Two of plant-protein ingredient manufacturer Wide Open Agriculture’s (WOA) co-founders, Ben Cole and Anthony Maslin, are reducing their board roles, with Cole retiring completely and Maslin stepping down as chair to non-executive director. Acting CEO, Matthew Skinner, has also resigned.
The new chair is Yaxi Zhan, who has more than 17 years of experience across start-ups, large-scale mining operations, and ASX-listed companies. Zhan was the co-founder and MD of Accelerate Resources (ASX: AX8).
She said it was exciting to join WOA at the pivotal time of its technology being showcased with global market applications.
“As a novel food technology and ingredients company with a portfolio of products, I look forward to working with the team to unlock new growth opportunities with a focus on delivering value to our shareholders,” Zhan said.
Cole and Maslin were co-founders of WOA, when it was launched in 2015. Cole has been on the board since it began and was MD when the company had its initial public offering in 2018.
The company said, “Mr Cole has demonstrated enormous passion and dedication during his tenure on the board, forging deep relationships with stakeholders in the agricultural and food sectors and positioning the company for success with its plant-based protein ingredients, based on globally protected intellectual property.”
Anthony Maslin will remain on the board as a non-executive director, along with Joanne Ford. Skinner has agreed to stay on until a new CEO is found.
