10 April 2026, Libertyville: Sumitomo Biorational Company LLC, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical Company Ltd., today celebrated its official launch with an inauguration event held in Libertyville, Illinois. The event brought together employees, leaders, and stakeholders in person, while team members from the company’s major global sites joined virtually to mark the occasion.
Sumitomo Biorational officially began operations on April 1, bringing together Valent BioSciences LLC, MGK, and Valent North America LLC into a unified, collaborative organization designed to accelerate innovation in biorational and botanical technologies.
The inauguration featured remarks from Nobuaki Mito, Representative Director & President of Sumitomo Chemical Company, Tadashi Katayama, President and Managing Executive Officer, Agro & Life Solutions Sector, Sumitomo Chemical Company, and Shin Shojima, President & CEO of Sumitomo Biorational Company, underscoring the strategic importance of Sumitomo Biorational to Sumitomo Chemical’s future growth.
“Today is a milestone for our organization and for our customers worldwide,” said Shin Shojima, President & CEO of Sumitomo Biorational. “Sumitomo Biorational brings together decades of expertise and innovation to deliver science-driven solutions for agriculture, environmental health, and public health and forest health. With this launch, we are positioned to lead in biorational technologies and create lasting value for our customers, growers, and communities.”
Based in Libertyville, Illinois, Sumitomo Biorational serves as Sumitomo Chemical’s Global Center of Excellence for Biorational Innovation, advancing integrated, sustainable solutions derived from natural sources such as microbials and botanicals. The company brings together complementary capabilities to accelerate product development, enhance collaboration, and expand its leadership in agriculture, environmental health, public health, forest health, and related markets.
Sumitomo Biorational operates through three divisions:
AgroSolutions Division, led by Salman Mir, focused on advancing biorational solutions for agriculture.
Environmental Health Division led by Steve Gullickson, which includes the MGK business and supports environmental health markets.
Public Health and Forest Health Division, led by Jason Clark, focused on protecting public health and forest ecosystems.
Valent U.S.A. LLC continues to operate separately, maintaining its focus on regional agriculture sales and marketing across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, serving as a champion of the Sumitomo Biorational platform and portfolio with their customers and growers.
For regional sales and marketing, the Public Health and Forest Health Division for Valent BioSciences customers will continue doing business under the same representing brand for regional sales and marketing mainly in North America and Africa.
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