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The Hawkwood Advantage

Soup to nuts. If it’s industrial biotech, we can do it.

About

Current Industry Connectivity

With 20+ consultants-at-large involved in dozens of industrial biotech start-ups, divisions, and portfolios, we know the industry because we are the industry.

Unrivaled Industry-
Specific Expertise

We’ve done this before. In fact, industrial biotech is all we do. Partner with us for access to a constellation of industry expertise.

Versatility
& Flexibility

Our flexible model allows for custom scope and a bespoke mix of technical expertise to meet your specific needs. Our people can talk to your technical team and your executive suite, without knowledge gaps.

Operating Team

Richard Kenny

Managing Partner

Tony Day

Managing Partner

Jurgen Dominik

Engineering Partner

Adrienne McKee

Partner

Emily Hopkins

Associate

Madeleine Arnould

Designer

Logan Roberts

Analyst

Sanya Sehgal

Analyst

• Read Bio •

Samie Wolff

Executive Assistant

• Read Bio •

Vatshal Bhanushali

Associate

Extended Team

Our operating partners are supported by a council of specialist consultants chosen for their knowledge and experience in their fields.

John Johnstone

Johan van Walsem

Mike Arbige

David Brinkmann

Andy Shaw

Richard Herbert

Donald Trimbur

Allen Padwa

Landon Steele

Don DiMasi

Tim Dummer

Walfredo Linhares

Bryce Dille

Aaron Kelly

Peter Gallagher

Rob Hess

Risha Bond

Manoj Patel

Geoffrey Brooks

Stephen Decker

Ashley Roberts

Contact us to learn more.

Our council consists of additional team members at large in the industry who prefer not to publicly disclose their details,

How can we be of help?

Managing Partner

Richard Kenny

After completing his thesis in bioengineering of enzymes for the production of specialty chemicals at University of Oxford, Rich spent the early part of his career in investment banking with Numis Securities in London, funding early stage companies.

He moved to California in 2009 to study for an MBA at UC Berkeley. Joining Solazyme in 2011, Rich established Solazyme’s business analytics department, responsible for market analysis, strategy, and deal structuring for all of Solazyme’s business development activities.

Prior to founding Hawkwood, Rich worked as product line director for AlgaPrime DHA, Solazyme’s highly successful omega-3 product.

Managing Partner

Tony Day

Tony is a seasoned biotechnology executive, with over 25 years of experience and leadership roles in both R&D and Business Development.

His domain expertise ranges from enzymology and molecular genetics to regulation of novel foods, sustainability, and NGO issues. He is an inventor on more than 40 patents. In 2014, he was a recipient the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award.

He was sixth employee at Solazyme, joining in 2006 as Head of R&D, and later VP of Commercialization. As VP of Commercialization, Tony led and co-led many of Solazyme’s seminal early partnership deal (JVs and JDAs), including multi-$MM partnerships with Fortune 500 companies Bunge, Unilever, Chevron and Ecopetrol.

Tony received his Ph.D. from Imperial College, London and completed post-doctoral studies under Professor Sir Alan Fersht FRS at the University of Cambridge.

Engineering Partner

Jurgen Dominik

Jurgen has spent a lifetime in industrial biotech, starting with a 30-year career at Kelco Co (a division of Merck) where he was Director of Process and Product Development, eventually stepping up to be the Managing Director of Kelco’s International Division headquartered in London. After Monsanto’s acquisition, Jurgen was Senior VP of NutraSweet Kelco and was responsible for global manufacturing, R&D, engineering, and supply chain.

Since 1999, he has been a consultant with long term contracts with AE Staley (now Tate &Lyle), Danisco (now DuPont), Huber, Solazyme (now TerraVia), Lehman Brothers, and Hawkwood Biotech Partners.

His experience includes years in large scale extraction of natural products (alginates, pectins, carrageenan), petrochemicals with a focus on distillation, and all phases of large scale industrial biotech - including process development, scale up, and manufacturing.

