to feed the world’s growing population efficiently, safely and sustainably.
At moa, we’re working hard to solve an urgent global problem with new mode of action herbicides that:
respect human and environmental health
support farmers with better products to face the food supply challenge safely, consistently and efficiently
advance the industry with a collaborative approach to sustainable integrated weed management
Our highly experienced team comes from across industry, science, technology and academia to drive innovation.
Virginia is a multidisciplinary leader commercializing sustainable solutions for energy, water and agriculture. She was the Chief Growth Officer at soil-health innovator Novihum Technologies following roles at the Sahara Forest Project and as a science policy fellow in the U.S. Senate. She studied astrophysics at MIT and completed her PhD as a Marshall Scholar at the University of Cambridge.
Shuji has wide experience spanning Agri-Tech, Biotech and Pharma sectors: Syngenta, GSK, Pfizer, P&G and Astex. He has held various leadership roles in R&D and authored many patents and scientific papers. Originally from Japan, Shuji came to the UK to read chemistry and complete his DPhil at the University of Oxford.
Cathy has wide experience in operational and strategic leadership, scientific project management, and health and safety. She has worked in Agrochemical, Biotech and Pharma sectors, and co-founded and established from the ground up a proteomics-based CRO. She holds an MBiochem and a DPhil in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford.
Beckie is an experienced CFO and joins us full-time, bringing with her an extensive background in finance, growth planning, and business development in the life sciences sector.
David has held a variety of senior business and marketing roles in Syngenta Crop Protection and its legacy companies. Most recently he was Head of Third Party Relations, based in Switzerland, and led many negotiations for global licencing and collaborations. David has also worked in sales, country management, development and stewardship roles.
.jpg)
With over 22 years’ industry experience, Xavier has established a proven track record in early-stage discovery and development that spans many therapeutic fields. Xavier is a biochemist with extensive knowledge in research and development gained working in the pharmaceutical industry. He has held senior positions for companies including Mission Therapeutics (cofounder), CamPhos Therapeutics (cofounder),Dunad Therapeutics, Sanofi-Synthelabo,Hybrigenics and KuDOS Pharma/ AstraZeneca. Xavier completed his PhD studies in Biochemistry in Strasbourg before undertaking Post-Doctoral research at Columbia University, New York.
We’re actively supported by a world-class advisory board from industry and top global institutions.
Liam is a Senior Group Leader at the Gregor Mendel Institute, Queen’s Trustee at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Emeritus Fellow of Magdalen College Oxford. He was Prof. of Botany and Head of Plant Sciences at Oxford when he co-founded moa. His research uses genetics to understand the evolution of mechanisms that control plant growth and development and the evolution of mechanisms of herbicide resistance. In 2014, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of his contributions to science.
Hadyn started his career with ICI in 1988 and went on to lead Zeneca Plant Science. He has since held a variety of senior roles in agriculture and health businesses. These have included being CEO of Oxitec. Hadyn also serves as Chairman on the boards of BioPhero and Lettus Grow and until 2013 was Chairman of Help for Heroes.
Ken an expert on herbicides and their modes of action. Until recently with Bayer CropScience and previously its legacy companies, he started his career after obtaining a PhD in herbicide mode of action at the University of Bath. Ken also worked at the UK Weed Research Organisation and at the former Trent Polytechnic. He is a trustee director at the Perry Foundation.
Franck is professor of weed science at Colorado State University, USA, specialising in functional genomics. Before joining the university in 2016, he had a 20-year career in the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Franck has published widely on herbicide mode of action and weed resistance, with over 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers to his name.
David is Chair of the Knowledge Transfer Network and Agrimetrics; a Director of Tropic Biosciences and UKI2S; and a Trustee of the John Innes Foundation. He was Head of R&D in Syngenta until 2009, then a non-Executive Director until 2017. David has a degree in Chemistry, and a D.Phil from Oxford University.
John is an expert in the development and registration of crop protection products. He was Head of Global Regulatory Affairs for Syngenta (based in Basel, Switzerland) and more recently for Arysta LifeScience (now UPL). In addition to dealing with regulatory authorities around the world, John has also been involved in farmer education and training.
Clément is a developmental geneticist and cellular biologist. Acting as Research Fellow and later CSO, he directed the biological research programme from incorporation to 2021, and contributed to the conception of Moa’s discovery platforms. Prior to this, Clement was awarded a PhD from Oxford for his discovery of genes that control polar growth, and recognised as Oxford Innovation Champion for his entrepreneurial and research translation achievements.
Alan has deep experience in global crop protection from running a UK arable farm to international R&D management in Syngenta. His career has covered herbicide research through glasshouse and worldwide field-testing to product development and technical support. Alan holds a PhD in agronomy/crop physiology and an MBA.
We’re backed by investors funding the future of agriculture.
We’re guided by our values.
We see possibilities where others might not because we’re driven by insight, action and the conviction that we can change things for the better.
We learn from - but aren’t inhibited by - the way things have been done. We consistently push the boundaries and challenge the status quo.
Our roots are multi-disciplinary. Both inside the company and out, we believe that diversity, curiosity and collaboration are the most effective ways to unlock collective potential and to solve complex problems.
We care deeply about the impact we have on the world. We listen carefully, we speak up and we keep each other honest.
We’re always growing our diverse team.
If you’re interested in joining us, please send a CV and cover letter to hr@moa-technology.com
