Leadership

Greg Thompson

CEO

Greg Thompson brings more than 25 years experience in the agriculture and life sciences industries as an entrepreneur, executive, and investor. He has been directly involved in acquisitions and capitalizations totaling more than $1.3B.

Greg’s experience includes serving as CEO for companies in the food ingredients and biofuel industries. He also previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Verdesian Life Sciences, an agricultural technology company specializing in nutrient use efficiency.

Greg has extensive experience working with private equity firms. He currently serves as an advisor to Bain Company, is chairman of the Custom Agronomics’ Board of Directors, and a senior operating partner with Inverness Graham, a private equity fund that invests in high-growth, innovative advanced manufacturing and tech-enabled companies.

Arshad Mian

Founder and Chief Financial Officer

Arshad Mian is the founder of Intrinsyx Bio and its sister company, Intrinsyx Technologies. He has spent more than 30 years working with NASA on Space Biology research projects —managing multi-million dollar projects in collaboration with Fortune 100 companies, multiple NASA centers, and international space agencies.

Ahsan Ali

Chief Operating Officer

With a background in biotech, logistics, and economics, Ahsan Ali manages the day-to-day operations of Intrinsyx Bio. He previously led business development efforts for Intrinsyx Technologies, a company that has spent more than two decades supporting NASA’s Space Biology Research Program.

Ahsan has successfully negotiated and managed collaborations with federal agencies and with several Fortune 500 companies in the aerospace, high tech, and agricultural sectors.

Dr. John Freeman

Chief Science Officer

Dr. John Freeman has an extensive background in plant molecular biology, biochemistry, and microbiology. He has led research teams in developing applied technologies and in R&D for the agricultural and environmental industries at Purdue University, Colorado State University, USDA-ARS Water Management Research, CSU Fresno Center for Irrigation Technology, CSU Fresno Biology Department, NASA, Phytoremediation Phytomining Consultants United, and Intrinsyx Technologies.

Dr. Freeman has published numerous research articles in top-tier scientific journals and written multiple invention disclosures and patents. He has secured research grants totaling millions of dollars in funding for government and academic institutions.

Dr. Nigel Grech

Board Member

Dr. Nigel Grech is an expert in the fields of plant biochemistry, plant nutrition and plant pathology. He has developed and licensed technologies that formed the foundation of successful national and international businesses, of which some have been the recipient of prestigious honors such as the EPA’s Green Chemistry award.

Dr. Grech has successfully developed and deployed novel patented product platforms for agricultural and horticultural sectors and established successful entities to commercialize these technologies. He was a co-founder, past board member, and former executive vice president of science and technology at Verdesian Life Sciences, one of the largest independent plant nutritional companies in North America.

Dr. Grech and his family are diversified large farmers of almonds, citrus, and grapes in California.

John Haywood

Board Observer

John Haywood is the managing director of Unium Bioscience, a leading UK-based agricultural distributor of biological products.

A biologist by training, John has spent most of his career in agriculture overseeing technology development and product launches for a number of highly successful crop nutrition companies. In 2019, he was appointed Trustee Director of Rothamsted Research.

John has always been excited by translating new developments in the world of plant biochemistry and nutrition into commercial products. His professional achievements include developing the first global phosphite seed treatments and introducing Nutri-Phite Technology from the University of California as a biostimulant across broad acre crops in Europe.

Since joining the industry more than 30 years ago, John has been driven by the same motivation: to take world-class crop research from scientists across the world and apply it to produce innovative, practical, and sustainable solutions for modern agriculture.

Albert Virgili

Board Observer

Albert Virgili is an agronomist who currently serves as the manager of Agro Business  at Comercial Química Massó, S.A. in Barcelona, Spain. He has more than 35 years of experience as a specialist in plant protection and plant nutrition.

A graduate of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Albert began his career as a technician of the plant protection service of Generalitat of Catalonia and later worked at ICI Company.