TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Arysta LifeScience Corporation today announced that Wayne Hewett, a long-time senior executive at GE, will join the Company as Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this newly created position, Hewett will lead the Company’s efforts to drive global operational excellence and will have responsibility for executing management’s initiatives company-wide. Hewett also will be responsible for management of the Company’s supply chain and global product functions, and will serve as a member of the Arysta LifeScience Board of Directors. Hewett will join the Company in October.

Hewett’s addition to Arysta LifeScience is the first step in an executive team transition plan, which will be implemented in Spring 2010. At that time, Hewett will become President and CEO of Arysta LifeScience. Concurrently, President and CEO Chris Richards will move to the full-time position of Chairman of the Arysta LifeScience Board of Directors, and current Board Chairman David Jones will assume the role of Non-Executive Director.

“We are extremely fortunate to have secured the talents of Wayne Hewett, who is an outstanding executive with an excellent track record,” said Richards. “Wayne has the necessary operational expertise and leadership skills to elevate our Company’s performance as we look to the future. I am delighted to have a clear CEO succession plan in place that ensures organizational continuity and a smooth transition, and I look forward to working with Wayne and the other members of our senior management team to accelerate the future growth of Arysta LifeScience in a manner that benefits our customers, our partners and our shareholders.”

Wayne brings a strong international background to Arysta LifeScience. Originally from Jamaica, he has lived in Japan and China. With a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in industrial engineering from Stanford University, Hewett’s career includes more than 20 years with various international divisions of GE, including roles as the President, GE Plastics Pacific, VP of GE Supply Chain and Operations, and President and CEO of GE Advanced Materials. Wayne was also a member of GE’s Corporate Executive Council.

“I am impressed with the Company’s vast achievements and its great potential to become a leader in the global agriscience marketplace,” said Hewett. “With a reputation for providing superior products and services to its customers, broad geographic footprint and talented employees, I am confident that Arysta LifeScience will be able to seize the tremendous growth opportunities across the globe. I am excited to partner with the executive management team and look forward to being part of the Company’s future success.”

“Wayne brings an impressive and highly relevant background to Arysta LifeScience and we are pleased to add an executive of his caliber to the team,” said John Coyle, Partner at Permira Advisers, the majority owner of Arysta LifeScience. “He is a proven world-class leader who will complement the strengths of the existing management team and allow for a seamless transition of the President and CEO roles. Chris Richards has done an excellent job leading the Company for the last six years, and I look forward to his continued involvement as Arysta LifeScience moves into an exciting phase of its growth development.”

About Arysta LifeScience Corporation

Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Arysta LifeScience is the world’s largest privately held crop protection and life science company with 2008 revenues of JPY134 billion (US$1.3 billion). An entrepreneurial provider of crop protection and life science products in more than 125 countries worldwide, Arysta LifeScience specializes in marketing and distribution of respected crop protection brands and life science products in harmony with the needs of global partners. More information on the company is available at: www.arystalifescience.com.

About Permira

Permira is a European private equity firm with a global reach. Our funds, raised from pension funds and other institutions, make long-term investments in companies with the ambition of transforming their performance and driving sustainable growth.

The firm's teams are based in Frankfurt, Guernsey, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, New York, Paris, Menlo Park, Stockholm and Tokyo, advising funds with a total committed capital of approximately EUR20 billion (US$28 billion). Since 1985, the Permira Funds have completed over 190 private equity transactions. For more information visit: www.permira.com

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6031025&lang=en