ST. PAUL, MN. – Recombinetics (recombinetics.com), a St. Paul-based gene-editing company, has hired Ian R. Friendly as Chief Executive Officer and Tammy Lee Stanoch as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. The company’s previous CEO and founder, Dr. Scott Fahrenkrug, has been elevated to Executive Chairman of the Board and will also serve as Chief Scientific Officer. Joining Fahrenkrug on the board are six new board members with deep expertise in medical technology leadership and commercialization strategies.
Scott Fahrenkrug
In announcing the changes to the governance and leadership structure, Dr. Fahrenkrug said, “The leadership changes at Recombinetics will attract further capitalization; accelerate research and development in livestock gene-editing; facilitate new strategic partnerships; and drive commercialization strategies for new product launches. By attracting seasoned senior corporate executives, and a world-class board of directors, Recombinetics is now poised to accelerate our research and development of gene-editing for livestock in order to improve animal welfare and enhance human health by finding solutions to our most critical health challenges and chronic diseases.”
Ian Friendly
Ian R. Friendly, Chief Executive Officer: Friendly comes to Recombinetics with 30+ years of executive leadership and retail experience with General Mills, most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Retail, which is the largest segment of General Mills. As CEO of Recombinetics, Friendly will be leading the completion of the current private equity round, while preparing the company for new commercial opportunities and global product expansion with strategic partners.
Friendly added, “I’m pleased to be joining a company that is on the leading edge of transforming human health and finding solutions to feed our growing population. The scientific discoveries occurring in our labs, and our strategic partnerships with leading research universities and medical centers, will enable us to accelerate the search for cures and pharmaceutical compounds to save human lives — while finding more humane ways to care for animals.”
Tammy Lee Stanoch
Tammy Lee Stanoch, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer: Stanoch has more than 15 years of experience in corporate affairs and, as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, will lead the company’s government and regulatory affairs; marketing and communications; and human resource functions. Prior to joining Recombinetics, Stanoch served as Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Carlson, a global hospitality and travel company; Vice President of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the University of Minnesota Foundation; and Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Delta Air Lines.
Board of Directors: Additionally, Recombinetics has appointed six new members to the Board of Directors:
Mitch Abrahamsen, Senior Vice President of Research and Development at Cobb-Vantress; Board of Directors for Genome Prairie.
Perry Hackett, Ph.D., co-founder Center for Genome Engineering at the University of Minnesota; Professor, Genetics Cell Biology and Development. Hackett will also serve as Chair of the Recombinetics Scientific Advisory Board.
Wendell King, CEO of King Consulting; former Vice President of Medtronic, Inc.; Co-founder of Angeion Corporation; Vascular Solutions, Inc.; and Gateway Alliance; Board of Directors for Immusoft Corp.
Mark Kroll, PhD., former Chief Technology Officer at St. Jude Medical, Cardiac Rhythm Management Division. Kroll holds more patents for implantable devices than any inventor worldwide. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota and the California Polytechnical University, San Luis Obispo.
Paul Olson, Chairman of the Board of Entegris, Inc., Board Director of WCM industries, Inc., former CEO and Board Director of nuBridges, Inc., co-founder of Sterling Commerce, Inc.
Robert Switz, Chairman of the Board for Micron, Inc (NASDAQ); Board Director for Marvell Technology Group (NASDAQ); Board Director for Gigamon, Inc. (NYSE); former Chairman, President and CEO of ADC Telecommunications, Inc.