Mr. Yoash Zohar, a seasoned ag executive, is joining Casterra as
CEO to lead the company's significant operational expansion
REHOVOT, Israel, Dec. 19,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Casterra Ag Ltd., a
subsidiary of Evogene Ltd. ("Evogene") (Nasdaq: EVGN) (TASE:
EVGN) and an integrated castor cultivation solution company for the
bio-based industries (e.g. biofuels, biopolymers), today announced
the appointment of Mr. Yoash Zohar as new CEO, as of January 1, 2024, to lead the company's expansion
efforts. Considering Casterra's rapid growth and its continued
prospects for development, this nomination aims to strengthen its
leadership and positioning in the industry.
Casterra entered a new phase in its life cycle of mass
production of castor seeds to support the demand for its elite
varieties, addressing the bio-diesel industry's growing needs. To
this end, Casterra needs to significantly increase its castor seed
production capacity through existing and new subcontractors in
target-market locations. Mr. Yoash Zohar, the newly appointed CEO,
brings extensive experience in global agricultural projects,
particularly in Africa, along with
skills in castor bean cultivation. His professional qualifications
align with Casterra's current focus on establishing a robust seed
production system within target geographical territories to support
company's expansion.
Casterra's current CEO Mr. Eyal
Ronen, who also serves as Evogene's EVP of Business
Development, led Casterra's activities for the past year and a half
and will now resume full-time position as EVP BD. Mr. Eyal Ronen will continue to serve as a director
on Casterra's Board and support company management in successfully
reaching its goals.
Casterra has also significantly expanded its team, including
experts in research and development, seed production, and customer
support. This expansion is expected to drive innovation in the
company's product offerings, support the anticipated seed
production increase, and enhance customer service.
Mr. Ofer Haviv, Casterra's
Chairman and Evogene's CEO, commented, "As Casterra experiences
significant growth, I am delighted to welcome Mr. Yoash Zohar as
its new CEO. Yoash brings a wealth of expertise in global
ag-projects, and I am confident in his ability to propel the
company forward. I would like to express heartfelt gratitude to Mr.
Eyal Ronen for his invaluable
contributions and look forward to his significant role as a
Casterra Board member."
Mr. Yoash Zohar expressed enthusiasm about the new
role, stating, "I am honored to join Casterra as CEO during this
pivotal growth phase. Casterra's commitment to innovation and
sustainable agricultural solutions, leveraging Evogene's AI
technology, aligns with my passion for driving positive change in
the industry. I am excited to advance Casterra's unique offering
and lead its team."
About Casterra Ag Ltd.:
Casterra is engaged in developing and commercializing
high-yielding castor bean seeds as a cost-competitive, sustainable,
second-generation feedstock for the growing biofuel market. It has
built its castor genetic assets based on a broad collection of over
300 castor lines from over 40 different geographic and climatic
regions. As part of its development process, Casterra applies
advanced breeding methods utilizing Evogene's Generator AI
tech-engine, enabling the use of cutting-edge plant genomics tools
and agro-technique expertise to enable efficient and sustainable
industrial-scale production of the castor bean.
For additional information, please visit Casterra's website at:
https://casterra.co/
About Evogene Ltd.:
Evogene (Nasdaq: EVGN) (TASE: EVGN) is a computational biology
company aiming to revolutionize the development of life-science
based products by utilizing cutting edge technologies to increase
the probability of success while reducing development time and
cost. Evogene established three unique tech-engines -
MicroBoost AI, ChemPass
AI and GeneRator AI – leveraging Big Data
and Artificial Intelligence and incorporating deep
multidisciplinary understanding in life sciences. Each
tech-engine is focused on the discovery and development of
products based on one of the following core components: microbes
(MicroBoost AI), small molecules (ChemPass AI), and
genetic elements (GeneRator AI).
Evogene uses its tech-engines to develop products through
subsidiaries and strategic partnerships. Evogene's subsidiaries
currently utilize the tech-engines to develop human
microbiome-based therapeutics by Biomica, ag-biologicals by
Lavie Bio, ag-chemicals by AgPlenus,
medical cannabis products by Canonic and castor varieties, for the
biofuel and other industries, by Casterra.
For more information, please visit: www.evogene.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements"
relating to future events. These statements may be identified by
words such as "may", "could", "expects", "hopes" "intends",
"anticipates", "plans", "believes", "scheduled", "estimates",
"demonstrates" or words of similar meaning. For example, Evogene
and its subsidiaries are using forward-looking statement in this
press release when it discusses the success of the Casterra's
expansion efforts and plans, Casterra's castor seed production
capacity and expected increase, and Casterra's ability to establish
a robust seed production system within target geographical
territories. Such statements are based on current expectations,
estimates, projections and assumptions, describe opinions about
future events, involve certain risks and uncertainties which are
difficult to predict and are not guarantees of future performance.
Therefore, actual future results, performance or achievements of
Evogene and its subsidiaries may differ materially from what is
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements due to a
variety of factors, many of which are beyond the control of Evogene
and its subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the current
war between Israel and Hamas and
any worsening of the situation in Israel such as further mobilizations or
escalation in the northern boarder of Israel, and those risk factors contained in
Evogene's reports filed with the applicable securities authority.
In addition, Evogene and its subsidiaries rely, and expect to
continue to rely, on third parties to conduct certain activities,
such as their field-trials and pre-clinical studies, and if these
third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual
duties, comply with regulatory requirements or meet expected
deadlines, Evogene and its subsidiaries may experience significant
delays in the conduct of their activities. Evogene and its
subsidiaries disclaim any obligation or commitment to update these
forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments
or changes in expectations, estimates, projections, and
assumptions.
Evogene Investors' Contact:
Rachel Pomerantz Gerber, Head of
Investor Relations at Evogene
Email: rachel.pomerantz@evogene.com
Tel: +972-8-9311901
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SOURCE Casterra Ag Ltd.