MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 6, 2025) — Qore, a joint venture between Cargill and HELM AG focused on producing biobased materials, today announced the appointment of Mark Concannon as interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He succeeds Jon Veldhouse, who will transition from his leadership role after guiding Qore through its successful establishment and commercial launch of QIRA®, 1,4-butanediol (BDO), the world’s first large-scale BDO made from locally grown dent corn.
Concannon brings decades of global leadership in biobased materials, specialty chemicals and polyurethanes, having served in senior roles at Cargill, DSM Biobased Products, Corbion Biochemicals and Cytec (Solvay). He most recently led efforts within Cargill’s Bio Innovations and Home & Packaging businesses, building solutions that marry biotechnology and the utilization of renewable resources.
“As Qore continues to scale the impact of QIRA® and deepen partnerships across the value chain, we are confident that Mark’s leadership will ensure continuity and drive the next chapter of innovation and growth,” said Bruce Leslie, Qore Board Chair. “We thank Jon Veldhouse for his commitment and vision in building Qore from the ground up.”
As a Board observer for Qore, Concannon is well prepared to carry out the Board’s strategic vision and brings a solid operational understanding of the business. His career spans commercial, technical and marketing leadership roles in the polyurethane sector, equipping him to deliver customer-focused growth and accelerate adoption of QIRA® as an alternative to fossil-based materials.
“I’m honored to step into this role and build on the strong foundation Jon and the team have created,” said Concannon. “Together, we’ll continue to drive customer success and scale biobased materials that deliver performance.”
As the company moves toward full commercial production, Qore remains focused on enabling a better future through high-performance solutions made from renewable sources.
For more information, visit www.myqira.com
About Qore, LLC
Formed through a joint venture between Cargill, Incorporated, and HELM America Corp. (a subsidiary of Germany-based HELM AG) (HELM), Qore, LLC (Qore) helps leading brands replace fossil-based chemistries with biologically derived alternatives. At the heart of the joint venture is the production of QIRA®, the next-generation biobased 1,4-butanediol (BDO). Made biologically through the fermentation of plant-based sugars, QIRA® can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions when replacing todays widely used chemical intermediates made from traditional fossil sources. Biobased QIRA® is used the same way as its fossil counterpart while reducing dependency on fossil resources and reducing pollution associated with their extraction. Qore & Design and QIRA are registered trademarks of Qore, LLC.
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