News
SENOMYX ANNOUNCES MANAGEMENT TEAM PROMOTIONS
LA JOLLA, CA - February 3, 2006 - Senomyx, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNMX) a leading company focused on using proprietary taste receptor-based assays to discover novel flavor ingredients for the packaged food and beverage industry, announced today the promotions of four key management team members. Mark J. Zoller, Ph.D., will now serve as Executive Vice President of Discovery & Development and Chief Scientific Officer; Harry J. Leonhardt, Esq., has been appointed Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary; John Poyhonen was promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Financial and Business Officer; and Tony Rogers will fill the newly created position of Vice President of Finance and Treasury.
"Mark, Harry, John, and Tony have been instrumental in helping Senomyx grow and evolve as a company. Our scientific advancements, the establishment of new collaborations with the world's leading packaged food and beverage companies, and our strengthened financial position have been the result of the contributions of these individuals," said Kent Snyder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Senomyx. "We are grateful for their past service and are pleased that the Company will continue to benefit from their exemplary leadership."
Dr. Mark Zoller received his B.A. in Chemistry from Pomona College and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego. He joined Senomyx in March 2000 as Vice President of Research and has served as Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President of Research since June 2001. "Mark's promotion to Executive Vice President reflects his numerous contributions to the Company," Snyder noted. "Under his guidance, each of our discovery and development programs has made significant progress, and we received FEMA GRAS determination for four savory ingredients in 2005."
Harry Leonhardt joined Senomyx in September 2003 after holding executive legal and business positions at Genoptix, Inc., Nanogen, Inc., and Allergan, Inc. Mr. Leonhardt received his B.Sc. degree from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California Law Center. "Harry has overseen all of the legal activities associated with our IPO and secondary stock offering, and our functioning as a public company," Snyder said. "In addition, his wealth of experience has been valuable as we established new collaborative agreements and enhanced our intellectual property position. He is very deserving of the promotion to the Senior Vice President position."
John Poyhonen was appointed Vice President and Chief Business Officer when he joined Senomyx in October 2003, and was appointed to the position of Vice President and Chief Financial and Business Officer in April 2004. John's previous experience included various senior level sales and marketing positions for Agouron Pharmaceuticals, a Pfizer company. He received his B.A. in Marketing from Michigan State University and his M.B.A. from the University of Kansas. "John's promotion to the Senior Vice President level is an acknowledgement of his exceptional service to the Company," Snyder commented. "He has played a crucial role in developing and implementing Senomyx's financial and business strategies. John's leadership and expertise have been demonstrated repeatedly as we expanded our corporate partnerships and completed successful financial transactions."
Tony Rogers joined Senomyx in June 2001 and was appointed Director of Finance and Administration in February 2002. He previously served as Director of Finance and Administration for Indiqu, Inc. and held finance and accounting positions with Sequana Therapeutics, Aurora Biosciences, and Ancile Pharmaceuticals. Tony received his B.S. in Accounting from San Diego State University. "Tony's efforts in the finance, accounting, and administrative areas have been indispensable as the Company has grown and evolved," Snyder stated. "He established our financial reporting processes, oversaw the activities for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, managed aspectsof our IPO and secondary stock offering, and directed our facilities expansion projects. Tony will join the senior management team in his new position as Vice President of Finance and Treasury."
About Senomyx, Inc. (www.senomyx.com)
Senomyx uses proprietary taste receptor-based assays, screening technologies and optimization chemistry to discover and develop novel flavors, flavor enhancers and taste modulators for the packaged food and beverage industry. Senomyx's current programs focus on the development of flavors, flavor enhancers and taste modulators in the savory, sweet, salt and bitter taste areas. Senomyx has entered into product discovery and development collaborations with five of the world's leading packaged food and beverage companies: Cadbury Schweppes, Campbell Soup Company, The Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Foods Global, Inc. and Nestlé SA.
Contacts
| Investor Relations |
| Gwen Rosenberg |
| Executive Director, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations |
| Senomyx, Inc. |
| 858-646-8369 |
| gwen.rosenberg@senomyx.com |