Ag Research scores Scion's man

Thursday 24th June 2010

Dr Tom Richardson, the chief executive of Crown Research Institute at Scion, has resigned after five years in the role and he is moving to take the helm at AgResearch.

AgResearch chairman Sam Robinson says that Dr Richardson is a science innovation sector leader, and would bring to his new position the strategic and commercial qualities that had underpinned his success at Scion.

"Over recent years the role and position of AgResearch in the pastoral sector has been re-established, and the Board anticipates that as the new chief executive, Dr Richardson will strengthen further this positioning for the benefit of New Zealand, the organisation itself and its key stakeholders.

Originally from the United States, Dr Richardson has worked in New Zealand science for 20 years. He has spent 18 years with Scion, 13 as a practising scientist and science manager, and the past five as chief executive. He has had frequent assignments on advisory boards, external review panels and international science and trade delegations.

His science background is in genetics and he established the genomics research group at Scion and a spin-out company, SignaGen, which brought high-throughput DNA testing to the New Zealand ag-bio sector. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Bucknell University and a doctorate in Botany from Pennsylvania State University.

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