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Aug. 20, 2024 – (Durham, North Carolina) – The Board of Directors of Vestaron Corporation announced today that Juan Estupinan has been appointed CEO, president and board member effective immediately, following his tenure as interim CEO and President. Additionally serving as Vestaron’s Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Mr. Estupinan brings extensive financial and business leadership experience across multiple industries and has the full support of the Board of Directors to advance the company’s strategic vision and priorities.

The Board of Directors thoroughly reviewed its options and is in full agreement that Juan Estupinan is the right leader for the organization as it enters a period of market growth and product expansion for its novel bioinsecticides. Vestaron is seeing continued market penetration in our focus regions in 2024, including development in several EU countries. The Board is confident in Vestaron’s long-term plan, its financial stability, and fully supports Mr. Estupinan and the Vestaron team in executing the company’s strategic vision to revolutionize crop protection.”
~ Jim Collins, Executive Director and Chair of the Vestaron Board of Directors.

Board member Randy C. Papadellis, former President and Chief Executive Officer Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., added: “This appointment reflects our full confidence in Juan’s ability to guide Vestaron through its next exciting phase of growth and innovation. With his leadership and experience, Vestaron is well-positioned to continue delivering value for our customers, investors, and industry stakeholders.”

Juan Estupinan joined Vestaron as Chief Financial Officer in May of 2022. He has 17 years of experience in accounting and finance, recently serving as vice-president of finance at Aptinyx. Before joining Aptinyx, Mr. Estupinan held positions of increasing responsibility at Durata Therapeutics and Abbott Laboratories. Mr. Estupinan began his career at Deloitte and holds a B.A. with a concentration in finance and accounting from Indiana University, Fort Wayne, an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and earned his CPA in Indiana.

Vestaron is delivering new modes of action to help farmers protect valuable crop yields from pest pressures, while also protecting the environment, workers, pollinators, and biodiversity. An effective one-to-one displacement of traditional chemistries, the company’s first award-winning peptide-based insecticide SPEAR® LEP will be followed in 2025 by the release of its second novel active ingredient, BASIN™ FLEX. The company’s world-class R&D capacity is producing a pipeline of novel solutions to suit diverse crops and geographies around the world.    

I’m honored to lead this great organization, whose passionate and brilliant people are delivering novel, sustainable solutions to help growers protect food crops around the world at a crucial time in the agri-food industry. I look forward to advancing our important work with the full support of the Board of Directors and our key partners and investors. We see a bright future ahead as Vestaron continues its dynamic evolution as a rising innovator in crop protection, including the launch of our second novel ingredient, BASIN FLEX, in 2025.”

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Ben Cicora, SVP Sales & Marketing • 970.443.9220 • bcicora@vestaron.com
Steve Betz, VP Communications • (515).707.6096 • sbetz@vestaron.com