OXFORD, England, March 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Oxitec today announced the appointment of Jorge Espanha as General Manager of Oxitec's Brazilian subsidiary, Oxitec do Brasil. Mr. Espanha will oversee Oxitec's programs in Brazil to deploy the environmentally-friendly vector control solution, Friendly™ Aedes.

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Hadyn Parry, Chief Executive Officer at Oxitec, said, "We are delighted to welcome Jorge to the Oxitec team. Jorge's managerial experience in the life science sector and track record in marketing and driving growth will be an asset to the company as we continue to expand our operations in Brazil and beyond."  

Mr. Espanha brings to Oxitec over 20 years of marketing, commercial and operational experience in local, regional and global markets including the United States, Europe and Latin America. Most recently he was General Manager at Merial for Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia. In October 2016, for the second time in four years, he was recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in Brazilian Agribusiness by Dinheiro Rural Magazine.  Prior to Merial, Mr. Espanha held key roles at Zoetis, Pfizer Animal Health, and SmithKline Beecham having a significant growth record in the businesses he managed.  Mr. Espanha is also president of the Brazilian Association for Rural Marketing & Agribusiness (ABMR&A).

Mr. Espanha added, "It is an honour to be part of the Oxitec/Intrexon group.  Oxitec has the noble mission of helping Brazilian authorities prevent the spread of vectors that transmit serious diseases and implement new technologies in Brazil."

In conjunction with Piracicaba City Hall, Oxitec do Brasil is currently deploying its self-limiting Friendly™ Aedes mosquitoes in an area of 65,000 people, in order to suppress the dangerous mosquito that transmits Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. In October 2016, the company opened a new mosquito production facility in Piracicaba, which has the capacity to produce 60 million Friendly™ Aedes per week. A survey conducted in November showed that 92.8% of the city's population support Oxitec's vector control solution.

About Oxitec 

Oxitec is a pioneer in using genetic engineering to control insect pests that spread disease and damage crops, and was founded in 2002 as a spinout from Oxford University (UK). Oxitec is a subsidiary of Intrexon Corporation  (NYSE: XON), which engineers biology to help solve some of the world's biggest problems.  Follow us on Twitter at @Oxitec.

Oxitec Contact:
Matthew Warren
Press Officer
Tel: +44(0)-1235-832-393
info@oxitec.com

SOURCE Oxitec Ltd