Dr Christopher Richards

Biography

Chris was appointed Chairman of Nanoco Group plc in May 2016, having joined the Board as a Non-executive Director in November 2015. Following a successful international career in the agrochemical and life sciences industries, Chris has become a highly experienced non-executive director and business adviser. He currently holds a number of executive and non-executive roles at quoted and private businesses. He is the executive chairman of Plant Health Care plc (AIM: PHC) and a non-executive director of Origin Enterprises plc (AIM: OGN).  He is also a non-executive director at Cibus Global Inc, a privately owned US biotechnology company, and the founder of Talestris Ltd, his consultancy business. Christopher is the former chief executive officer of Arysta LifeScience, a Japan-based agrochemical business which grew rapidly under his leadership. After stepping down as CEO in 2009, he became Arysta LifeScience’s non-executive chairman until the sale of the business in 2015 to Platform Specialty Products. After gaining his DPhil from the University of Oxford in Biological Science, Chris worked as a research scientist for four years. He began his executive career in 1983 in the Plant Protection Division at Imperial Chemical Industries plc, which later became Syngenta. During 20 years, he has lived in various countries including Colombia and Japan and led international marketing and commercial functions.

Research Interest

 Chemistry