BIO Announces Novozymes CEO and President Steen Riisgaard as its 2012 George Washington Carver Award Recipient

A balance between better business, a cleaner environment and better lives

A panel selected the Novozymes President and CEO as this year’s winner to recognize his significant contributions to the industrial biotechnology field. Under Riisgaard’s leadership, Novozymes is creating tomorrow’s industrial biotechnology solutions and improving the use of our planet’s resources, while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Riisgaard will receive the award and also deliver a short address during a May 1, 2012 plenary lunch session at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing. The conference is being held at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando April 29-May 2.

“I am honored to receive the 2012 George Washington Carver Award,” Riisgaard said. “At Novozymes, we see biotechnology as a way to reshape the world’s economy and create balance between better business, a cleaner environment and better lives. This award is a mandate to continue innovating with our customers, moving towards a world where everyday products are made with organic materials instead of oil.”

The award honors the original vision of George Washington Carver, an originator of the “chemurgy” movement who, more than a century ago, achieved world renown by combining agriculture and science to produce everyday biobased products, changing the nature of farm economics and sustainability. Industrial biotechnology is the modern-day equivalent, combining biotech innovations with renewable biomass to create solutions that can revitalize manufacturing and energy.

“The field of industrial biotechnology has developed in ways that Carver may never have imagined, but the work of industrial biotech companies remains true to the goal of a sustainable biobased economy and helps modern people achieve his dream,” says Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section. “The award emphasizes Steen Riisgaard’s contributions as the leader of Novozymes — one of the largest industrial biotechnology companies in the world — to the progress of the industry and the vision of using biotech innovation to develop sustainable bio-based value-chains.”

The world’s largest industrial biotechnology conference for business leaders, investors, academics and policymakers in biofuels, biobased products, renewable chemicals, synthetic biology, food ingredients and biomass comes to Orlando, Fla., April 29 – May 2 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. Please visit http://www.bio.org/worldcongress/ for additional information, or email worldcongress@bio.org.

Online pre-registration for reporters and editors is now open. All breakout and plenary sessions at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing are open to attendance by members of the media. Complimentary media registration is available to editors and reporters with valid press credentials working full time for print, broadcast or web publications.

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtech NOW, an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling “innovations transforming our world.”

Source

Marketwatch, Press Release, 2012-03-28.

Supplier

Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
Novozymes

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