MADISON, Wis., April 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Virent announced today the appointment of Stacey Orlandi as the company’s Chief Executive Officer.  Orlandi will lead efforts to commercialize Virent’s technology for the large scale production of renewable fuels and chemicals and replace Lee Edwards, who has elected to retire after serving for eight years as CEO.

"I am excited to be joining Virent at such a pivotal time for the company’s scale-up plans and to be leading a team of passionate, highly capable and motivated individuals," said Stacey Orlandi. “The strategic relationships with Tesoro and the Consortium partners Johnson Matthey, Toray and Coca-Cola add significant capability and momentum to our commercialization efforts." 

“Tesoro is very pleased to have Stacey on board to lead the Virent team and support our commitment to renewables,” said CJ Warner, Tesoro’s Executive Vice President of Operations. “She brings a unique combination of success in technology, manufacturing and supply which are all high priorities as Virent progresses plans for commercialization.”

“I would also like to thank Lee Edwards for his 8 years of dedication and success at Virent,” Warner continued.  “Lee has been a great champion for the renewables industry and an exceptional leader for Virent as the company advanced the BioForming technology to the point where we can focus on scale-up and commercialization with Consortium partners.”

Orlandi brings over 18 years of international energy experience to Virent. Most recently, she was Vice President Technology for Novel Processes and New Energies at Royal Dutch Shell, and previously with BP where she held numerous roles, including Cherry Point Refinery Manager, Refining Technology Development Manager and Refining Supply Manager. She holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University and has relocated with her family to Madison, Wisconsin.

About Virent:

Virent is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tesoro Corporation.  The company is creating the low carbon fuels and chemicals the world demands using a wide range of naturally-occurring, renewable resources. Its patented technology features catalytic chemistry to convert plant-based materials into a full range of products identical to those made from petroleum, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and chemicals for plastics and fibers. The products are drop-in replacements that enable full utilization of existing logistics infrastructure without blending limitations.

Please learn more about us at Virent.com