EcoSynthetix Announces Division of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Roles

- John van Leeuwen retains CEO position and Dr. David Colcleugh appointed Chairman -

BURLINGTON, ON, May 17, 2012 /CNW/ - EcoSynthetix Inc. (TSX: ECO), a renewable chemicals company that produces a family of commercially proven bio-based products, today announced the results from its Annual Meeting of Shareholders held May 14, 2012. Shareholders voted in favour of the Directors nominated to the Board as outlined in the Management Information Circular dated April 11, 2012. The following five Directors have been reappointed to the Board; John E. Barker, Dr. Arthur Carty, Dr. David Colcleugh, John van Leeuwen and John Varghese.

Subsequent to the Annual General Meeting, the Board resolved to divide the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer to align with corporate governance practices with an independent Director in the position of Chairman. John van Leeuwen will remain Chief Executive Officer and David Colcleugh was appointed Chairman of the Company.

"This positive change in our corporate governance was a responsible decision as we continue our evolution from an entrepreneurial private company to a publicly-listed company selling our bio-based products into global markets," said John van Leeuwen, CEO of EcoSynthetix. "David brings a wealth of experience from his career in the global chemicals industry. His valuable contributions to the Board as an independent Director during the past three years make him the ideal choice to fulfill this role as we aggressively grow EcoSynthetix."

Dr. David Colcleugh held the position of Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Du Pont Canada Inc. from 1997 through his retirement in 2003. Prior to assuming this role at Du Pont Canada, he held various positions in Research, Marketing, Strategic Planning and Business Management with Du Pont from 1963 to 1997, including President of Du Pont Asia Pacific. He serves as a Director of number of other institutions, including the Advisory Board of the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Toronto. Dr. Colcleugh was recently appointed Leadership Development Professor at the University of Toronto and was appointed as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. Dr. Colcleugh earned a B.A.Sc, M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry from the University of Toronto in 1963.

About EcoSynthetix Inc. (www.ecosynthetix.com)
EcoSynthetix Inc. is a renewable chemicals company specializing in bio-based products that can be used as inputs in industrial manufacturing for a wide range of consumer products. The Company's products offer a reduced carbon footprint and are marketed primarily on the basis of lower cost, stable pricing and equal or superior performance. EcoSynthetix's lead product, ECOSPHERE^® BIOLATEX^® binders, is used commercially by a number of the global top 20 manufacturers in the coated paper and paperboard industry.

Forward Looking Statements
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