Matt Wood, Founder and CEO
Matt Wood is the Founder and CEO of Probiotic Holdings. Since 1996, Matt has been a pioneer in developing probiotic technologies. His work with probiotics has resulted in global engagements in microbiology, agriculture, water treatment and human health. He led the launch and funding of Probiotic Holdings/SCD Probiotics in 2004 to develop and commercialize consortia fermentation technologies for multiple industries and has been the lead executive in building out SCD’s global network of manufacturers and distributors. In 2012, he led the launch and funding of Proviera Biotech to develop and commercialize sustainable products for the leather tannery industry. Matt earned a bachelor’s degree in soil and atmospheric sciences from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master’s degree in bioproduction from the University of Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan.
Dr. Narin Tipsrisukond, Executive Vice President of Technology
Dr. Narin Tipsrisukond is the Executive Vice President of Technology for Probiotic Holdings. Narin has 13 years of R&D experience focusing on agricultural and food-grade supplements. Prior to SCD, he worked as the head of R&D for BioSyntropy, a privately held firm specializing in natural microbial-based products. While at BioSyntropy, he established QA/QC programs to follow USFDA GMP guidelines for dietary supplements. Since joining SCD, he has successfully led efforts to develop bio-based probiotics derived for tannery and cleaning products. He also led the development of proprietary consortia cultures, which are the basis for SCD Probiotics’ top-selling non-food grade products. Narin leads and manages tactical and strategic research and development, as well as all intellectual property development plans to achieve SCD Probiotics’ and licensing program objectives. He is responsible for the application, training and technical support of all of SCD Probiotics’ licensees. Narin has multiple research publications as part of his understanding and development of food and agricultural sciences. He received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture/animal science from Prince Songkla University, Thailand; a master’s degree in food science from the University of Missouri; and a PhD in food science from the University of Missouri.
Peter Ryan, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Peter Ryan is the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Probiotic Holdings. Peter has 37 years of product marketing experience. Before joining SCD Probiotics, he was Vice President of the Companion Animal Business Unit for Bayer Healthcare, responsible for the sales, marketing and operations. He increased revenue through sales channel expansion. He also initiated and helped design the first comprehensive industry study in declining veterinary clinic visits, a widely published and used document within the field. Prior to Bayer, Peter was vice president of Laundry & Households in the U.S. for Unilever HPC. There, he increased profit margins for laundry by double digits. As Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Ryan initiates plans to expand SCD Probiotics’ customer base through both long- and short-term strategic plans. He oversees the company’s relationship with licensees and distributors to improve and manage profit margins on product sales as well as industry marketing research. Ryan received a bachelor’s degree in political science from College of the Holy Cross.
Jim McNair, Executive Vice President of Finance
Jim McNair is Executive Vice President of Finance. His extensive experience in the agriculture industry included serving as financial manager and division controller for both Animal Health and Crop Protection divisions, and vice president of Strategic Planning. His 24-year career with Bayer included serving on the Kansas City Foreign Trade Sub-Zone Board, treasurer and board member of the Gustafson Seed Treatment Investment, treasurer of the investment for genetics research with GenOptera, treasurer of the investment in Bayer Advanced, and U.S. representative for the investment activities in start-up technologies. After Bayer, he served as international controller for Great Plains Manufacturing and as managing director of Great Plains-United Kingdom, stationed in Sleaford, England, and managing the Western European operations. He also served as the president and CEO of the American Royal in Kansas City. Jim graduated from Kansas State University, cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in business with an accounting emphasis.
Dr. Joseph Zahner, General Counsel of Probiotic Holdings
Dr. Joseph Zahner is General Counsel of Probiotic Holdings, where he is responsible for corporate, compliance, intellectual property, and transactional legal matters. He is a seasoned intellectual property attorney and registered patent attorney specializing in life science technology. Prior to joining the company, he was senior counsel at Husch Blackwell LLP, serving as patent counsel to Fortune 100 companies, independent inventors, and technology startups. Joe brings a well-rounded and rare perspective to the biotech legal environment, having served as in-house patent counsel at two major pharmaceutical companies and a major research institution, as a private practice attorney in at a large law firm, and as a founder of three technology startups. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Joe received his law degree from Seton Hall University Law School and his PhD in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology from The Johns Hopkins University. He is licensed to practice law in New Jersey and Missouri, and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Dr. Daoxin Li, R&D Lab Manager
Dr. Daoxin Li is the R&D Lab Manager for BioJuvant™. He has more than 20 years of experience in academic research and lab management. He received his PhD in plant pathology/fungal molecular biology from the University of Kentucky. During these studies, he successfully cloned the fungal gene encoding the protein that counters against an antifungal compound in the plant, thus causing infections. He continued his research at Ohio State University and investigated “Early Molecular Events in Plant-Fungus Interactions” to delineate the pathway by which plant host signals trigger gene expression and transcriptional regulation in fungus. His corroborative research resulted in 13 peer-reviewed publications in internationally recognized scientific journals. He was a co-principal investigator of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. Subsequently, he joined EMSL Analytical as microbiology lab manager and later as lab director, where he profitably managed an ISO 17025-accredited microbiology lab and a branch lab for more than 10 years. Most recently, he worked on the air sampling method and detection of live Legionella spp., resulting in the submission of six provisional patent applications (PPA) to USPTO.