inc. (Switzerland), She is a member of International Network in Science and Agro Business, Food industry, Biopharma, Seed, and Fresh Produce industry. She is currently founder and Director of Crea Nova Consultancy and has set up a JV and Research laboratory in South America.

Anindya Roy-MUKHERJEE, UK
Non-Executive Director

Anindya ROY-MUKHERJEE has more than 13 years experience in advisory services – primarily strategy and management consulting in firms such as A.T. Kearney and Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. In his consultancy career, Mr ROY-MUKHERJEE has advised numerous private equity, corporate and government clients in the UK, Germany, South Africa, USA, Middle East and India.

Mr ROY-MUKHERJEE’s career, after an MBA, started in the market research industry in the consumer products, automotive and industrial sectors. In a career spanning 5 years in India, Middle East and the UK, Anindya held several account management positions for Unilever and H J Heinz’s consumer insight and new product development research in their personal care, homecare and frozen foods businesses. During this time Mr ROY-MUKHERJEE also participated in corporate strategy and market entry strategy projects with Monitor Company, Booz Allen Hamilton and Accenture in India, Egypt and the UK for a wide variety of clients including Indian aluminium companies, Japanese automotive manufacturers and UK retailers. Following a career in market research, Mr ROY-MUKHERJEE moved into strategy and management consulting as an Associate in A.T. Kearney where he advised clients in the UK government, global IT services sector and financial services on operational strategy, performance improvement and growth strategies. During his time in A.T. Kearney, Mr ROY-MUKHERJEE was involved in several large-scale performance improvement projects with benefits typically ranging between GBP 10-50m. In 2005, Mr ROY-MUKHERJEE joined Roland Berger Strategy Consultants as a Senior Project Manager. At Roland Berger, Mr ROY-MUKHERJEE advised several large private equity clients in the UK, Germany and the Middle East on large cross-border leveraged buyouts / acquisitions (deal sizes ranging from GBP 250m – 1 bln) in the pharma/healthcare, consumer and retail, utilities, aerospace & defence and business services sectors.

Management  | Scientific Advisors
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