Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), the leading horizontal platform for cell programming, today announced that Kathy Hopinkah Hannan, PhD, CPA has joined its Board of Directors, effective August 2, 2022. Dr. Hannan brings over thirty years of experience as a senior C-Suite executive, corporate advisor, independent board director and strategist leading significant operations and high priority initiatives.
“As a pioneer in synthetic biology, Ginkgo Bioworks is undertaking critical work to make biology easier to engineer and to enable a more sustainable future,” said Dr. Hannan. “I am honored to join Ginkgo’s Board at such a significant time in the company’s history, and look forward to working with Ginkgo’s incredible team as they use synthetic biology to unlock innovations across industries.”
Dr. Hannan is a retired senior partner from KPMG LLP, where she also served as Vice Chair. She brings extensive governance experience through her corporate board roles with Annaly Capital Management, Otis Worldwide Corporation, and Carpenter Technology Corporation, as well as her roles as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and formerly as Chair of the Board of Directors of Girl Scouts of the USA. A member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, Dr. Hannan served as a commissioner for the Tribal Employment Rights Office and was a presidential appointee to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education. She also served as a member of the Committee to establish the Board of Directors for the Ho-Chunk Tribe’s corporation under Section 17 of the Indian Reorganization Act.
“Dr. Hannan brings invaluable experience as a leader in enterprise sustainability and organizational effectiveness, with an impressive track record for leading key financial and advisory services for clients,” said Marijn Dekkers, Chair of the Board of Directors for Ginkgo Bioworks. “Dr. Hannan’s industry knowledge and financial acumen is a welcome addition to our Board as Ginkgo continues to grow as a public company. We are looking forward to working with her.”
Ginkgo is building a platform to enable customers to program cells as easily as we can program computers. The company’s platform is enabling biotechnology applications across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to industrial chemicals to pharmaceuticals. Ginkgo has also actively supported a number of COVID-19 response efforts, including K-12 pooled testing, vaccine manufacturing optimization and therapeutics discovery. For more information, visit www.ginkgobioworks.com.
