Benson Hill Expands Board of Directors Expertise with Appointments on the Heels of its New York Stock Exchange Listing
Benson Hill (NYSE: BHIL) announced the appointment of Linda Whitley-Taylor and Molly Montgomery to its Board of Directors, aimed at enhancing its growth as a sustainable food tech company. Whitley-Taylor, with a strong background in HR, will chair the Compensation Committee, focusing on talent retention. Montgomery, an experienced public company director, will head the Sustainability and Governance Committee, emphasizing ESG priorities. These appointments come as Benson Hill builds momentum in its supply chain for proprietary soybean ingredients to promote sustainable food options.
- Appointment of experienced board members enhances leadership expertise.
- Focus on sustainability and governance with dedicated committees.
- Strategic leadership changes support company's growth in the public market.
- Concerns about the continuity of vision with new leadership.
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ST. LOUIS, Oct. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Benson Hill, Inc. (NYSE: BHIL, the "Company" or "Benson Hill"), a food tech company unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants with its cutting-edge food innovation engine, announced the appointments of Linda Whitley-Taylor and Molly Montgomery as independent members of its Board of Directors. The appointments underscore the Company's commitment to this critical next phase of growth toward becoming a leading publicly traded sustainable food tech company composed of exceptional teams from a broad range of disciplines and backgrounds.
Whitley-Taylor, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer of Change Healthcare, brings a unique perspective to Benson Hill's Board of Directors with her decades of experience in human resources, talent retention and people strategy development. She will serve as chair of the Board's Compensation Committee, which will center on investing in and retaining top talent to position the Company and its teams for success.
"We apply cutting-edge science and an integrated approach across the food value chain, requiring purpose-driven talent across multiple disciplines to execute our strategy," said Matt Crisp, Chief Executive Officer of Benson Hill. "Linda has a deep appreciation for our culture and the importance we place on our people. Her extensive experience will be a great asset as we continue to grow and develop our organization."
Prior to joining Change Healthcare, Whitley-Taylor served in operations leadership and executive human resources positions at Amerigroup Corporation, Genworth Financial and GE. Whitley-Taylor has a B.A. in psychology from Radford University. She currently serves as a Board member of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville, on the Board of Trustees of Hampden-Sydney College and formerly served as rector of the Board of Visitors at Radford University.
"Matt and his team at Benson Hill understand that aligning talent, passion and culture can create exponential impact. I look forward to advising the Company's people strategy as it continues its significant growth trajectory and matures in the public markets," said Whitley-Taylor.
Montgomery, Board Director at Wilbur-Ellis, is an experienced public company CEO and Board Director with a deep passion for sustainability and leading teams throughout the food and agriculture supply chain. On Benson Hill's Board, she will chair the Sustainability and Governance Committee charged with oversight of Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) priorities across the company. Montgomery simultaneously serves as Board Director at Wilbur-Ellis, The Wine Group and Custom Made Meals. Previously, she served as CEO, President and Board Director of Landec Corporation. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering Science and a Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville, as well as an MBA from Harvard Business School.
"Molly's extensive background of leadership in the agriculture and food value chain, matched with the immense value she places on sustainable practices, makes her a seamless addition to our Board as we continue to scale. We are honored to have her on the team," said Crisp.
"Benson Hill has the potential to redefine our food supply chain with a technology platform that enables nutrient-dense foods to be made available at a lower cost and with a reduced carbon footprint," said Montgomery. "I look forward to supporting the Company's innovative path to be the 'picks and shovels' of the rapidly growing plant-based food revolution."
The appointments of Whitley-Taylor and Montgomery come at an opportune time as Benson Hill continues to build momentum. The food tech company is building out the supply chain for its proprietary soybean ingredients designed to enable more sustainable, nutritious and affordable food choices for consumers.
About Benson Hill
Benson Hill moves food forward with the CropOS® platform, a cutting-edge food innovation engine that combines data science and machine learning with biology and genetics. Benson Hill empowers innovators to unlock nature's genetic diversity from plant to plate, with the purpose of creating nutritious, great-tasting food and ingredient options that are both widely accessible and sustainable. More information can be found at bensonhill.com or on Twitter at @bensonhillinc.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or the Company's future financial or operating performance, and may be identified by words such as "may," "should," "expect," "intend," "will," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "predict," or similar words. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding our strategy, our plans for growth, and the benefits we anticipate our new directors will bring to our Board, its committees, and our company. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, our ability to grow and manage growth profitably, our ability to execute our business plans, our transition to becoming a public company, and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. We expressly disclaim any duty to update these forward-looking statements, except as otherwise required by law.
Media Contact
Benson Hill
Melanie Bernds
314-605-6363
mbernds@bensonhill.com
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