Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny is one of five new members of the board of directors of Irish tech company Envetec.

Based in Shannonside Business Park, Co Tipperary, Envetec pitches itself as a cleantech company that has built a novel biohazardous waste treatment technology called Generations.

Designed to help laboratories phase out unsustainable methods of disposing of biohazardous waste, such as incineration, autoclaving and landfills, Generations simultaneously shreds and disinfects infectious waste and materials directly at the source which can then be recycled.

Instead of using heat, the system uses a proprietary biodegradable developed by Envetec that converts biohazardous waste into a confetti-like material that is safe to handle and transport for recycling.

“Our Generations technology is fast emerging as a significant disruptor, transforming the way in which we treat biohazardous laboratory waste,” said Malcolm Bell, CEO and chair of Envetec.

The announcement of Kenny’s appointment to the Envetec board comes as the company has completed €10m in financing for the commercial launch of Generations after a decade of research and development.

New board members

Kenny, who led the Irish Government from 2011 to 2017, is one of five independent, non-executive new members of the Envetec board of directors announced today (26 May) to help lead the company towards business success with their experience.

Others joining the board include Northwell Health CEO and president Michael Dowling, former Roche Diagnostics senior VP Eva Pisa, former S&P Global Market Intelligence president Imogen Joss (who is now chair of Grant Thornton UK), and My Green Lab CEO James Connelly.

“We have identified five outstanding independent directors who have the right mix of leadership skills and experience underscored by a genuine, collective passion for advancing best-in-class technologies that benefit the environment and the economy,” said Malcolm Bell, CEO and chair of Envetec.

“With these new additions to the board, Envetec is strongly positioned across the diagnostic, pharmaceutical, medical device, and food and beverage industries with an opportunity to impact the environmental footprint of the customers we serve.”

Kenny has been adding climate-focused companies to his directorship portfolio. Last September, he joined the board of Dublin-based climate-tech company Carbon Collect, which had unveiled its first commercial-scale ‘mechanical tree’ designed to capture CO2 from the atmosphere.

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