Cellora Driving Commercial Growth with New Leadership
Cellora Limited, a New Zealand-based biological crop protection company developing eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic chemicals and pesticides, today announced two key leadership appointments by its Board of Directors as the company accelerates the commercialisation of its biological technologies. Professor Emeritus Dame Alison Stewart has been appointed Director and Chair of the Board, and Mr Damian Camp has been appointed Chief Executive.
Professor Emeritus Dame Alison Stewart Damian Camp, Chief Executive
The dual appointments signal a decisive shift toward commercial delivery for Cellora, a company on a mission to accelerate the world's transition to natural food production. Both appointments were made by the Cellora Board to strengthen the bridge between the company's deep science capability and its growing commercial ambitions. Prof Stewart transitions from her role as Chief Science Advisor to the company, a position she will continue to hold alongside her new governance responsibilities, while Mr Camp brings proven commercialisation and team leadership.
Prof Stewart is a seasoned research scientist with a 40-year career specialising in sustainable crop protection technologies. She has led major research programs at Auckland and Lincoln Universities, focusing on developing bioactive microbes for pest and disease control, resulting in five commercialised products in New Zealand. In 2013, she moved to the USA as Chief Scientist and Senior VP of R&D at Marrone Bio Innovations, where she gained valuable commercial insights into bringing biological products to global markets. Upon returning to New Zealand, she became CEO of The Foundation for Arable Research, advancing bio-based products for sustainable crop protection.
“Working alongside the other Cellora directors is a privilege as we develop the next generation of internationally relevant biologicals for the agricultural sector,” said Prof Stewart.
Prof Stewart is a Fellow of the NZ Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science and the Australasian Plant Pathology Society and was honoured as Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2025.
Her appointment as Chair brings to Cellora's boardroom a rare combination of world-class scientific expertise and hands-on experience in taking biological crop protection products from the laboratory to the marketplace.
Mr Camp brings over 25 years’ senior leadership experience in building technology ventures into commercially successful, globally focused businesses across agritech, biotech, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing. He has led organisations from pre-revenue start-ups, commercial scale-up, and established export focussed companies. His successes include, unifying the New Zealand sheep R&D and genomics capabilities under Ovita Ltd, spinning out agritech venture Catapult Genetics, which was subsequently acquired by Pfizer Animal Health, and establishing an aeronautical manufacturing JV and equity partnership with Fortune 500 company Beijing Automotive.
Holding biochemistry and commerce degrees and being a Chartered Member of the NZ Institute of Directors, he combines strong scientific literacy with deep commercial and governance experience, positioning him to lead Cellora’s transition from R&D-led innovation to scaled commercial deployment of its biological solutions. “I’m looking forward to accelerating Cellora’s product development and commercial partnering in the global horticulture industry” said Mr Camp.