Valent BioSciences promotes Mir

LIBERTYVILLE - Valent BioSciences LLC said President and CEO Ted Melnik will retire in July. In addition, Salman Mir, currently executive vice president and chief operating officer, will become president and CEO at that time.

Valent BioSciences is a global company that develops and commercializes effective, low-risk, environmentally compatible technologies and products for agriculture, public health and forest health.

Melnik joined Valent BioSciences in 2013 as chief operating officer and was promoted to his current position in 2022. During his 10-year tenure at Valent BioSciences, Melnik oversaw significant company growth through business acquisitions, including Mycorrhizal Applications, Kyowa Hakko Bio Co. Ltd., the Canadian forestry business of AEF Global Inc., and FBSciences Holdings Inc.

Other business milestones he directed include the construction of Valent BioSciences' biorational manufacturing facility in Osage, Iowa, as well as the opening of the Biorational Research Center and global headquarters in Libertyville.

Mir joined Valent BioSciences in 2012 as vice president of Global Marketing and Business Management, where he was responsible for leading the company's global marketing and commercial activities. In 2016, he moved to Sumitomo Chemical's AgroSolutions Division International for an overseas assignment. He returned to the U.S. in 2019 to serve as chief operating officer of Valent BioSciences subsidiary Pace International LLC in Wapato, Washington. He was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2022.