Partner

Tim Dummer

Tim trained as a chemical engineer but he’s been building and scaling new businesses for most of his career. He spent the first half of his career developing and commercializing innovative performance polymers with the global leaders in Engineering Plastics - DuPont and GE Plastics (now SABIC). For the last decade Tim has devoted himself to helping emerging industrial biotech companies accelerate the development and commercialization of breakthrough technologies. We think of Tim’s network as the best in the business, and he has helped a wealth of startups make critical connections, establish strategic partnerships and launch first-of-a-kind products...Like Kevin Bacon for industrial biotech.

Alma mater/clients: DuPont, GE Plastics, Solazyme, Rennovia, Bolt Threads, ZymoChem, Sugarlogix, Industrial Microbes, Modular Genetics, GF BioChemicals

Associate

Emily Hopkins

A biologist by training, Emily has a decade of experience working on technologies and systems that support a more sustainable future. As a previous founder and early employee of several food and agriculture biotechnology startups, she has a broad background of research, growth strategy, and technical experience. Emily received her BS in Biochemistry and MBA degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Analyst

Logan Roberts

With hands-on experience in molecular biology, food product formulation, and software development, Logan uses his diverse skillset to advocate for the ethical application of biotechnology. He has previously worked for startups in healthcare and food tech, most recently on the downstream processing team at Impossible Foods. Logan earned his BS in Biochemistry from UC Santa Barbara and MS in Chemical Engineering and Data Science from the University of Washington.

Analyst

Sanya Sehgal

A process engineer with a focus on the intersection of food and biotech, Sanya has knowledge and expertise in precision fermentation, cell culture and downstream processing. She has experience leading process development, optimization and scale-up projects at leading alternative protein companies like the Every Company. Sanya graduated from UC Berkeley where she studied Chemical Engineering with a concentration in Business and Management.

Designer

Madeleine Arnould

Madeleine is a multidisciplinary graphic designer and graduate of the School of Visual Arts in NYC. Working closely with startups and SME, she has helped over 30 companies develop brand identities. Madeleine designs Hawkwood’s presentations, helping them deliver high quality visuals with all projects.

Partner

Adrienne McKee

Following completion of her academic career in synthetic biology, Adrienne McKee has prosecuted her special talent: helping executives communicate with technologists and vice versa. Through roles in industrial biotech companies such as Solazyme and Checkerspot, she successfully leveraged this ability to create, launch, and commercialize products. Prior to joining Hawkwood, Adrienne led early partnership efforts to develop biomanufactured products across materials, industrials, and nutrition verticals. She holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Harvard University.

Associate

Vatshal Bhanushali

Vatshal is a chemical engineer with skill sets lying at the intersection of business and engineering. He has experience in technology transfer, process development, and scale-up, and worked for some of India's largest pharmaceutical companies. Vatshal is a graduate of UC Berkeley's MS Chemical Engineering program, where he specialized in technology commercialization and product development.

Aaron Kelley

With over 15 years experience starting at Genencor, Aaron has held a diverse set of roles ranging from engineering to strategy to leading business units. Aaron's understanding of both technical research and business requirements enable him to bring a new biotech product from the bench to the market. He holds a Ph.D in chemical engineering from University of Minnesota and an MBA from University of California Haas School of Business.

Andy Shaw

Driving significant results through dynamic foresight, strategy and leadership of teams Accomplished and results-driven Research & Development Leader offering a demonstrated record of delivering results in the fields of Industrial Enzymes and Protein Engineering, Biofuels, Commodity Chemicals and Animal Feed and Nutrition. Expertise in leading teams of research professionals in the implementation of projects that spark groundbreaking innovation, leading to the launch of products that meet revenue and business targets. A history of innovation and publication, co-inventor for 43 granted US patents and major contributor to multiple commercial products.

