Donaldson Retires From Sumitomo After 35 Years Of Service To The Industry, Successors Announced
February 28, 2014 
Sumitomo Chemical Companty Ltd. announced that Michael Donaldson will retire at the end of March 2014. Donaldson serves as president and CEO of Valent U.S.A. Corp., Walnut Creek, Calif.; Valent BioSciences Corp., Libertyville, Ill and Pace International, Seattle, Wash., and he is executive officer for Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd.
Donaldson has held numerous leadership positions over his career in multinational companies around the world, with a focus on biorational products and conventional chemicals for agriculture, forestry and public health.
His pioneering work in the area of biorational products spanned more than 35 years, and included research and development and business management positions with Sandoz Crop Protection, Abbott Laboratories and Sumitomo. In these roles, Donaldson led efforts to integrate biorational products as partners with conventional chemistries for pest management and the enhancement of crop quality and yield.
During his last 14 years with Sumitomo, Donaldson’s leadership significantly increased the global footprint of the Sumitomo biorational portfolio, culminating in the construction of the first world-class, dedicated manufacturing facility for biorational products, located in Osage, Iowa. The facility is representative of the strong foundation in biorationals built by Donaldson during his tenure with Sumitomo, and it also underpins the long-term commitment of Sumitomo to the future of biorationals.
After his retirement, Donaldson will continue to support Sumitomo as advisor, especially to the president of the Sumitomo Health and Crop Sciences Sector.
Andy Lee, who currently serves as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Valent U.S.A. Corp., will assume the role of president and CEO of Valent U.S.A. and Valent BioSciences. Lee brings significant experience in both conventional and biorational agricultural products and will be responsible for leading the continued growth of the total portfolio of products from Sumitomo in the NAFTA region and globally for the biorational portfolio from Valent BioSciences.
Ted Melnik, who currently serves as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Valent BioSciences, will also assume the role of president of Pace International, a global leader in post-harvest products.
In addition, Matt Plitt, the current vice president of sales for Valent U.S.A., has been appointed as the new executive vice president and chief operating officer of Valent U.S.A..
“We would like to congratulate Mr. Donaldson on his many years of service to the industry and welcome Mr. Lee, Mr. Plitt and Mr. Melnik to their new positions,” says Ray Nishimoto, director and managing executive officer and president of the Health and Crop Sciences Sector for Sumitomo.
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