# Alan Shaw

> Alan Shaw is a British chemist, biotechnology entrepreneur, and the co-founder, president, and CEO of Calysta. After building Codexis from a startup into a public industrial-biotechnology company, he helped turn Calysta from a methane-to-chemicals venture into a producer of fermented microbial protein. Its FeedKind ingredients are now made at industrial scale for aquaculture and pet-food markets.

- **Role:** Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer at Calysta
- **Organizations:** Calysta, Codexis, Imperial Chemical Industries, Zeneca, Chiroscience Group, Clariant, BTP, Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Royal Society of Chemistry, Chartered Institute of Marketing
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** Bachelor's degree in chemistry, Teesside University, Ph.D. in chemistry, University of Durham
- **Known for:** Co-founded Codexis and led it from startup through a 2010 Nasdaq initial public offering and international expansion., Received the 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in the Northern California life-sciences category., Led Codexis when its biocatalysis work received a 2010 U.S. EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award.

## Career timeline

- **1979-1994** — Held scientific, management, fine-chemicals, and European sales roles at ICI and Zeneca.
- **1994-1999** — Held senior operating and business-development positions at Chiroscience Group and the chemical and biopharmaceutical units of Clariant and BTP.
- **2002-2012** — Co-founded Codexis and served as president, CEO, and a director, leading its expansion and 2010 public listing.
- **2012** — Joined and co-founded Calysta as president and CEO.
- **2014** — Calysta acquired rights to the DuPont and Statoil-developed BioProtein process and pivoted from chemicals toward single-cell protein.
- **2016** — Calysta opened a pilot facility in Shaw's hometown of Teesside to produce samples and improve the process.
- **2020** — Calysta and Adisseo established Calysseo, a joint venture to commercialize FeedKind for aquaculture.
- **2022** — Calysseo's first industrial-scale FeedKind plant began operating in Chongqing, China.
- **2024** — FeedKind received Chinese approval for aquaculture feed, and the first major commercial shipment of FeedKind Pet reached Europe.
- **2025** — Marsapet launched the first complete dog food featuring FeedKind Pet protein.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Codexis and led it from startup through a 2010 Nasdaq initial public offering and international expansion.
- Received the 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in the Northern California life-sciences category.
- Led Codexis when its biocatalysis work received a 2010 U.S. EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award.
- Co-founded Calysta and led its pivot from methane-derived chemicals to microbial protein.
- Helped take FeedKind from pilot production to a 20,000-tonne-per-year joint-venture facility in Chongqing.
- Is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — Calysta and Marsapet announced the first complete dog food featuring FeedKind Pet protein, produced at the Calysseo joint-venture plant.
- **2024-08** — Calysta announced the first major shipment of FeedKind Pet protein to Europe and the first commercial deliveries to European manufacturers.
- **2024-01** — China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs approved FeedKind for use in fish and shrimp feeds.
- **2023-02** — FeedKind received U.S. FDA GRAS status for use in aquaculture feed.
- **2022-10** — The Calysseo industrial-scale FeedKind facility in Chongqing began operation.

## Links

- Website: https://calysta.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-shaw-phd-a5117759
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/FeedKind
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ucys8CU0B2s

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/alan-shaw
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-17