Allen Padwa

After a 22 year career at Monsanto in styrenics polymers R&D, Allen went on to hold senior technical research positions at both Bayer (Plastics Division) and Metabolix. He has deep expertise in the fundamentals of petro-plastics and bioplastics as well as commercial scale production, applications development, and polymer processing. He has helped propel countless technologies from the lab into commercial production. Allen holds Chemistry and Polymer Science and Engineering degrees from Clarkson University and University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Ashley Roberts

Ashley was formerly SVP of the Food & Nutrition Group at Intertek. He is an accomplished Regulatory Toxicologist with extensive knowledge of international regulatory affairs. He specializes in developing regulatory strategies for food additives, foods that are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), and novel foods. Ashley has authored multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals in the fields of safety, mechanisms of toxicity, and pre-clinical/clinical pharmacokinetics. Prior to working at Intertek, he was VP of Food and Nutrition at Cantox Health Sciences International responsible for scientific and regulatory affairs. Prior to this, he worked in two leading European contract research organizations conducting drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics studies and phase I clinical trials.

Bryce Dille

Bryce has spent 20 years at the confluence of finance, chemistry, and the capital markets. Bryce's early career was spent in banking and investing where he covered oil & gas and the renewables industry before moving into finance at Solazyme. Bryce's talent lies in his ability to communicate scientific innovation to the financial markets. He has held a number of prominent roles in leading industrial biotech companies and currently serves as CFO at Lygos. Bryce holds a BA in Chemistry from Carleton College and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

David Brinkmann

David is a chemical engineer who boasts over 40 years of practical experience in process development, technology leadership, engineeringing, and operations in the biotechnolgy industry. He has successfully developed, scaled and managed fermentation and downstream processes for a wide variety of bio-based products and organisms. He currently serves as VP of manufacturing for CREO. David holds a B.S in Chemical Engineering.

Don DiMasi

Don DiMasi brings over 30 years of experience and deep expertise leading fermentation and downstream process development teams and programs for the industrial biotechnology and food technology industries. Don has held prominent positions in Impossible Foods, CP Kelco, Solazyme, and Brightseed. He currently sits as Senior VP of Process Development at C16 Biosciences. He has a technical background in chemical engineering from MIT and University of Virginia, and holds a Ph.D from Tufts University.

Don Trimbur

With over 20 years experience in research, Don's primary focus is on metabolic engineering, strain design, and data science for the chemical and fuel industries. Don has directed biofuels research at leading companies such as Solazyme, LS9, and Renewable Energy Group. He holds a BS from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D from Cornell University.

Geoffrey Brooks

Geoffrey has an extensive knowledge of the development of branded consumer products in the the health and personal care sectors.

He was the co-founder & CTO of Brooks Industries, a chemical specialty company which developed successful profitable bio-active ingredients and delivery systems used by many of the leading cosmetic companies (Revlon, L’Oreal, Estée Lauder, Avon), a business sold to Arch Chemicals in 2000 for $37 million. After the sale, he was a Board Level Technology/Business advisor to Arch for 7 years, proffering insights into growing their businesses based on customer needs, the transfer of technologies between diverse businesses; including wood treatment, water treatment, industrial biocides, personal care & otc cosmetic drugs.

Johan van Walsem

An experienced biotechnology professional, Johan van Walsem has more than 25 years of industry experience leading technology scale-up and commercialization of new products in the biotechnology, bioenergy and biomaterials industries. Johan has held executive leadership positions at prominent biotech companies such as Metabolix and Lygos. Described in hushed tones by his peers as the "engineers' engineer", few have been greater champions of, or have had a greater practical impact on, the burgeoning precision fermentation industry. He currently serves as COO of Sierra Energy and holds degrees in both chemical engineering and business.

John Johnstone

JJ is a ‘hands on’ senior executive with over 40 years in the specialty chemicals / food ingredients industry with Kelco, ISP, CPKelco and Solazyme; holding prominent positions in R&D, Manufacturing Operations, and Sales / Marketing.

This broad experience base has equipped JJ to combine both commercial and technical awareness into his approach to problem solving in process development and scale-up linked to product management and business development. JJ is also vastly experienced in running plants, building and executing plant manufacturing budgets, building finished product standard cost models, and cost management / cost reporting practices.

