Management

AthenaBio is led by an experienced management team with over 75 years cumulative management experience in senior positions in large corporations such as Syngenta, DuPont, ICI and Hercules. The management team also has the start-up of six biotechnology companies to its credit. One of these start-up companies, Diversa Corp (now named Verenium), has a current market cap of $430 million (down from over $2 billion at the biotech market peak in 2001). AthenaBio's management team and scientific staff, most of who have worked together previously, bring a wide range of high level technical and business expertise to AthenaBio.

Robert A. Woods – Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Woods is the former Chairman of Syngenta Corporation US, which was formed following the merger of Novartis and Zeneca Ag Products businesses in 2000. He joined Zeneca Ag Products/ICI Ag Products in 1990 as Group President where he developed and implemented strategies through the nineties which led to the profitable growth of the business. Mr. Woods began his career at ICI Agrochemicals following graduation from The University of Manitoba with a degree in Horticulture. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Gowan Company, InsectiGen and Targeted Growth, Inc., privately-held chemical and biotechnology companies.

Barry L. Marrs, Ph.D. – Chief Technology Officer

Dr. Marrs is the former Executive Director of the Fraunhofer Center for Molecular Biotechnology. He earned a B.A. in Biology in 1963 from Williams College and his Ph.D. in Biology from Case Western Reserve University in 1968. He pursued postdoctoral studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana as a Fellow for the National Science Foundation, and later at Stanford University as a Fellow for the American Cancer Society. Dr. Marrs held faculty positions ranging from Assistant to Full Professor of Biochemistry, before becoming Program Director, Cell and Molecular Biology Training Program at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. He headed the Molecular Genetics Group for Exxon Research and Engineering Company for two years before joining the DuPont Central Research & Development in 1985. There, he was Research Manager, Microbiology, until 1990, when he was promoted to Director, Life Sciences. Dr. Marrs left DuPont in September of 1994 to become the founding CEO of Recombinant BioCatalysis, Inc., where he was appointed Chairman of the Board in May of 1996. RBI has since changed its name to Diversa Corporation. Dr. Marrs became President and founding CEO of Photosynthetic Harvest, Inc. in December of 1996, and served in that capacity until March of 1998. He was Director, Corporate Research for Hercules Inc. from May 1998 until June 2001.

Gerald J. Quinn – Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Quinn has over 35 years of international and domestic experience in research, marketing, and operations in both large companies and biotech start-ups. After careers at Rhone-Poulenc and ICI/Zeneca, Mr. Quinn retired from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals as Corporate Vice-President of Corporate Affairs and Electronic Commerce. During his career at ICI/Zeneca, he served as Director of Marketing for the Agricultural Division and then as Founding President of RAPID, Inc. which was established to promote electronic commerce within the agrichemicals manufacturing and distribution industry. His agrichemical experience includes 2 year assignments in Lyon, France and London, England. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, for Advanced Microbial Solutions. He is founder and President of Nutrient Management Consulting and Nutrient Technology Partners, Inc. Mr. Quinn holds a B.S. in Agronomy and an M.S. degree in Plant Science from The University of Delaware.