Renaissance BioScience Corp., Vancouver, British Columbia, has appointed Dr. Cormac O’Cleirigh chief business development officer. A native of Ireland with a Ph.D. in bioprocess engineering, O’Cleirigh has extensive experience and expertise at the senior executive level in the global yeast and bakery ingredient industry. He will be based at the Renaissance headquarters in Vancouver.

“Cormac is an important addition to our senior management team as we expand the number and range of our business partnerships and collaborations to match the potential we have in developing yeast technologies for the global food, beverage, alcohol, biofuel and pharmaceutical industries,” says Dr. John Husnik, Renaissance CEO. He added, “This appointment not only significantly increases our yeast industry expertise, but also ensures we incorporate end-use industry and consumer insights into our innovation agenda. We are extremely pleased Cormac has joined us.”

Prior to joining Renaissance, O’Cleirigh was head of business development and innovation for AB Mauri Global Bakery Ingredients, a division of Associated British Foods plc. In this role, his primary responsibilities included overseeing the division’s strategic business development, with a focus on developing consumer insights, evaluating competitor intelligence and identifying acquisition targets. Other key responsibilities included coordinating the company’s global innovation team and managing the business’s innovation systems and processes.