Landon Steele

Landon Steele is an innovative executive and entrepreneur with more than 25 years of success spanning healthcare and biotech. She held a variety of technical, portfolio management and senior business development positions with Genencor, a multinational industrial biotechnology company for almost 20 years. She later co-founded a tech-enabled mobile healthcare diagnostics company that was scaled and expanded state-wide before a successful exit. Landon holds M.A.Sc. and B.A.Sc. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

Manoj Patel

With almost two decades in the biotechnology industry, Manoj Patel's focus is the commercialization of innovations in gene therapy, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, small molecules, foods, and chemicals. He has held key roles with various biotech start-up companies including Audentes Therapeutics, Cobalt Technologies, and Edeniq. Manoj has a technical background in chemical engineering and holds an MBA from University of California Haas School of Business.

Mike Arbige

Mike is a 40-year veteran of the biotech community and has held many positions throughout his career, including most recently Vice President of Research and Development for DuPont's biosciences group. Mike was responsible for a team of over 750 scientists and supporting staff staff dedicated to the discovery and production of hundreds of bio-derived products, including functional proteins, probiotics, chemicals, vitamins, and amino acids many that served the animal health and animal nutrition sector. He has also helped establish numerous laboratory, pilot, and production facilities around the world with access to over 5 million liters of fermentation capacity. Mike received his PhD from the University of New Hampshire in the field of Microbial Physiology and Microbial Genetics.

Peter Gallagher

During a 33-year career at Unilever, Peter Gallagher has held a diverse range of roles including head of the Hair Care R&D Innovation Centre for South East Asia and China and VP of Skin Care for Europe. Peter's experience is a wealth of knowledge in consumer products and global business strategies. He holds a BS and Ph.D in organic chemistry from University of Liverpool, where he was recently appointed a visiting professor.

Richard Herbert

Since 1996, Richard Herbert has been helping companies scale-up with the right team, latterly as Managing Partner of his own firm, Helix Biosciences. Richard's rolodex is renowned in the food and industrial biotech industries. He has helped place many executive and technical leaders in the field, assisting firms such as Motif FoodWorks, Perfect Day Foods, Curative, Joyn Bio, Ginkgo Bioworks, Memphis Meats, Geltor, Riffyn, Solugen, Amyris, and Genomatica.

Risha Bond

A chemist by training, Risha has built a career at the intersection of chemistry and business, focusing on industrial biotech and renewable chemistries. During her 15 year career in the industry, she has held roles in product and business development at Cargill, Solazyme and Genomatica. Risha holds a degree in Chemistry from Reed College and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Rob Hess

An enzymologist turned patent attorney, Rob spent the majority of his career in biotechnology, including industrial biochemistry, helping define and execute winning IP strategies. Following his retirement as a full-time patent attorney, Rob continues to be active at the intersection of IP and biotechnology. He is an advisor to Kyto Technology and Life Sciences, Seedfolio, and is an active member of Life Science Angels, Tech Coast Angels, and Band of Angels. He regularly brings his wealth of experience in IP strategy and management to bear on current and potential portfolio companies.

Samie Wolf

Samie grew up in Aurora, Colorado and now resides in Denver. She graduated from the University of Arizona, Eller College of Management with an emphasis in Marketing. She has worked with large CPG as well as small software startups and has a background in B2B sales. When she's not working you can find her traveling to new places or perusing Denver's restaurant scene with her husband Jordan. She loves keeping organized and being there to help wherever she can.

Executive Assistant

Stephen Decker

With over 25 years experience in process engineering and technology transfer for the scale-up of biotechnology, Stephen is currently VP of cell-culture operations for Eat Just. He previously held positions at Merck, Amgen and Solazyme. He has a strong technical background in process development and extensive technical scale-up experience with CMOs.

Walfredo Linheres

As an experienced C-level executive, Walfredo brings decades of industry-leading knowledge in governance, business strategy, business management, go-to-market, marketing, and organizational design. Walfredo has held leading positions in prominant industrial companies in South America such as Solazyme-Bunge, Brenco, Amanco, and Bioenergy. He currently sits as the Executive President for Unidade Negocios Agroindustriales (UNA) of Consorcio Nobis of Ecuador.