DR. ALAN SHAW | The National Summit

DR. ALAN SHAW
President & CEO
Codexis, Inc.

Dr. Alan Shaw has served as President of Codexis since 2001 and Chief Executive Officer since 2002. He has been a member of the company’s Board of Directors since inception. He also serves on the Board of Directors of BIO, the biotechnology industry trade association, and is past chair of the BIO Industrial and Environmental Section.

Dr. Shaw has successfully built and lead a number of chemistry-based commercial entities during more than 25 years in the life sciences industry. Prior to Codexis, he was a senior executive for BTP plc, a major United Kingdom speciality chemicals company. At BTP, he held the position of Chief Operating Officer of Archimica, the pharmaceutical chemicals division. BTP plc. was acquired in 2000 by the Swiss chemical conglomerate Clariant. Dr. Shaw went on to hold senior management positions at Clariant, including Head of New Business Development for Clariant Life Sciences and Managing Director, Lancaster Synthesis Group.

Previously, he served from 1994-1999 with life sciences firm Chiroscience Group plc. Dr. Shaw was one of the company’s first employees, and he rose to Managing Director of the pharmaceutical services unit, ChiroTech, and to become a member of the Board of Directors of Chiroscience Ltd. Chiroscience Group was acquired by Ascot Holdings in 1999. Earlier in his career, Dr. Shaw held various scientific and management positions over 15 years at ICI/Zeneca. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Durham, England. Dr. Shaw is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC, C.Chem.) and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM, Chartered Marketer).

Panelist Perspective

Clean technology innovation is an essential driver for a strong U.S. economy. In the near term, breakthroughs in clean tech will help speed the economic recovery by creating new green products and jobs. In the long term, the U.S. clean technology industry can and should lead the world in meeting the challenge of climate change.

This leadership can only come from a shared public-private commitment to conditions that foster innovation. Government must lead through policies encouraging sustainable technology development. The end goal is a clear national energy policy that is both pragmatic and visionary. It must acknowledge the challenges we face, while creating an open road to meet them.

With this policy in place, the private sector can lead in two ways. First, we can create game changing technology, like the computer chip and biotechnology in decades past. Some estimates say biofuels now under development could cost between $5 and $1000 per gallon. Our industry must – and will - do a lot better. Second, it is our responsibility to create companies that themselves are sustainable - with sound business models. Sustainable companies will meet the need for sustainable energy.