Origin Materials Announces Appointment of Jim Stephanou to Board of Directors

New director’s decades of manufacturing, operations, and engineering experience to enhance Board expertise

Origin Materials (“Origin”) (NASDAQ: ORGN, ORGNW), the world’s leading carbon negative materials company with a mission to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials, today announced the appointment of James ("Jim") Stephanou to the Origin Board of Directors, effective June 12. Mr. Stephanou will serve as a member of the Board’s Audit and Compensation Committees.

“Jim’s proven track record leading manufacturing and technology initiatives for global companies complements the skill set of our current Board of Directors,” said John Bissell, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Origin Materials. “We believe Jim’s expertise will prove invaluable as we ramp up Origin 1 operations throughout the year and begin commercial production.”

“With an extensive background leading engineering and manufacturing operations, Jim will be a tremendous addition to our Board,” said Rich Riley, Co-CEO of Origin Materials. “We are thrilled to welcome Jim as we continue advancing toward commercial production to begin to meet our over $9 billion in customer demand.”

Mr. Stephanou brings over thirty years of experience in manufacturing operations and engineering, including his current role as CEO of IPS (Integrated Project Services), an engineering and construction services provider to the life sciences sector. Previously, he served as Vice President and Head of Engineering and Projects at Merck & Co., Inc., a position he held from 2015 to 2023. Prior to joining Merck, he held various leadership positions at Bayer Corp. for over a decade, including roles as Vice President of Engineering and General Manager, Vice President of Global Asset Management, Vice President and Plant Manager for Manufacturing and Technology, and Regional Director of Engineering and Maintenance. Mr. Stephanou joined Lyondell Basell Industries N.V. in 1988 and held a variety of supervisory positions with the company before being named Manager of Maintenance and Reliability in 2000. Mr. Stephanou holds a mechanical engineering degree from Drexel University.

“I am honored to join the Board of Directors of Origin Materials and look forward to helping to bring the company’s breakthrough technology to market,” said Mr. Stephanou. “I believe my work in manufacturing operations, engineering, and construction services will lend itself well to Origin’s efforts to construct and start up their new world-class manufacturing facilities.”

About Origin Materials

Headquartered in West Sacramento, Origin Materials is the world's leading carbon negative materials company. Origin’s mission is to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials. For over a decade, Origin has developed a platform for turning the carbon found in inexpensive, plentiful, non-food biomass such as sustainable wood residues into useful materials while capturing carbon in the process. Origin’s patented technology platform can help revolutionize the production of a wide range of end products, including clothing, textiles, plastics, packaging, car parts, tires, carpeting, toys, fuels, and more with a ~$1 trillion addressable market. In addition, Origin’s technology platform is expected to provide stable pricing largely decoupled from the petroleum supply chain, which is exposed to more volatility than supply chains based on sustainable wood residues. Origin’s patented drop-in core technology, economics and carbon impact are supported by a growing list of major global customers and investors.

For more information, visit www.originmaterials.com.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Origin Materials’ business strategy, estimated total addressable market, timelines to begin commercial production, ability to convert capacity reservations and offtake agreements into revenue and satisfy total customer demand, ability to enter new end-markets, ability to develop new product categories, commercial and operating plans, product development plans, and anticipated growth and projected financial information. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of the management of Origin Materials and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Origin Materials. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including that Origin Materials may be unable to successfully commercialize its products; the effects of competition on Origin Materials’ business; the uncertainty of the projected financial information with respect to Origin; disruptions and other impacts to Origin’s business as a result of outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, the impact of severe weather events, and other global health or economic crises; changes in customer demand; and those factors discussed in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on May 10, 2023 under the heading “Risk Factors,” and other documents Origin Materials has filed, or will file, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that Origin Materials presently does not know, or that Origin Materials currently believes are immaterial, that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Origin Materials’ expectations, plans, or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Origin Materials anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its assessments to change. However, while Origin Materials may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Origin Materials specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Origin Materials’ assessments of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230612005015/en/