CreativeGene Technology Ltd. was founded in December 2000 by Professors Toni Slabas and Keith Lindsey, as a spinout company from the University of Durham. Dr. Paul Rodgers is appointed as Company Chairman, and Mr. Max Brougham is Company Secretary. The mission of CGT is to develop new solutions to important problems in the agricultural industry. Our innovative technologies are leading to new strategies to increase oil and starch crop yields and to develop new, environmentally friendly herbicides.

Our approach is based upon cutting edge expertise and facilities in proteomics, genomics and genetics. It is rooted in the application of internationally recognized academic research into plant lipid biochemistry and developmental genetics, to produce a strong intellectual property portfolio for crop improvement. The Company has an internationally renowned management executive, supported by a Board of Directors and sound investment structure, to lead an outstanding technical team.

Jon Allen

Jon has over 15 years of experience in the life sciences industry. He has previously acted as a 'venture angel', co-founding and investing in several companies in Europe and the UK, such as Shannon Biotechnology SA in France (OTC pharmaceuticals). He has considerable expertise in international collaboration (ConAgra, Sumitomo, Nestle and Unilever amongst others) and was instrumental in the successful Zeneca commercialisation of genetically modified tomato puree in the UK with Safeway and Sainsbury. With an MSc from Warwick University he is also a Member of the Royal Institute of Public Health & Hygiene (MRIPHH) and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM).

Prof. Toni Slabas: Co-founder and Scientific Director

Toni is Professor of Plant Sciences at Durham University, and has an established reputation in the field of the plant biochemistry, molecular biology and proteomics, particularly as applied to the control of lipid metabolism and plant cell wall structure and function. He was previously Head of Cell Sciences at Unilever, and has served on several government Foresight and Research Council Committees, and company scientific advisory Boards. He has been a member of the Governing Body of the Scottish Crops Research Institute and is currently on the Scientific Board of Linnaeus Inc. He is a member of the BBSRC Sustainable Agriculture Panel and DEFRA Renewable Raw Material LINK Programme Management Committee.

Prof. Keith Lindsey: Co-founder and Scientific Director

Keith is Professor of Plant Molecular Biology at Durham University. He is well known for his work on functional genomics in Arabidopsis, and particularly the use of gene tagging techniques to understand the genetic control of plant embryogenesis and root development. He has served on several Research Council and Government Committees, on the Multinational Arabidopsis Steering Committee and the UK Arabidopsis Genomics (GARNet) Advisory Committee, and is currently a member the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE), which advises government ministers on GM and related issues.