East Bay Business Times - by Mike Consol East Bay Business Times publisher
Friday, June 6, 2008
John Melo, CEO of Amyris Biotechnologies
First job: A gardener cutting lawns and trimming bushes.
Business philosophy: Start with a customer in mind.
How do you stay motivated: Search for the improbable. I'm a big believer that most of the establishment has created rules in their minds as to what can be done.
Guiding principle: There are many ways to achieve the aspirations people have, so never be committed to one answer.
Definition of success: Delivering the highly improbable.
Goal yet to be achieved: Helping save the more than 2,000 African children who die every day from malaria. We're developing a technology that aims to help reduce the cost of producing a cure for malaria and that will enable children to receive treatment in six weeks rather than 18 months.
Best decision: To join Amyris. It's the first time in my life I've found there's a purpose to the work I do. It's not just working to achieve the next level of achievement, it's a purpose beyond myself or the people in this company.
Worst decision: The consistent theme of the bad decisions I've made is giving up too early.
Biggest missed opportunity: Not being born in the time of Henry the Navigator. I would have loved to have been born in that era and traveled the seas and exploring without any prior defined model for how you should think about space.
Mentor: Lord John Browne, former CEO of British Petroleum.
Word that best describes you: Driven.
Like best about job: The people.
Like least about job: Raising money.
Interests: My family, reading and travel.
Pet peeve: People who know it all.
Most important lesson learned: There's always a better answer.
Person most interested in meeting: John F. Kennedy. He had a material impact on a number of immigrants who came to this country, specifically where I'm from, the Azores Islands.
Greatest fear: What I fear most is my own fear.
Idea of perfect happiness: Having a company that plays like a jazz band, where each individual plays their own music and, together, we deliver outstanding performance.
Greatest strength: The ability to connect the dots in very complex problems.
Characteristic most admired: I see a lot of value in people who can see beyond the obvious.
First choice for a new career: The leader of a micro-finance company focused on Africa.
Favorite quote: "No compromise" and "managing the paradox" are two favorites I like to use to frame a conversation.
How do you deal with stress: Either walking on the beach and hearing the waves, or sitting by a fireplace and listening to the crackling of the fire.
Exercise of choice: Mountain biking.
Most influential book: "The Tipping Point," by Malcolm Gladwell.
Most ecstatic moment: When I first immigrated to the U.S. and experienced flight for the first time. I grew up using ox carts and horses to get around. There were very few vehicles and definitely no planes. So a jet flight in a Boeing 707 was pretty amazing.
Favorite word: Possible.
Most cherished possession: My house in the Azores Islands.
Background
Name: John Melo
Company: Amyris Biotechnologies
Title: CEO
Years with company: 18 months
Career: President of U.S. Fuels Operations for British Petroleum, where he successfully led efforts that grew the business from $25 billion to $34 billion a year in revenue. Previously, a director with Ernst & Young in San Jose, and a management team member for several startups.
Education: Executive education at Stanford, Harvard and Insead in France
Residence: Chicago, San Jose and Emeryville
Family: Wife Mary, son Joshua, daughters Vitoria and Sofia
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