GILBERT, AZ--(Marketwired - Jan 21, 2014) - Heliae, a leader in the development of advanced algae production technologies, today announced the promotion of Adrian Galvez to Chief Operating Officer, Fred Tennant to Vice President of Business Development, and the addition of Len Smith as General Counsel and Vice President for the company. These new appointments come as Heliae's first commercial facility is in operation and the company gains commercial traction in multiple markets around the world.

Galvez's new role extends his responsibility to direct all of Heliae's production and development activities. Tennant takes over the leadership of Heliae's commercial team and will manage an expanding pipeline of global business opportunities in Heliae's core markets of nutrition, personal care, agroscience, and therapeutics. Together, these two executives bring over 60 years of experience in agribusiness and biotechnology to Heliae, offering deep capability in bringing new technologies and products to mainstream commercial markets.

"As Heliae expands its commercial operations globally, we require a seasoned world-class leadership team to drive results in operations and commercial development," said Dan Simon, Heliae's President and CEO. "The teams that Galvez and Tennant lead have proven their ability to push technology and product development from concept to commercial reality -- 2014 will see major revenue growth at Heliae and these changes position us well for the future."

In Smith's new role as General Counsel at Heliae, he will provide strategic and governance counsel to the executive leadership team of the company, and guide continued expansion of Heliae's industry-leading intellectual property portfolio. Smith joins Heliae with extensive legal expertise in the biopharmaceutical market having previously served as vice president of business and legal affairs at Valeant (NYSE: VRX). Smith's experience spans corporate legal leadership, but is highlighted by a track record of success directing intellectual property strategy, structuring and negotiating agreements, and managing litigation in the biotechnology sector.

"We are thrilled to welcome Len Smith as Heliae's General Counsel," said Simon. "Adding specialized legal talent of this caliber will directly impact our position in the biotech arena and will support the robust commercial pipeline of activity we're managing on a global scale."

About Heliae
Heliae® is a platform technology company that uses sunlight and low-cost carbon feedstocks to produce high-value products from algae. Based in Gilbert, Ariz., Heliae is leveraging its core production technology into four target markets: personal care, nutrition, therapeutics, and agrosciences. With a seasoned management team and world-class science, Heliae is advancing the future of the algae industry by delivering novel algae-based products to dynamic markets around the world. www.heliae.com