SG Biofuels Appoints COO

Motta joined SGB in 2010 as vice president of marketing and strategy following a career at Monsanto, a Fortune 500 provider of agricultural products, and at Seminis, the largest developer, grower and marketer of vegetable and fruit seeds in the world.

“Since joining SGB from Monsanto last year, Miguel has played a pivotal role directing our global commercial strategy and operations,” said Kirk Haney, president and chief executive officer at SGB. “His promotion to COO is reflective of his extensive industry expertise and of the growing needs of our business as we scale operations in multiple markets worldwide.”

At Monsanto, Motta was responsible for developing and executing the marketing and commercial strategy for Europe, Middle East and Africa, covering operations in more than 30 countries. Prior to that role, Miguel worked at Monsanto’s headquarters leading merger and acquisitions efforts and the introduction of biotechnology products in the Americas.

During his time at Seminis, Motta served on the executive team that set the overall strategy and direction for the company while having direct responsibility for the global human resources function representing 3,000 employees in more than 50 countries. Prior to joining the executive team of Seminis, Motta was responsible for the finance organization in Europe, Middle East and Africa and was managing director for Spain and Portugal. Seminis was successfully acquired by Monsanto in 2005.

SGB recently completed a $17 million Series B financing led by Thomas, McNerney & Partners with participation from Finistere Ventures and current investors Flint Hills Resources, LLC and Life Technologies Corporation. It has confirmed customer orders for more than 250,000 acres of its hybrid Jatropha seed.