Evry, September 18th 2013 – Denis Thibaut, who has until now headed the fermentation development unit at Sanofi Chimie, joins Global Bioenergies. The Company continues to recruit highly experienced managers to carry out the industrialization of its processes.
Global Bioenergies, which develops processes to convert renewable resources into light olefins – the key building blocks of the petrochemical industry – announced last June having obtained a significant State financing via the Investissements d’Avenir program. In the context of a consortium gathering Arkema and the CNRS, a first industrial pilot will be installed on the Pomacle-Bazancourt agro-industrial site near Reims in France. In July, the Company announced having successfully raised 23 million euros from forty investment funds in Europe and in the United-States as well as from numerous individuals. The proceedings will for a great part finance the industrialization of the isobutene process. These two events increase the need for Global Bioenergies to strengthen its management. In this context, Global Bioenergies announces the arrival of Denis Thibaut who today takes the reins of its fermentation department. Denis Thibaut has over 25 years of experience in the field of industrial biology, is the author of numerous publications in international journals, and is the inventor of ten patent families. He received the Doistau-Blutet prize of the Académie des Sciences in 1992 for his work on the fermentative production of vitamin B12, and was awarded several research prizes from Rhône-Poulenc and Rhodia. In recent years, Denis Thibaut has headed the fermentation development unit at Sanofi Chimie. Denis Thibaut states: “The innovative processes for the bioproduction of gaseous olefins developed by Global Bioenergies push back the limits of industrial biology. I am extremely pleased to join this team and to contribute to the industrial development of the Company and to its ambition to reshape the fundamentals of petrochemistry.” Marc Delcourt, CEO of Global Bioenergies adds: “Global Bioenergies’ maturity and trajectory now enables it to attract managers that have fulfilled important responsibilities in large groups. We are now putting together a ‘Dream Team’ to successfully conduct the upcoming phase, dedicated first and foremost to the industrialization of our processes.” PRESS RELEASE
About GLOBAL BIOENERGIES
Global Bioenergies is one of the few companies worldwide, and the only one in Europe, that is developing a process to convert renewable resources into hydrocarbons through fermentation. The Company initially focused its efforts on the production of isobutene, one of the most important petrochemical building blocks that can be converted into fuels, plastics, organic glass and elastomers. Global Bioenergies continues to improve the yield of its process and prepares the phase dedicated to industrial pilot testing. The company recently replicated this success to propylene and butadiene and is also looking to continue with other members of the gaseous olefins family, key molecules at the heart of petrochemical industry. Global Bioenergies is listed on NYSE Alternext Paris (FR0011052257 – ALGBE).