Premium off-patent crop protection company, Life Scientific, has made a significant step in strengthening its presence in the UK market through the appointment of Richard Brereton in the role of Portfolio Manager. Based in the UK, and working closely with the R&D team at Life Scientific’s Dublin headquarters, Richard will manage the company’s growing pipeline of new off patent products specifically developed for the UK market.
Life Scientific, headquartered in Dublin, is an R&D based company, focused on bringing novel off patent products to market. The company was established by Nicola Mitchell in 1995, originally as a contract R&D business, providing R&D services to agrochemical companies. In 2011, Life Scientific launched its first own product, and today has a portfolio of 17 products registered for the UK market, and a strong development pipeline, including new combination products. Since 2014, Life Scientific is 50% owned by French co-op union InVivo Agrosciences, representing 70% of the French market.
Prior to taking up this key role with Life Scientific, Richard worked with a number of companies within the industry, over a 25 year career. His most recent roles were with Cheminova A/S, as Global Technical Manager for Herbicides, and Eurofins Agrosciences Services as Head of Project Management.
Life Scientific works in partnership with Hutchinson and Procam for distribution of the company’s products in the UK. The appointment of Richard to the key new role of Portfolio Manager underlines Life Scientific’s vision for the potential of the UK off-patent market, and its commitment to working in conjunction with its distribution partners to develop the broadest and most differentiated portfolio of new off-patent products to meet UK farmer needs. Life Scientific’s CEO, Nicola Mitchell said of the appointment “We are very excited to have someone with Richard’s experience joining the team. It sets us on a clear track for future growth in the UK market, where we see significant opportunity for Life Scientific, and for our distribution partners”. It is likely that the appointment will be followed by other company announcements for the UK market.
